3-Step Drop: Huskers v. Mizzou

Wow!  What a football game that was.  Finally the Huskers come through in a big game.  If you went to bed early, you missed one heck of a rally from the children of the corn.  Nonetheless, let's learn something about marketing from this stellar football game.

1. Don't Change, Adapt - Both Mizzou and Nebraska run wide-open offenses.  And both teams skew their play calling towards the pass.  But with last nights rainstorm during the game, one might conclude that more traditional offenses would fare better than these new-age schemes and you would probably be right.  But would it be good for the Huskers to start lining up and running plays as if Tom Osborne were still coaching?  Should Mizzou have started lining up in the I-Formation and let their QB be true dual threat like Corby Jones?  No.

What they did was adapt.  They threw shorter passes, screens, Missouri ran the ball more than they probably would have.  Both teams stayed true to who they were and adapted to the conditions.  Your brand needs to be the same way.  There will be times when conditions outside of your control - economic climate, political climate, new regulations - will force you to make a decision about your brands direction.  The right answer is to stay true to your brands promise and not pretend to be you are not.  The Huskers could not become the Huskers of old with Power-I formations and throwing only 10 passes in a game.  They don't have the expertise in personnel to pull it off.  Same for your brand.  Trying to do something that you don't have the expertise or capacity to do is silly.  Stick to your game plan and you'll have a far better chance of winning.

2. Don't Shoot Yourself in the Foot - Football, like business, is hard enough facing a fierce competitor that you don't want to compromise yourself.  Mizzou did this at key times last night.  Not that Mizzou would have won the game, but 8 penalties for 100 and 3 turnovers is bad enough.  But when you factor in when and where they happened in the game it was devastating for the Tigers.  You know the competition in your market and you don't need to give them anymore help than they already have.  Don't let your CEO get caught driving drunk, don't screw up a product and have a big recall, don't become the next Enron.  Luckily for Mizzou, this is their first loss and they are not out the championship hunt.  For your brand, a screw may not mean you go out of business but a loss of market share instead.

3. Momentum: Ride The Wave - The Huskers hit a big pass to Niles Paul for a 56-yard touchdown.  They then scored twice more quickly before putting the nail in the coffin with just 56 seconds left on a 5-yard run by Roy Helu Jr.  The Huskers lacked big plays all night and finally they had a burst at the end; when it counted most.  The Huskers rode that momentum and emotion to what turned out to be a crushing loss.

Hopefully, your brand will get some momentum on some event.  It might be because an influential blogger tries your product and blogs about how much they like it.  It might begin on a positive story highlighting you brands commitment to a cause or charity.  It might even be strong earnings on Wall Street.  Use your creative and PR to highlight these accomplishments internally and externally.  Whatever it is, be ready for it; seize it; and ride it to victory.