You can’t be everything to everyone. So focus on what matters. 🌈

I often say: "If you try to be everything to everyone, you'll end up being nothing to no one.”

You’re never going to please or appease everyone. That’s marketing 101. But it’s also being-a-human 101. Because when you're true to yourself, you can make a difference to more people than you can even imagine.

In case you didn’t hear about the Target Pride controversy in May and earlier this month, false reports about "tuck-friendly" children's swimwear circulated online while Target rolled out its Pride Month merchandise. This led to dangerous customer backlash—merchandise was destroyed and employees across the country faced harassment.

As saddening and worrying as that response was, what really struck me was the decision by Target to immediately pull or deprioritize its Pride line. Considering the CEO's vocal commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in past years, this was a move to try and appease the masses and to quiet some negative company PR.

This disconnect between prioritizing DEI and the actual action taken raised concerns about Target's adherence to its own brand values.

Pride marketing has become a point of contention for businesses as attacks on the LGBTQIA community continue to rise nationally. As leaders, we often say that it's impossible to please everyone, and tough decisions are part of the role. In this regard, Brian Cornell, Target's CEO, stood by his decision, which is critical for maintaining trust.

However… he relies on the brand's platforms to share his story. He obvious has an expert crisis control PR team, but without his own personal platform, he’s missing an opportunity to build consistent trust with Target's massive consumer base. If you commit yourself to values and value-driven leadership, you have to commit to those values consistently. If you don’t, you run the risk of ringing hollow to consumers and harming your brand equity. 

It's up to us—it’s up to leaders to consistently share value on their own platforms to build trust and counteract any misinterpretations or market narratives.

It allows you to have a voice not only during easy times but also in challenging situations. If you consistently create valuable content, you'll be in a prime position to comment because, well, you've created actual trust. 

Our society has become sharp to manufactured, PR-ready messages. But an authentic relationship with your community, driven by the consistent practice of being a human being online and creating value, will always stand true. 

Join me in celebrating Pride this month AND as leaders, taking a stand for it. 

In a world where you can’t be everything to everyone, be something to the people who need your message.

With Light,

Jessica Zweig

CEO & Founder, SimplyBe.

“Your brand is expressed in everything you do and everything you are. From the way you dress, to the way you walk into a room, to the way you make eye contact, to the way you stand, to the way you talk, to the way you decorate your desk, it all tells a story. It’s simply about becoming conscious.”

JESSICA ZWEIG, from the best-selling book, Be.