On April 11th 1970, the Apollo 13 spaceship launched. The mission was to make the third human landing on the Moon.
Two days later, still on route to the Moon, an oxygen tank exploded. It led one of the astronauts, Jack Swigert, to utter the memorable phrase, “Houston, we have a problem.”
They had a BIG problem. For multiple days the three astronauts were forced to use the tiny lunar lander as a makeshift space lifeboat. The hope was to conserve power for their attempt to return to Earth.
The attempt had life or death consequences.
To re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere, it was essential to get the angle of the spaceship right. Too shallow would mean the ship skipped off into space. Never to be seen again. Too steep would mean the ship ignited. Turning it into a fireball.
The onboard computers would usually control this. But they had blown. So, the astronauts needed to do it manually.
Commander Jim Lovell said, “Houston, all we need to hold altitude is one fixed point in space. Is that correct?” Houston confirmed.
Lovell said, “Well, Houston, we’ve got one.”
Lovell stared at the Earth in the small triangular window to his left. “If we keep the Earth in the window we can manually burn the engine. Just tell me how long we need to burn the engine.”
The astronauts executed the manual burn. They successfully re-entered the atmosphere at the right angle. They splashed down into the ocean safely.
It was a miraculous scene of survival and triumph. All because of one thing.
They kept the Earth in the window.
Why are we talking about this? We’re into a new year. A new year that brings new opportunities. There are lots of them in the FMCG world. New products to launch. New channels to sell in. New communication campaigns to run. New ways to spend your marketing budget.
When there are a lot of opportunities to chase, the temptation is to chase all of them. Launch all the new products. Get into all the new channels. Run the new communication campaigns. Throw money at the latest retailer media.
Try something. Hope it works. Try the next thing. Hope it works. Try the next thing. Then the next.
You’re in the spaceship but the angle of the ship keeps changing. You’re burning the engine BUT you can’t see the Earth in the window.
So, how can you change this in 2026?
Know WHERE you are trying to get to. This could be a broader behaviour change. You are trying to get people to eat more vegetables. You are trying to get them to drink more water. It could be a more targeted behaviour change. You are trying to drive volume growth in the category. You are trying to increase category penetration.
It could be a WHY. You are trying to improve the oral health of the nation. You are trying to make healthy eating more affordable. It might be about your brand rather than the category. You are trying to drive awareness of the your new brand. You are trying to double market share.
Whatever it is, this is your Earth. It’s where your spaceship needs to head.
Do MORE of the things that help you get there. Look at all the things you currently do or are planning to do. Are they aligned with where you are trying to get to?
Look at your shopper messaging. Are you communicating the single most important thing? Consistently?
Look at your promotional activity. Are you running promotions that are designed to drive the behaviour change you are trying to drive? Consistently?
Look at your visibility strategy. Is it scattergun – get visibilty wherever you can get it? Or is it focused – prioritising the places you really want to be? The associations you really want to build? Consistently?
Keep checking. Make sure the Earth is in the window.
Do LESS of the things that don’t help you get there. Look at all the things you currently do or are planning to do. Identify the things that are taking you in a different direction. The additional messages on your pack or POS communication. The promotions that incentivise the wrong shopper behaviour. The tactical product launches that take resources from the strategic product launch. The tactical distribution in a small channel that creates pricing problems in the big channel.
STOP doing them. They are not helping you keep the Earth in the window.
It’s a very simple approach.
Know where you are trying to get to.
Do more of the things that help you get there.
Do less of things that don’t.
Find your Earth. Then keep it in the window.
Feel free to forward. Have a great weekend. Speak to you in a fortnight.