It’s advice all of us could use, right? You do something ridiculously stupid, realize what a schmuck you’ve been, and try to reconcile to save the relationship. Obviously…it ain’t easy.

There were good intentions, but they weren’t based on strategy. Worse, they neglected the most important part of brand loyalty — people’s feelings. When a brand works well, it’s because people have a deep and emotional connection to it. They care. Trust. And expect that in return. And when they’ve been wronged? Hoo boy — nothing more dangerous than a scorned lover.

Lots of brands aspire to become more relevant, and get distracted with something younger, hotter, more fun. “Look at the buying power on that demographic (insert catcalling here)”. Be careful — you’re playing with fire. Sometimes the new, hot thing is fleeting. In Cracker Barrel’s case, they wanted to attract that “golden goose” of advertising — 18–34-year-olds, as they recognize their primary audience is aging out. Thing is…those devoted Boomers still have disposable income, still cherish the connection to kitsch and comfort food, and — lots of recent studies show — younger people are pining for nostalgic brands anyway. So they alienated both groups by delivering a bland “new” brand that erased the legacy of who they are. Talk about finding yourself alone on the dance floor.

How to reconcile? Well, first you have to say you’re sorry — and mean it. Timing is key too. Showing genuine remorse and communicating quickly does wonders for the likelihood of your partner (in this case, 230 million visitors annually — that’s a lot of flowers to buy) being open to taking you back. Within days, Cracker Barrel realized the error of their ways, kiboshed the new branding, and spoke to their fans with sincerity:

“If the last few days have shown us anything, it’s how deeply people care about Cracker Barrel. We’re truly grateful for your heartfelt voices. You’ve also shown us that we could have done a better job sharing who we are and who we’ll always be.”

***

Will the scorned lovers come back? Time will tell, but if the stock market is any indicator — theirs was up 7% the day after the switch back — it feels like things are warming up in the relationship…and a valuable lesson about loyalty has been learned.

Phew.

Now go replace that pit in your stomach with a heaping helping of hash brown casserole.

Contact FoodMix Marketing Communications to learn how we can help support your company’s branding efforts and connect with today’s consumers, without alienating them!