12.13
My ill-conceived “Shepherd’s Pie approach to parenting” and the marketing tactic I’ll never use again

­­One night my wife made Shepherd's Pie and I told our 2.5-year-old that we’re having "cheese and mashed potatoes” for dinner. He responded enthusiastically and ate the carrots and green beans mixed into the beef.

Had I unlocked a parenting cheat code?

No. From then on he’d examine his plate and—like an archeologist excavating pottery fragments—carefully remove the vegetables. So I abandoned my strategy.

These days I just give it to him straight.

“What's for dinner, Daddy?” he asks.

“Shepherd’s Pie,” I say.

I don’t get the enthusiasm required to make eating veggies fun (or possible). But I’d like to think I get his trust in return, and that’s a pretty good trade.

Parenting is an ongoing negotiation between their demands and your long-term objectives. The more concessions you make, the worse off you’ll be. But you don’t want to be a hardliner about it either.

I thought about this elusive middle ground the other day when I saw an image of a billboard for Buc-ee’s, a mega convenience store chain based in Texas known for immaculate bathrooms and an extensive beef jerky selection. The billboard, which was in Springfield, Missouri, said “Buc-ee’s 542 miles.”

Buc-ee's could have purchased billboard space closer to one of their locations. But they’re expanding and targeting new customers in states including Missouri where locations will open in the next few years. The billboard – which is obviously not meant to convince anyone to drive those 542 miles – is a blunt and irreverent way to introduce the brand.

I’m speculating about Buc-ees’ marketing strategy. But the debate between retaining customers and acquiring new ones takes place at just about every brand. If parenting is a guide then a good rule of thumb is: commit to your long-term objectives and avoid clever marketing tricks – they will stop working and could even backfire.

I know some brands can’t afford to think far into the future. Like a tired parent, they might not make it through the day if they don’t make concessions.

I’ve been there.

I wish there was a cheat code that made managing those rough patches easier. But if you can survive without conceding too much ground, the payoffs later on could be massive.

Like a long road trip, it takes time and progress is hard to measure. When they ask, “How much longer?” just give it to them straight.

“542 miles.”