“I need to go dress up like a cow”. Those were my friends’ words as we finished our conversation. Needless to say, I inquired further. I found out that Chick-fil-A has an annual Cow Appreciation Day. And, it’s become very popular with Chick-fil-A fans. On that special Cow Day, if you come in dressed in black and white poke-a-dots and whatever else you deem necessary to look like a cow, you get free food. I’d go just to see the other cows! The free food would be icing on the cake.
Chick-fil-A started this fun day a number of years ago simply by asking customers to “Eat More Chicken” in honor of the Chick-fil-A cows. But, their fans ran with it and it is now one of the largest marketing opportunities Chick-fil-A has each year. They have given away nearly a million Chick-fil-A sandwiches in the past two years! That’s a huge investment on their part, but in Dan Truett’s words, President of Chick-fil-A, “The investment is great, but the value of Cow Appreciation Day is much greater.” He continues:
On Friday, I traveled to several local Chick-fil-A restaurants with my dad to check-in and say thanks to the thousands of “cows” who were visiting our restaurants. It was such a joy to see all of the fantastic costumes and creativity our customers showed at each stop. But that’s not what meant the most to me.
At each restaurant we visited, I was struck by how many families were eating together. Moms and dads, brothers, sisters – even grandparents – all dressed up enjoying their chicken sandwiches. It hit me at about our third stop of the day that there is a big difference between making an impression and making an impact. Giving away free food would have made quite an impression on a lot of people last Friday, but giving families and friends and coworkers the opportunity to have an experience together made an indelible impact.
His words challenge us. Are we striving to make an impression? Or, are we spending our time and energy to make an impact?
What are things you do to make an impact with those around you?
Read more at Dan Truett’s blogSee more pics of Cow Appreciation Day
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