Brand Lasso: Kindness Wins

Some spoilers en route to a fairly thoughtful brand analysis.

In a characteristically selfless moment of the Ted Lasso finale, the title character says (actually, he writes): “It’s not about me. It never was.”

This is true, but it’s also not true at all.

Absolutely there’s a rich array of characters and lovely life lessons, but Ted Lasso is the spark that sets everything in motion: he sets the tone of positivity and establishes the ethos that enable possibility. Ted Lasso is the disruptor that’s so disruptive that he disarms and transforms his audience, eventually winning over even his toughest critics and adversaries. In doing so, he wins — they all win — even when the actual scoreboard says otherwise.

But in an age of constant disruption — at this point, we’ve seen it all — why does Ted Lasso stand out?

In a world that’s cynical and jaded, the Ted Lasso brand of disruption is earnest, selfless and unfailingly kind. In a world of exhausting self-promotion, his brand of disruption does not seek attention, or glory, or even credit. He is a genuine source that helps others in a lasting way by unearthing their better angels and, in doing so, helps them establish new and positive patterns of thought and behavior that positively affect others. Rinse and repeat.

So, of course it’s about Ted Lasso, but it’s about way more than the character Ted Lasso — it’s about what he stands for, what he embodies, represents and instills within others. It’s about Brand Lasso.

Much has been said about Ted Lasso leadership lessons and feel good quotes and how it was the pick-me-up for these trying times, and all of those things are valid, but this is a look at what lies beneath. Brand Strategy can parsed six ways to Sunday, but in this case it felt most appropriate to identify and articulate Brand Lasso Brand Values.

Approach with curiosity and optimism

There’s a great scene over a game of darts where Ted Lasso demonstrates that people are more than meets the eye. To make this point, he references [actually, the show misattributes] a quote to Walt Whitman, but the point is solid: “Be curious, not judgmental.” In this case the character passing judgment, the only irredeemable villain in the show, loses a costly bet. 

But the magic of Ted Lasso is more than just curiosity and the absence of judgment; the magic of Ted Lasso is fueled by the presence of a strong positive: unbridled, unapologetic optimism. It’s the powerful combination of curiosity and optimism that often makes things possible.

Initially, I was skeptical of the show in part because "ugly American abroad" felt like a tired old trope. Despite that ongoing stream of jokes (which are actually done pretty well), Lasso is not an American jester. In fact through his sunny nature, he’s a boundless source of genuine optimism that is in many ways uniquely American. At first the locals counter optimism with a dark refrain: “It’s the hope that kills you.” Yikes. But over time, as they witness Lasso-inspired transformation —  one moment at a time, one character at a time, one match at a time — they find themselves transformed as well.

Know yourself; support others

At one point there’s a lot of talk about branding and player/product endorsements, and after lengthy discussions one of the humbler characters says: “I suppose the best brand is being yourself.” Yes.

This statement is powerful in its simplicity, and yet deceivingly simple because most people do not know themselves, and are mired in complex emotional dynamics that get in their way. As the characters each address their fears, insecurities, traumas they get to know themselves through emotional honesty. As characters evolve, they’re able to be more supportive of each other. (Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting those around you.)

The foundational need for self-awareness and support pulses through everything. In a moment of levity (and sincerity), en route to breaking a team curse, Ted is asked if he believes in ghosts and his reply speaks volumes: “I do, but more importantly I think they need to believe in themselves.”

Vulnerability is strength

While Coach Lasso helps others “become the best versions of themselves, on and off the field” in ways large and small, he’s a work-in-progress as well. We learn right away that his marriage is ending and he's moved far away from his young son (as Nathan points out: exactly 4,438 miles away); we eventually learn about traumas from his past. The sum total of all this humanity, the show portrays his panic attacks on a visceral, sensorial level; the camera offers both honesty and compassion during these destabilizing episodes.

While he initially covers up a panic attack as food poisoning, his unyielding honesty prevails and soon brings his inner circle of colleagues into his confidence. When one of them betrays that confidence in a vicious, very public way, instead of shying away Ted Lasso tackles it head on by going public about his mental health struggles. He diminishes the power of the relentless press away by owning his truth, showing his vulnerability and controlling the narrative — even adding his characteristic levity (with a Twin Peaks reference, no less). It’s a lesson in courage and advances the destigmatization of anxiety and mental health.

