It’s election day, which means it is the perfect time to talk about biology and marketing. Wait… what?
Like Washington and Jefferson are to the USA, Charles Darwin is one of the founding fathers of modern biological science. His astute and keen observations of the living organisms on our planet revolutionized our understanding of life. One of Darwin’s most powerful observations relates to the idea of adaptability. Organisms that are able to adapt to changes in the environment tend to survive. Those species that are unable to adapt tend to be less successful.
With today representing the culmination of 18 months of political gloom and doom advertising, likely to be followed by days or weeks of punditry, potential controversy, and wild theories of conspiracy, it is easy to get pulled into the trap of believing that the problems of your business will be caused or solved by an election. The votes we cast today are sure to bring about some form of change to our world. The change may be small or it may be substantial. The change may initially favor some over others. In the end, the change is just that – something different that we all must adapt to in order to survive and thrive.
Politics matter to your business, but they are one of many factors that impact you and your customers. What matters more is how you adapt to these changes and to the myriad of other factors that impact the future of your business. Those who successfully adapt, survive. If you are waiting for someone “out there” to save you or serve you, then you are going about it all wrong. Change happens every second of every day in our world. The cyclical, scheduled political changes in our democratic system are important, but not the sole determinant of your economic fate. Knowing this to be true, you have to keep things in perspective. Look for the opportunity to adapt.
Change creates new opportunities, new challenges, and new ways to serve your customers. If your business is good at adapting to the world to consistently create remarkable value for your customers, you’ll be alright tomorrow – regardless of who holds the title of Mr. President. If your business is not delivering something remarkable in the form of products or services, if you are not delighting and dazzling your customers, if you are not adapting and evolving to meet the changing needs of the people you serve, you’ll continue to struggle to find success.
Like every day, we will wake up tomorrow in a different world. The changes tomorrow will be more apparent than most days, but probably not as important as the things happening all around you every single day. No matter who wins the election, customers will still vote with their wallets and they have infinite candidates to choose from. The polls of customer opinion never close, and the campaign for brand loyalty never ends. Adapt and do something amazing.
And of course… exercise your right to vote.
