People are talking with their dollars; who’s listening?

Food giants are having a bit of a crisis moment right now. People the world over, rejoice!

Campbell’s, Smucker’s, General Mills, and Nestlé have all reported lower than expected sales in recent quarters, attributable to changing consumer tastes and thus softer demand. In simple terms, not as many people want to buy their stuff these days.

It’s not that we’re eager to see these companies fail, or that we’re engaging in a bit of Schadenfreude. It’s just that out of crisis comes opportunity. This is an opportunity—to stop whatever it is you’re doing, put down whatever weight you’re carrying, and erase whatever assumptions you’ve been operating on. This is an opportunity to rethink, rework, and reset.

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY, AND THIS IS HOW ONE OF THOSE COMPANIES PLANS TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT: “NESTLÉ PLANS TO PUSH COST SAVINGS TO MAINTAIN PROFITABILITY.”

What?

People don’t want your stuff anymore, and your response is to cut costs in order to stay profitable? Because profitability means what? Success?

This is the kind of strategic thinking that people invest in? That people believe in?

What happened to the strategy of just making stuff that people want?

Come on, food giants. Someone else step up to the plate here and do something with this moment. Call it a crisis, pull the emergency brake, and demand a shift in strategy. Put people back at the focus of your innovation, your ingenuity, your imagination. Your growth. Your profitability. Put people first, and they’ll go back to wanting to buy your stuff.

This is an opportunity.