The Cracker Barrel Debacle

It’s hard to miss. The short-lived new Cracker Barrel logo has been all over social media, and LinkedIn is having a field day with it. Kind of felt like a New Coke moment. I’ve read a lot of commentary about the change, and I can’t help but think of the quote attributed to P.T. Barnum: “There is no such thing as bad publicity.”

Much of what I’ve seen suggests the company could have avoided this if they had simply asked more people, or at least the “right” people. But I suspect the opposite is true. I think they asked too many people, collected too much feedback, and ended up with something watered down and generic, safe enough to offend no one yet bland enough to offend almost everyone. Whether you like chicken fried steak or not, the reaction seems universal.

I’ve seen this happen before. Several months ago, I was asked to work on a project for a community group. The organizer told me they wanted to run the design by as many people as possible. The more feedback, the better the result. I had my doubts, but I gave it a shot. Weeks went by as I revised and re-revised, each new round of feedback undoing the last. At some point, I realized I was designing in circles. Finally, the organizer admitted they couldn’t handle any more opinions and just told me to do what I thought was best. It was the only way forward.

I imagine something similar happened with the Cracker Barrel logo. Too many voices in the room, too many layers of approval. Research suggests the optimal group size for decision-making is five to seven people, small enough to be manageable but large enough to provide diverse input. That’s a lesson worth remembering when it comes to design and branding.

When I worked for the City of Delta, Colorado, they were struggling to settle on a tagline for tourism promotion. The consultant had a long list of rejected options, but none had gained consensus. I remember scanning the list and asking, “What about this one?” It stood out. It was bold, catchy, and different. But I was told it had already been killed because of concerns it might be too controversial.

I didn’t let it go. Instead, I built a presentation around it, showed it in a creative way, and pitched it with energy and passion. This time, the group saw its value and we moved forward. The tagline was “Fiercely Colorado.” It captured the pride, passion, and authenticity of the people who lived there. It worked because it meant something.

Did everyone love it? Absolutely not. I got emails, and a few people told me I was an idiot. But here’s the truth: if you always chase consensus, you end up with something like Cracker Barrel’s attempt at a new logo, safe, bland, and quickly torn apart online. A little pushback is better than universal ridicule. Unless, of course, you agree with Barnum that any publicity is good publicity.