For Wilshire Baptist Church
I’ve spent a large part of my career in marketing and communications, and one of the bedrock rules of the game is that you don’t trash the product you’re selling. More than a rule, it’s just common sense.
So it’s no wonder I was mystified when a man who came to service our AC and ultimately replace a major component said the brand we had was no good. When I told him that his company not only installed it but specified it for our house, he said, “Well, they’ve been slipping in recent years.” Really? Nice try.
A similar thing happened when an independent contractor came to change out a cable/internet component and said he had a different system at home – a “superior” system in fact. Hmm . . . does the cable company he represents know that he is bashing their product?
Those are extreme examples of major marketing failures, but the ones that perhaps do the most damage are more subtle. Like when we cut off someone in traffic and they have to hit the brakes hard to avoid hitting the Beloved University decal on our back bumper. Or we use our Twitter account to promote a project one moment and then turn around and use it to tear someone down. Or we disrespect or badmouth someone at the office and then say, “Well, gotta go, we have a program at church tonight.” Ouch.
A while back I heard a rumor that a church was changing its name by removing the denominational moniker. I know some folks at that church and when I asked someone in the know, they confirmed what I thought: it wasn’t true. I’ve heard of churches that have done that to distance themselves from denominational turmoil or stigma and to attract a wider potential membership. But wouldn’t it be better marketing to stay true to your history but work harder to be a great church and a great representative of that historical identity? And while at it, a better example of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth?
Marketing is tricky because not everyone in a business or community will “represent” the same. We have to accept that some of us will damage the brand at different times and in different ways. But at church, at least, shouldn’t our failings be part of the marketing message; our blemishes part of our brand? Not as an excuse or get-out-of-jail free card, but an acknowledgement that we’re humans and not saints and we still have work to do.
Speaking of blemishes, I went to a dermatologist for the first time in years and she made note of my “wisdom” spots. That surprised me because I’ve always heard them called “age” spots. But apparently, they are caused by wisdom? That may not be true, but it’s good marketing.