There is a big difference between caring about what people think and worrying what people will think. In the case of Louis CK, he doesn’t care about either one. When asked if comedians should apologize for remarks that offend people, he said “If the heat gets hot, just let them get mad. Let them be upset. It’s not the worst thing in the world.”
Some people like to live dangerously. For those of us who are not Louis CK, caring about what people think can actually make you a better person. And, if you’re in business, help you build a better brand. But worrying what people will think, that doesn’t really help you in either your personal life or your branding life. Think about it. If you care about what people think, you have already solved 75% of the problem, because that alone will keep you out of trouble most of the time. But it’s an awareness, which is healthy, instead of a fear, which is more like a disease.
How many brands out there act like they really care? Caring about what your customers think is a good idea to build into your company’s brand. It means you are putting yourself in their shoes. Imagining what their lives are really like. The goings-on inside their heads. What they care about and what they don’t care about. Just remember to keep it at this level. A lot of companies make the mistake of caring too much about what their customers think.
Don’t ask innocent civilians to do your work for you. Some companies go to their customers and ask them dumb questions like “What should we call this chocolate bar?” or “Which beer looks colder?” When you see people do stuff like this in real life, you rightfully run for the exits. It’s an obvious sign of insecurity. Well it’s not any different when the brand is corporate. When you hear the words, “Let’s run this by a focus group,” run, do not walk. Focus groups, like any other kind of therapy, can be used or misused. 95% of the time, focus groups are misused.
This may come as a shock to you. The only reason to conduct a focus group is to plumb the depths of peoples’ basic attitudes and motivations around topics that are fundamental to your business. It’s a research tool not a beauty contest. But give people $75, a stale sandwich and some M&M’s and they’ll be happy to play creative director, they’ll even tell you how to run your business. So yes it is possible to get into trouble by caring too much about what people think. If you’re doing all the right things, and you’re running scared, take a minute to look in the mirror. Yes, you are probably looking at the problem.
As Louis CK reminds us, “It’s better to talk through your work.” In other words, don’t get distracted by all the side chatter.
Branding is Just Like Life is a weekly series that tries to talk about branding in a way that won’t make your mind shut off. Find out the first two jobs of any brand here.