Today I want to write something that sits at the intersection of Marketing and Entertainment, specifically on-demand streaming. Specifically, Star Trek. CBS is going all-in putting together an offering that aims at rivalling the big competitors, meaning Netflix, Amazon Video, Disney+ and Apple TV. They are in the business of selling access to content, therefore the larger your content repository, the better.

We know that IPs are the motherlode in Film/TV. If your IP is also “vintage”, you get double points. That’s sound logic. If you have to convince people to watch your show, it will be easier if people already know what the show is about. Instead of having to educate your audience about a new “product”, you just have to remind them of one. Instead of generation, it’s about activation. In a way, an established IP already has a demand.

But what’s happening with the Star Trek IP reminds me of Krusty The Clown: squeezing as much money as you can from a brand, no matter what. Star Trek rode the nostalgia wave, and successfully got the attention of audiences back thanks to Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek Picard. So much so, that they announced not one, not two, but five new projects based on the same IP.

The issue is that only Discovery and Picard look at “what happens next” (and Discovery does so only in its third season). Everything else is a filler or looking at the past.

Why is that a problem? Well, because it breaks a cardinal rule of marketing: the brand promise is not respected.

Take it or leave it: Star Trek was amazing because it was a positive, hopeful, and visionary tale of futurism. When you go from that to a Star Wars approach, you lose the original premise. That, in a nutshell, is why Star Trek fans complain so much. It’s impossible not to notice the difference between the JJ Abrahams Star Trek films and everything that happened before them.

Sure, they are flashy. But was that the narrative that the audience wanted? And if you plan to ignore the “old fans”, which are your loyal clients, then why use the original IP at all?

Star Trek is a brand that has a competitive advantage: a unique way of thinking about future, technology and humanity. Take that away, and the brand loses its edge, having to compete with other brands that have been doing their thing for much longer and much better (no way Star Trek films can compete with Star Wars films, look at the financial results). The third season of DIS is going back to the original approach, and it’s absolutely fantastic. There’s your proof: you can be modern, innovative, and “refreshed” while maintaining your brand promise. The effect is that you activate your loyal customers, while generating new ones.

Storytelling is a weird thing: all humans have an innate capacity of engaging with stories. It’s an evolutionary advantage. We all have it. If you are known for a certain kind of story, don’t change it too much. “We want the same thing, just in a different way”.

To recap: a brand is a promise that is solidified by the interactions you have with your clients. Listen to them, stay on message, and don’t abandon your competitive edge just because. If your business strategy is about targeting new audiences, create something that works for them, without betraying your identity.

I first published this article on my digital marketing profile on LinkedIn.