What? I Can’t Hear You.
This Week:
How Listening Helps You Pave the Right Path
ICYMI: Poppi’s Response to Backlash
Food for Thought
Before We Go…
1. What a Sidewalk Can Teach Us About Listening to Our Stakeholders
If you look at an aerial view of Ohio State University, you’ll notice something unusual: a series of seemingly random sidewalks crisscrossing the main commons. But here’s the thing—they’re not random at all.
When the space was first developed, no concrete paths were laid. Instead, students were simply allowed to walk wherever they pleased. Over time, those worn paths in the grass—known as desire paths—showed exactly where people actually wanted to go. Only then did the university pave the sidewalks.
Instead of guessing, they listened. The result? A campus that reflects the true movement of its people.
As marketers, business owners, or leaders, we often do the opposite. We design before we observe. We pave before anyone has walked. We assume we know what our audience needs—and sometimes we do. But often, we don’t ask, or we don’t ask often enough.
How can we do this better? We explore some easy ways to get feedback in this week’s The EO Report.
2. ICYMI: What Poppi Learned By Listening to Feedback
Poppi learned a lesson in what happens when you fall out of touch with your core audience when they were the recipients of social media backlash. Here’s a throwback story on how they turned it around when instead of doubling down, they listened to their audience and course-corrected.
3. Food for Thought
A segment where we share some bite-sized insights from communications experts.
Here’s another important lesson on listening:
4. Before We Go…
From the New York Times: What we can learn from a group of beatboxing nuns about meeting people where they are.
From the Associated Press: Another lesson in meeting people where they’re at – Mr. Worldwide understands the value of embracing your fans, even if they show up largely in bald caps.
From NPR: An AI video ad is making a splash. Is it the future of advertising?
A Goodbye to Gibby: An example of how to communicate a life well lived with joy and sadness. Rest in peace, Mr. Gibson.
Show us you listened by forwarding The EO Report to a friend.