Your business does not exist without your audience. It’s simple supply and demand—no audience means no one to buy your product or service, which means you just have one giant pile of shit no one wants, and probably, a whole lot of debt. And yet, I see businesses all the time (even the big dogs) sabotage their relationship with their audience. How? Through mixed messaging.
I’ve seen business launch campaigns that contradict their brand values, make promises in their marketing that their customer service can’t keep, and try to appeal to new audiences while alienating their existing ones. All because they haven’t thought through what they’re communicating.
The problem is, a lot of businesses think marketing is just about individual campaigns or pieces of content. But every touchpoint, every interaction your brand has with its audience, is sending a message. And when those messages don’t align? It is a recipe for failure.
Don’t believe me? Let’s see if a couple of examples can’t convince you.
The campaign that cost $500 million
In 2023, Bud Light created a marketing campaign that went viral. It was a simple collaboration involving a popular influencer, a personalised beer can, and a short video that was posted to TikTok. The goal? Reach a younger, more socially conscious audience—Gen Z and Millennials. So they partnered with transgender TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney. The results weren’t quite what they had hoped for.
That single video led to nationwide boycotts in the United States (US). People walked into their local grocery stores and destroyed Bud Light products. Well-known figures recorded themselves shooting stacks of Bud Light with automatic weapons and posted it online. And don’t even get me started on the astronomical amount of hate that was directed at Mulvaney. Bud Light sales dropped 20-30%, leading to a staggering $500-$600 million drop in revenue for 2023.
In trying to reach a new audience, Bud Light had underestimated how vocal their existing audience was—a very conservative and transphobic audience. But it wasn’t just the campaign itself that destroyed Bud Light. It was what they did next.
Contradicting messages
Honestly, Bud Light’s campaign with Mulvaney wasn’t completely misplaced. They recognised a need to target a younger audience to preserve their brand’s future—after all, Gen Z and Millennials will soon make up the majority of consumers. And Bud Light recognised that younger audiences championed brands that valued equality, diversity, and social issues.
But then the backlash hit, and Bud Light panicked. The executives behind the campaign immediately went on leave (and later left the company). They distanced themselves from the campaign and went completely silent about the hate directed at Dylan Mulvaney.
Think about what this communicated to their audiences:
To their existing customers: “We tried to change but we don’t really mean it. We’re still the brand you know and love.”
To the new audience they were trying to reach: “We’ll throw you under the bus the moment things get tough. We don’t actually care about diversity or equality.”
To everyone watching: “We don’t know what we stand for or who we’re trying to reach.”
Trying to have it both ways satisfied none. Their marketing said, “We’re progressive and inclusive,” but their actions said, “We’re not really committed to that.” This obliterated any trust either audience had in Bud Light.
The lesson? If you’re going to make a statement in your marketing or pivot directions, you need to stand behind it. Mixed messaging kills credibility faster than taking a clear stance ever could.
Practice what you preach
We’ve seen what happens when a business contradicts its messaging, but what happens when you’re consistent? Turns out ice cream brands do it well. Specifically, Ben & Jerry’s.
When it comes to marketing, Ben & Jerry’s isn’t shy about pitching themselves as a socially conscious brand. And they put their money where their mouth is. For years, they’ve consistently contributed to discussions and advocated for causes their audience cares about, including marriage equality, climate justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, fairtrade, and most recently, Palestine. But that’s not all. They’ve gone as far as ceasing sales in Israeli settlements occupying Palestinian territory and sued their parent company Unilever, for trying to silence their social and political statements.
Obviously, this approach means they’ve been involved in some controversy. Some people hate their political and social stances. But Ben & Jerry’s don’t care. Why? Because the customers who do align with their values, their actual target audience, are incredibly loyal. Hell, I can’t tell you how many videos I’ve seen where people go out of their way to purchase or even clean out entire fridges of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream because they want to support a business whose actions match their marketing. Customers who previously didn’t buy Ben & Jerry’s because their little 473mL tubs cost as much as $16NZD were choosing to spend more just so they could support the brand.
Audiences don’t choose to engage with their brand just based on social media campaigns and targeted advertising; they also choose who to engage with based on a brand’s actions. Ben & Jerry’s don’t try to appeal to everyone. They stand by what they say. And, most importantly, they’re consistent. This creates trust with their customers, and trust drives sales.
Every interaction is marketing, and positive interactions sell
Marketing is more than just the campaigns you launch. It is every single interaction your audience has with your brand. Let me give you a personal example.
Recently, I was shopping at Gucci and Louis Vuitton with my partner. From the moment we walked into the Gucci store, we received what I can only describe as unmatched service. The salesman welcomed us and introduced himself, asked thoughtful questions about what we were looking for, educated us about their designs, showed us some unique options, delivered us refreshments, and even chatted with me about my favourite topic—my dog (they had a line of Gucci dog products on display). We ended up spending nearly an hour there.
At Louis Vuitton we were barely acknowledged. We wandered around the store for a bit, and despite it usually being my preferred brand, we left after five minutes.
Now, I’ll admit, I didn’t end up buying anything from either store that day. But it did alter how I plan to spend my money in the future. Both brands are marketed as luxurious and high-end. For me, that was reinforced at Gucci because everything they did communicated, “You matter to us.” Meanwhile, Louis Vuitton’s customer service undermined their brand. When you pay premium prices for premium products, you tend to expect premium service. And when that falls out, you lose a potential customer to your competitor. And your competitor? Just secured a future customer.
What does this mean for your business
So what do these examples show us? Well, several things.
- Consistency is everything.
Every touchpoint with your audience—your website, your social media, your customer service, your staff interactions—needs to reinforce the same message. When they don’t, you send mixed signals that confuse and frustrate customers.
- You can’t fake authenticity.
Your audience will spot the disconnect between what you say and what you do. If you claim to value equality and diversity, then backpedal when the spotlight is on you, people will notice. If you market yourself as luxurious but don’t deliver the five-star service customers expect, you’re probably going to get a few side-eyes.
- Trying to appeal to everyone means you appeal to no one.
We saw this with Bud Light. Trying to get a new audience pissed off their existing one, and trying to change back annoyed their new audience. In the end, they lost both. Sometimes the best marketing strategy is knowing who you’re not trying to reach.
- Your whole team is your marketing department.
Everyone who works under you is an ambassador for your brand, whether that’s good or bad. Their behaviour can reinforce or undermine every dollar and hour you spend on marketing. Train them accordingly.
No one is invisible
Your customers see everything from how you treat your staff to how you handle complaints and criticism. You can fluff them up with whatever words you want, but the proof is in the pudding. If you say something, back it up with actions. Because not even the best copywriter in the world can write away your poor decisions.