It has happened a million times, and it will happen a million more. Company executives, many of whom came up in sales, don’t trust their own common sense and fear that they aren’t building the brand well enough, and they let big talking shyster and hucksters come in and sell them on the idea that change is good.
I think cowardice plays a part too. One lunatic pitches a crazy, woke idea. Everyone else knows how bad the idea is, but they don’t want to risk being called a hater. So they stay silent.
The next thing you know, the crazy, woke idea is company policy.
You are right. Problem is that upper management had no clue on how to fix their company so they relied on a person that sells them on a “Hail Mary” pass.
Hail Mary passes work occasionally in sports, but almost never in business.
It is truly the Bud Light model. Forget your base and try to find a completely new group of customers. The article even says they expect only 20% or so present Jaguar customers to repeat buy. That is a death knell for the company.