Backlash On World Cup Jersey Design Surprises Adidas. It Shouldn’t.

This week there have been no shortage of World Cup memes. Everything from Senegal manager Aliou Cissé becoming the tournament’s coolest man, to the early domination of Ronaldo. Yet the one meme so far that might offer the best business lesson is the justified worldwide ridicule Adidas is earning for their confusingly designed official jerseys. This is the “curse of knowledge.” Their team can’t see a problem like this because they have read that font many times. It’s obvious what the letters are to them. But not to the rest of us. The story is a perfect illustration of why sometimes you need an unbiased opinion from someone outside of your team or your organization to help you decide what to do (or what to change) before it becomes an international embarrassment.