The Fender Stratocaster hasn’t changed a bit since 1954.

Think about how rare that is.

With constant upgrades and innovations being the absolute norm, here’s a piece of technology that’s basically identical to what Buddy Holly played — and is easily recognized on his tombstone. Check it out.

I’m working with a client who makes an innovative add-on for the Strat. (It’s super cool, and I promise any purists here that it doesn’t degrade the instrument.)

But before we talk about adding anything to this kind of icon, we need to understand something remarkable:

The Stratocaster is not simply the most popular electric guitar of all time.

It’s membership in an exclusive worldwide club.

Remember that scene in “Wayne’s World” where Wayne stares longingly at a Strat in a glass case? Garth tells him to stop dreaming. Heavenly light breaks through. Angels sing.

“It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.”

That scene resonates because it captures something real: The Strat isn’t a want. It’s dreamed about. Saved for. Earned.

For millions of people like Wayne, it’s a need.

Like Harley-Davidson motorcycles, owning a Strat means something meaningful and irrefutable. It says you’re serious. You’ve arrived. You’re part of a story.

This is what perfect product-market fit looks like: A design so darned right that it hasn’t needed updating in seven decades. A brand so strong that people dream for years about joining its tribe.

Action for today: What aspect of your product could be SO perfect it wouldn’t need changing for 70 years? Sometimes innovation is about reaching timeless rightness.

Need help finding your product’s timeless essence? Let’s talk about building lasting value — tap reply.

Laurier

Product Payoff: Here’s something iron-clad: The Lodge cast iron skillet you can buy today is virtually identical to what my (and probably your) great-grandmother used. Lodge actually tried “improving” it with smoother surfaces in the 1990s. Customers rejected the change. ‘Cause perfect is just that.