I believe that organizations often get too caught up by things which is easy to measure. Like market share and growth rates.
It’s helpful to have a good grasp of those numbers, but it shouldn’t be the only kind of goals you have.
Because; “not everything that counts can be counted”.
You cannot measure joy.
You cannot measure trust.
And you cannot easily measure how customers feel when they interact with your brand and your products.
Lifting the status
In Fjording we have one important goal that is very difficult to measure:
We will lift the status of cream liqueur and the prestige to those who drink it.
- Why?
Because we care about how our customers feel when buying and drinking Fjording.
And here we consider a broad specter of feelings, not only those related to taste.
The creamy paradox
For some strange historical reason, there is a stigma related to creamy alcohol.
Cream liqueurs has become a “guilty pleasure” - something you should be embarrassed to drink. Especially amongst men.
To me, this is a paradox.
If you say you love creamy sauces, it’s respected.
If you say you love creamy desserts, it’s respected.
If you say you love creamy alcohol, it’s frowned upon.
Strange...
Fjording has decided to change this.
We want people to feel proud when enjoying their cream liqueurs.
And we believe this ambition will be a key factor for us in order to succeed in this market in the long run.
A long and challenging mission
Changing people’s view on a whole category isn’t done in a week. It will take many, many years of dedicated and smart work.
Perhaps also some help from competitors.
I think it's going to be lots of fun while trying. But it requires a fearless, stubborn approach.
We’ll definitely meet resistance and cold shoulders.
We won’t be able to change everyone’s opinion.
Many whiskey- and cognac- enthusiasts will be rather hopeless to persuade.
Some wine snobs too, I guess :)
Even the aquavit folks will be tough to reach (even though we plan to use their beloved drink in our recipes).
But through engaging with our customers, making great products, and communicating well, Fjording will gradually improve the reputation of cream liqueurs.
And recruit new kinds of cream liqueur fans.
That, my friends, will lead to measurable numbers, and hopefully growing market share.
You don’t fancy creamy beverages? Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, your opinion, man.
Top photo: Steffen Starheim