Hotdogs Are Not Sandwiches: A Ridiculous, Relatable, Somewhat Serious Case for Context
Amid the noise and partisan debate that surrounds us, one question stands out as perhaps the most intractable and widely discussed puzzle known to humankind: Is a hotdog a sandwich?
You’ve almost certainly participated in this discussion. And it almost certainly went something like this:
“Well, what are the characteristics of a sandwich? Does a hotdog share enough of those characteristics to qualify? Is there a different, more fitting category? Should the hotdog be its own category?”
“Ah, got it. A hotdog is unique because the bread is connected on one side.”
Subs. Cheesesteaks. TACOS.
Heads begin to spin. At this point we begin to question everything. Is pizza just a tostada? Is a smoothie a salad? Is any of this even real?
Contextual Intelligence
All of this traces back to our cultural bias toward big data and sterile, isolated decision making. And it is a perfect example of why these things continue to fail us time and time again. Important questions require context, and context is anything but sterile.
“Important questions require context, and context is anything but sterile.”
By looking at context we can find a more holistic, helpful answer. Trying to impose pre-existing categories onto a thing can be efficient when it works, but catastrophic when it doesn’t, such as when we’re exploring new ways of thinking, working, and solving problems. Contextual thinking, on the other hand, allows the thing in question to present its own characteristics. It allows us to answer interesting and complex questions like “What is play?” And “Why do I circle the gym parking lot looking for a close spot just so I can walk on the treadmill for an hour?” And yes, “Is a hotdog a sandwich?”. In short, by looking at context, we can develop a more helpful understanding—one that can actually have an enormous impact on our decision-making.
An example
Let’s say, for example, that you are an executive for “Big Hotdog”. If you create and market your hotdogs to people looking for sandwiches as sandwiches, do you think they’ll bite? (Pun not intended.) Probably not.
But if you understand the context in which people reach for a hotdog, the job that it is doing for them, and the alternative options they might seek instead, you’ll realize that no, a hotdog is not a sandwich in any useful sense. It is probably its own category to some degree, but more importantly it competes alongside pizza-by-the-slice, nachos, maybe even empanadas. These are much more relevant points of comparison. Now we can create a new category…casual, cheap, on-the-go foods popular at large gatherings. Now you can invest in making a hotdog better at those things and stop wasting money trying to dress it up like the sandwich it will never be.
(Note: This is the stuff Blue Ocean Strategies are made of.)
Getting serious
Now, obviously there are much more important questions than the one we have explored here, and they are often no less convoluted. How critical is it, for example, that we understand the context in which we deploy social impact programs? How can we enact education interventions without understanding the classroom, teachers, students, and their home lives? How can we create and deliver products/solutions that make a difference if we don’t understand the context in which they will be used?
To be truly innovative, insightful, or impactful we must understand the thick, textured, human experiences that can guide us. Our obsession with context-free, big-data driven decision-making has not been working, and it will continue that way until we put it in context.
Got a question that needs some context? We can help. Reach out by dropping us a message here or on LinkedIn.
