Let’s dispense with full disclosures first: We are big fans of teddy bears. The father of one of our FolFry colleagues, in fact, purchased them for each of his children and grandchildren when they were infants, taking an exacting, almost scientific approach to selection based on size (proper baby-to-bear proportion being key), softness and other factors.
That teddy-bear-loving fellow probably would have lined up – as did thousands of other plush-toy fans – for Build-a-Bear Workshop’s recent pay-your-age promotion. The idea behind the one-day, traffic-building event was that children could create and take home a furry companion for just a few dollars, with prices capped at $29 for older teddy bear lovers.
In theory, it was a great promotional idea. But in practice, not so much as stores became so overcrowded that the event had to be canceled in just a few hours for safety considerations. (Build-a-Bear’s subsequent apologies and efforts to rectify the mess with $15 coupons was a good step to put the proverbial stuffing back in the bear.)
The fiasco is a reminder that even the best-laid plans can come completely off the rails. Build-a-Bear isn’t the first well-intentioned company to have its promotional activities go awry. But it underscores precisely why, when planning for events and programs, due consideration be given to what can go wrong and have preparedness measures in place for worst-case scenarios. A few important questions to ask:
- What are the worst things that could happen?
- How will we respond in the event of negative events?
- Who are the stakeholders we need to be prepared to address?
- When should we act and how will we activate our response?
Don’t get us wrong. We are optimistic folks at FolFry and prefer to focus energies on planning for what will go right – and ensuring that it does. And, while we are the first to acknowledge that it’s impossible to envision all the things that can go wrong with a promotion, the exercise of simply considering various “what ifs?” is a step in the right direction.
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