What’s your excuse?

I was in a focus group of coffee drinkers when I heard one of the most amazingly powerful Idea stories ever.

This group was filled with Starbucks loyalists, and someone brought up a time where the ubiquitous coffee purveyor under delivered.

“The Starbucks I get at O’Hare and on the plane sometimes is bitter and lukewarm,” he complained.

Swiftly, one of the other attendees countered with “But those aren’t REAL Starbucks.” And the group quickly agreed.

I know. I know. Starbucks is an easy brand to both pick on and to revel in. But here was a person who loved the Idea of Starbucks so much that he developed a story—a rationalization that allowed him to still keep his opinion high—even in the face of a disappointing product.

We are all going to under-deliver at one point or another. Will your connection to your customers be strong enough so they will excuse it?

That again, is the power of the Idea. It doesn’t just make it easier to find new customers, it makes it easier to keep them.