From Scary to Lovable: Rebranding Communication Skills for Consistent Success
Meet “Huggles.”
For Christmas, my son got a set of monster trucks that are as unique as they come. He LOVES monster trucks. Each one is special with its own color, design, and name. He immediately bonded with all of them…except for one.
“I don’t like that one.” “It’s scary.” “That one’s bad.”
To be fair, this particular monster truck is a bit of a hot mess. It's called “Zombie,” and it’s the only one with a face—complete with misshapen eyes and teeth that look like they’ve never seen a dentist. Zombie’s brains are oozing out, and it's the only monster truck with arms. My son doesn’t like it. My wife doesn’t like it. My mother-in-law doesn’t like it. It’s just weird-looking.
For some reason—maybe I just felt sorry for the poor, gnarled thing—I decided a rebranding was in order. I wanted to see if I could get my son to see this ugly duckling in a new light.
Changing our communication can be challenging. It often requires a significant internal and external makeover to become the version of ourselves we want to be. As you might imagine or have experienced, it's often simpler to stick with what we know and blame the audience if they “don’t get us.” I wanted to try something different with “Zombie.” Instead of resigning it to “the bad truck” pile because that’s “how it was made,” I thought we could redefine its story through language and communication. And along the way, I was reminded of three crucial ingredients for personal communication growth:
Be Intentional: Prima ballerina Glenda Cloud said, “Change is inevitable, growth is intentional.” Your identity isn’t set in stone. Zombie’s relationship with my son would change over time, whether we did something or not. So why not guide that change? I zeroed in on Zombie’s most unique feature—its arms. The only truck with arms could give hugs! And thus, “Huggles” was born.
Get Buy-In: I couldn’t just rename my son’s toy and expect magic. I needed his buy-in. We agreed that Zombie, now Huggles, could be a “nice” monster truck who loves giving hugs, which my son found adorable. I also made it clear that Huggles was my favorite, which made him see Huggles in a more positive light. We built this rebrand together. Sometimes, getting buy-in is tough, especially if the old perception is strong. My son could have rejected “Huggles” in favor of “Zombie.” That’s when the next step is key.
Be Consistent: Even with my son’s initial acceptance, I had to keep up the new narrative. There was no more “Zombie.” Huggles wasn’t weird or gross; he was kind and loved giving hugs. When my son slipped back to the old view, I gently nudged him back. Now, Huggles is part of the crew, and my son asks for him by name.
Communication skills aren’t fixed, and the experiences you create for others aren’t fixed. You have the power to decide how you want to perform, act, and behave in your relationships. You don’t have to start from scratch. With Huggles, I recontextualized an existing experience to create a more desirable impact. Was it challenging? Yes. Could it have been harder? Absolutely. Was it possible? Definitely. Don’t leave the experiences you want to create up to chance. Communication is an ever-evolving skill set. Don’t get left behind—choose growth over stagnation. Be intentional, get buy-in through trusted feedback, and be consistent.