There is also a great deal of vulnerability in the unbridled expression of love. An unlikely female friendship is made possible by Keely’s candor and disarming expression of respect and love for Rebecca (despite formidable obstacles). And in a show full of fraught father/son relationships, Sam Obisanya’s core goodness is fueled by his close relationship with his father and the emotional support of his parents a continent away; he’s even comfortable expressing that love in front of his teammates — behavior far from locker room cool. Arguably, it's Sam’s healthy emotional core that propels him to use his fame and influence to do good on a societal level. The support he then receives from his teammates and team leadership — as he stands up to an infamous corporate polluter, as he speaks out against hateful political policy, as he rejects a belligerent billionaire — may only exist in this fictional world, but it should be a model for responsible corporate citizenship IRL. And Sam returns that love, which becomes a team rallying cry: "I love you guys so very much."

Liberation in Forgiveness

In a sideline exchange between Ted Lasso and Jamie Tartt (the emotional evolution MVP) Ted says: “If hating your pops ain’t motivating you like it used to, it might be time to try something different: Forgive him.”

We have a window to that abusive father/son relationship and are not at all surprised when Jamie replies (in his amazing Mancunian accent): “No, I’m not giving him that.”

But Ted’s reply is a surprise: “When you choose to do that, you’re giving it to yourself.”

This re-framing of forgiveness is transformative, but it’s still a process. Inspired by this conversation, Ted has a difficult conversation with his own mother. The experiences feed each other with a through line of emotional honesty, candor and the gift that forgiveness provides to all parties.

Notably, in that earlier sideline scene there’s an offhanded reference to Freddy Kruger, the iconic and terrifying 1980s villain of Nightmare on Elm Street — and Ted even offers Freddy Kruger a level of forgiveness: “Well, he had a rough childhood. And hurt people hurt people — sometimes with their knife hands.”

Generosity of spirit is a renewable resource

Every day was a fresh start for Ted Lasso, even amid an uphill battle. Every day had potential, even when harassed by his players and team fans. Every day brought freshly baked biscuits, delivering kindness in a small, pink cardboard box, creating a ritual that forged an unlikely friendship. Every day there was a new round of encouragement and motivation sincerely meant, never just going through the motions. Ted Lasso prided himself on never quitting (when you find out why, it will break your heart), but that spirit didn’t just stay only within Ted — that spirit affected and changed everyone around him, and that font of good energy flowed continuously. Generosity of spirit became part of their collective character because good goes around.

Gen X values for all: Not a core value, but an honorable mention

Ted Lasso is for everyone, but it’s actually delivered through a very Gen X lens: the sensibilities, the cultural references, the music, even the dance moves. This Gen X-ness is not talked about of course, because no one talks about Gen X. And that’s fine — whatever — we’re used to it. But it’s worth noting that in its unspoken Gen X-ness, Ted Lasso’s anecdotes and cultural references have a pre-digital age purity that is sadly gone forever. Millennial and Z characters give Ted a subtle comedic un-knowing glance, but the message gets through. Gen X gets no credit, but Gen Xers know what’s up.

Values can lead you home

Home is a big Ted Lasso theme. And it’s not subtle; the show is about a guy from Kansas who goes on a hero’s journey wearing the sneakerhead version of red ruby slippers. (Is it a coincidence that Hannah Waddingham played the Wicked Witch of the West on stage a dozen years prior?) Ted's eventual destination was clear: There's no place like home. But his hero’s journey ends, and then restarts, on an interesting and very Gen X note with The Flaming Lips. One journey behind him, the iconic song “Fight Test” starts Ted’s next chapter with its haunting, reverberating lyric: “The test begins now...”

Brand Lasso not only helped its namesake find his way home, it transformed a fictitious football (soccer!) team into family and home as well. It also inspired jaded 21st century audiences to do the same — all with good, old fashioned kindness.

Wouldn’t it be great if, each in their own way, brands took a page out of the Brand Lasso playbook.