“If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts.”
- Albert Einstein
February 1, 2009 – The Arizona Cardinals were making the first appearance in franchise history under the brightest lights the National Football League had to offer: The Super Bowl. It was the forty-third edition of the NFL’s big game to crown a league champion. By contrast the Cardinals would be facing a franchise that had made more visits to the grand stage than any other – The Pittsburgh Steelers.
Created as a game pitting the establishment (Old NFL) versus the upstarts (New AFL), The Super Bowl has grown into the biggest annual media event in the world.
The first Super Bowl, played January 15, 1967, was broadcast by a pair of networks out of obligation to each league (CBS & NBC respectfully). Today a network will pay exorbitant fees for the broadcast rights, knowing that it can bring a financial windfall of advertising revenue.
February 1, 2009 – A company made its debut among one of the most highly anticipated and competitive Super Bowl byproducts: The Commercials.
Hoping to “reconnect” their brand with the American public, the Denny’s Corporation set out to make a big splash that would leave lasting ripples.
The 17 second spot featuring “Nanerpus” offered everyone in America a chance to enjoy their signature Grand Slam Breakfast for FREE on the Tuesday following the game. Consumers were invited to show up any time between 6am and 2pm for Pancakes, Eggs and Bacon on the house.
Denny’s CEO, Nelson Marchioli, proclaimed it an extraordinary day. “We were hoping to reconnect with millions of Americans today, and we did.”
“The moment a person forms a theory; his imagination sees in every object only the traits which favor that theory.”
- Thomas Jefferson
Over 1.5 Million meals were served to folks who waited over an hour on average. Consumers walked away with the memory of long lines and poor service. There were food shortages at some locations and no doubt a shortage of patience filtered among employees and patrons across the board.
People liked the idea of a FREE breakfast more than the executives of Denny’s had anticipated. The restaurant had reconnected, but unfortunately not on the wave length they had foreseen In Theory.
Denny’s Stock Price had risen sharply between late January and Super Bowl kickoff in anticipation of the promotion. By March 2nd the stock price had fallen to an all-time low of $1.19 per share.
In June 2009, facing a rising swell of contention from shareholders who claimed that executives had mismanaged the company, Marchioli resigned.
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The launch of a new year sparks hopes and dreams of a fresh start for all of us. Unfortunately, many of those dreams are never broken down into easy-to-swallow-bite-sized chunks. And, even worse, some of them aren’t thought through to an accurate vision of the end result.
It sounds good In Theory, but is it actually the first steps towards the destination we desire?
There are two absolutes when it comes to planning:
The picture doesn’t get clearer as we walk through the fog. “Big and Fuzzy” stays BIG & FUZZY until we draw in the definition. Our brain knows what to do with precise information. It has no idea how to process instructions that are vague.
The sum of the parts always produces the outcome of the whole. Break it down. Break it down. Then, break it down again. If the bits and pieces aren’t all there before you start, they’re not going to magically arrive as you build.
Taking time to put all the right pieces in place before putting all the pieces together makes it more likely that In Theory will lead to the Indeed that we have in mind!
