Hoppy New Year 2023
The Year of the “Wabbit”
According to the Chinese calendar, January 22 marks the beginning of the year of the Rabbit, a year of peace, prosperity, longevity, and hope. The Rabbit is the luckiest of the 12 animals of the zodiac and symbolizes energy, elegance, and beauty. It is also quiet, clever, fertile, and prosperous in Korean folk tales. In addition, the Rabbit is resourceful, has many ideas, and is adept at adapting to the environment, moving quickly and steadily toward completing its goals. This is the perfect time to plan and set your marketing objectives for the coming year.
There is no better example of “rabbit-ness” than that Looney Toons icon, Bugs Bunny.
Bugs Bunny was a role model of sorts for me growing up. He was a wise-cracking cartoon character with a Brooklyn accent who consistently beat larger and more heavily armed opponents with only his wits and a half-eaten carrot. His nemesis, Elmer Fudd, was a hunter who famously replaced his R’s and L’s with W’s, hence his constant but unsuccessful pursuit of that “wasicawy (rascally) wabbit.
Growing up on the tough streets of the South Bronx, I could relate to Bugs. We relied on smart mouths and fast feet to get through the day.
I preferred the Warner Brothers cartoons to Disney. The characters were edgier, funnier, and more creative. Their best effort was “What’s Opera Doc,” in which Bug’s is chased by Elmer through a parody of Richard Wagner‘s 19th-century classic operas. It borrows heavily from the second opera in the “Ring Cycle,” Die Walküre, which features Elmer singing that haunting aria, “Kill the Wabbit. Kill the Wabbit…”
Be Like Bugs
Without losing sight of the fact that he is a cartoon character, we can apply several lessons from Bugs, and Rabbits in general, to business:
Rabbits are clever. Focus on what you do best.
Bugs used humor and intelligence, weaponizing the wisecrack. You may not have a cutting sense of humor, but you might be good with numbers, project management, or flower arranging—find out where your talents lie and use them to your best advantage.
Rabbits are energetic. Be a step, or two, ahead. Outsmart your competition.
Elmer Fudd, with Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, and the Tasmanian Devil, are always out to get Bugs, but he is always a step ahead of them. He avoided the trap, foiled the ambush, anticipated problems, and often used them to his advantage.
Rabbits are peaceful. Stay Calm and Eat a Carrot.
Bugs was never rattled. Whatever problem he faced, he was confident in his ability to deflate the situation and create a positive outcome. He just munched his carrot and watched the Devil spin out of control.
Rabbits have longevity. Why Carrots are good for you
Yes, carrots are good for your eyes. They have vitamin A and beta-carotene, which lower your risk for diabetes, calcium, and vitamin K, essential for bone health, and antioxidants that reduce your risk for cancer, help your heart, and boost your immune system.
Rabbits are prosperous. Create a consistent self-brand
Between his buck-toothed grin and whiskers, his not-so-floppy rabbit ears, his street-smart attitude, his carrot munching, and his catchphrase, “What’s up, Doc?”, Bugs is immediately recognizable across all media: TV, films, lunch boxes, plush toys to name a few. He stays true to himself, pursuing his mission of standing for truth, justice and vexing that embodiment of evil, the aforementioned Mr. Fudd.
Want to take full advantage of the what the Year of the Rabbit has to offee, contact me at [email protected] for an review of your plans for 2023.
All the best in 2023.
