Super Bowl Perfection

Leading into today’s Super Bowl,
some of the buzz is
whether or not Beyonce will lip synch.

Beyonce lip synched during the Inauguration
because she didn’t want to take a risk
during such a large event.
She wanted her performance to be perfect.

I understand.
Perfect is safe.
Perfect doesn’t anger people.
Perfect doesn’t risk anything.

Perfect is also boring.
Perfect doesn’t surprise.
Perfect doesn’t enchant.

In romance writing,
it is the imperfections in characters
readers love and readers talk about.
The scar on the hero’s face.
The heroine’s frizzy hair.
The awkward conversations.
The beat up VW Beetle the heroine drives.
That’s where the magic is.

Beyonce is an experienced performer.
I suspect she knows
she’s trading magic for safety.
She has a huge fan base.
This might be a great decision for her.
But it was likely a conscious decision.

Know the trade-off between
imperfect and buzz vs perfect and safety.
Make a conscious decision
for your brand.