My wife worked for a major advertising firm in Chicago and one of their clients was Cream of Wheat.\u00a0 In the face of a culture that was increasingly given to things that were sticky, sweet, and easily prepared \u2014 like Pop Tarts \u2014 the folks at Cream of Wheat struggled to market their product.<\/p>\n
In working with the firm it became clear that one of the challenges they faced was that they were trying to sell Cream of Wheat \u2014 instead of selling its experience or its benefits.\u00a0 What finally worked for them was a campaign that promised warm, happy tummies.<\/p>\n
I haven\u2019t eaten Cream of Wheat in a while \u2014 but today, of course, the problem with the old product would be that it contains too many carbs.\u00a0 And that underlines the nature of the challenge that churches face.\u00a0 How do you convince people that the experience is good for them?\u00a0 After all, it\u2019s Cream of Wheat in Pop Tart culture.\u00a0 Some observations:<\/p>\n
One, sell the results, not the experience.\u00a0 There is nothing intrinsically attractive about the activity of attending church: getting out of bed on Sunday morning, sacrificing time over coffee, gathering with people you see once a week, or making nice with people you see rarely \u2014 none of that is a lot of fun.<\/p>\n
The results, on the other hand, are a different matter.\u00a0 At church you should see God, find hope, nurture strength, gather wisdom, and find friends on the same journey.\u00a0 That\u2019s worth selling.\u00a0 Church?\u00a0 Not so much.<\/p>\n
Two, make sure the product really does those things.\u00a0 The problem for Cream of Wheat today is the carbs \u2014 people want warm little tummies, not warm bulging tummies and clogged arteries.\u00a0 Church has the same problem. \u00a0People do God, they aren\u2019t interested in doing bureaucracy, politics, or church for the sake of church.\u00a0 Far too many churches fail to deliver the experience of God, content with arguing that church in and of itself is a good thing.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t, actually.\u00a0 Church without God isn\u2019t worth doing at all, in fact.<\/p>\n
None of this means that a Pop Tart culture will connect with your message.\u00a0 It\u2019s hard to underestimate the attraction to something sticky, sweet, and easy.\u00a0 But there is clarity to be had in naming the thing that should compete for people\u2019s attention.\u00a0 It\u2019s not a box of carbs.\u00a0 It\u2019s an encounter with God.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My wife worked for a major advertising firm in Chicago and one of their clients was Cream of Wheat.\u00a0 In the face of a culture that was increasingly given to things that were sticky, sweet, and easily prepared \u2014 like Pop Tarts \u2014 the folks at Cream of Wheat struggled to market their product. In […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":240,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-132","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church"],"yoast_head":"\n