It's Been a Long Time. Been a Long, Long Time.


With apologies to Plant and Page AND you for the gratuitous lead, I have to say, it's been a long time. I haven't written here since the Fall of 2014.

I haven't written because I haven't had much to say, plus I've been writing a lot for my job, so there's that. However, I'm attending a Communications Directors Summit in San Juan Capo hosted by Saddleback and it's gotten me thinking.

That always makes me want to write.

In his presentation today, Anthony Miller, the CD for Saddleback, said that Jesus was the greatest marketer of all time. I swallowed hard when I heard that, but Miller went on to unpack his thoughts.

I was intrigued when he shared this:

  • 1/3 of the world's population are loyal advocates.
  • The brand has remained vibrant for 2000 years.
  • The brand's founder wrote the #1 best seller of all time,.
  • And, he started with 12 people.


Sure, it's clever and more than a little glib, but he makes a very important point. If the essence of good marketing is to discover a need in people and connect them to something that meets that need in a powerful, relevant, and honest way, then Jesus was, and is, the best marketer ever.

If that gives you pause, the problem isn't with Jesus. The problem is how we've screwed up the idea of marketing. We've made it into something that tries to create artificial needs in order to separate people from their money. But Jesus did marketing differently. He had three simple things he did:

  • He spent time with people.
  • He met their needs, feeding and healing them.
  • He told them stories about God which were beautiful and true.


So, why don't we focus on those three things in the church? They're so simple. They're not easy, but they're simple.

It's good to be back.




Comments

Pastor Greg said…
Glad to have you back. Glad you are listening, wrestling, and writing. But now you have me thinking.

So did we really mess up marketing or does the market inherently involve a commodification of "persons in relationship" into objects of consumption we call customers? Marketing brings economic values to bear on who we spend time with, who we feed and heal, and to whom we tell stories of Jesus, We are not relational enough and marketing with all its talk of targeting, brand, and ROI seems to be merely a worldly corruption of the kingdom witnessing. One approach empties itself for the benefit of another, and the other approach is focused on accumulation; giving only towards the goal of gaining. Is our DNA that of the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of this world? How upside down and inside out are we willing to become? In our pursuit of purpose have we lost contact with our essence/nature? What is it that marketing communicates? How well does it reflect the Trinitarian Community?

Glad you had to swallow hard. Equally glad you listened and tried to understand the CD's perspective before responding. Keep writing.
12:08 PM
Smitch said…
Thanks for commenting, Greg. I appreciate it.

Defining terms is always important. Above, I wrote:

"If the essence of good marketing is to discover a need in people and connect them to something that meets that need in a powerful, relevant, and honest way, then Jesus was, and is, the best marketer ever."

The way you describe marketing in your comment has more to do with how it was practiced in the Industrial and Post-Industrial Information Age. There's a fundamental shift happening in the Connection Age where customers are increasingly seeing themselves as persons in relationship with others. That's how they perceive their identity, and their economy. Sounds pretty Trinitarian, don't you think?

Brands like Tom's and Honest not only observe that, they incarnate it. They realize that their customers (I prefer the term fans) will likely Google them before making a purchase, not just for price comparison and product benefits, but to discover whether they are socially responsible and just. Is their supply chain sustainable or exploitive? How do they give back to the communities they serve and those that serve the brand's interests? How do they fit the customer/fans' self-identity as a person in relationship that does good to others?

Mind you, we're still taking about a consumer model for marketing even though it's radically changed from a decade ago. As boomers and then Xers retire and eventually pass away, they'll be a huge wealth transfer to Millennials who are the most earnest of the Connected Consumers. Their penchant for otherness and identity as persons in relationship will continue to fundamentally alter marketing for as long as their influence lasts. Unlike their predecessors, they eschew conspicuous consumption (Tiny House Movement, sustainability efforts, social responsibility to others, etc.) in favor of values that increasingly look like the Kingdom.

Will they save themselves or Creation by all of this? No, but they may redeem the term "marketing" enough that it no longer evokes the negative reaction it's so richly deserved. They may also allow us to see that effecting a powerful, relevant, and honest connection between people and what they really need is the essence of good marketing. And that's something the church could make use of.
9:20 AM
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