Saw a post over at Kem Meyer’s blog about a very interesting marketing statement. It’s from Stephen Denny’s blog and it reads:
Note to CMO: Starbucks is just like you.
For those of you not familiar with the corporate world, a CMO is a Chief Marketing Officer. They are generally in charge of branding and consumer awareness, advertising campaigns, etc.
Now, the point of all of this is that Starbucks could have said something like, “We now serve only 2% milk” or they could have just changed to 2% milk and made it any body’s guess as to what happened. However, in presenting their message in just the right way they develop a commonality with those that walk through the door. The intent being that most people want lighter fare and so does Starbucks, however if you are happy drinking full-fat milk, or prefer non-fat milk, they have that too.
Imagine what it would be like if instead of the church holding the rights to the only truth according to God and forcing it on to others, what if we as the church were saying that we seek to find the truth just like they do. However, if you don’t agree with what we believe to be the truth you have the freedom to seek it somewhere else or to just not seek it at all.
I believe firmly in the truth that Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago in order that I could be declared righteous and forgiven in the eyes of my Heavenly Father. I believe that not only did Jesus die, but that he was resurrected in body back up to heaven where he exists today. I trust that Jesus is how he is described in the Bible and that without him there is no true life. With that said, I also believe that there are people out there that do not agree. Is it up to me to make them believe what I believe just because I am adamant about it and I have proof? We all know the answer to that question. Just as I believe in Jesus, I also believe that it is God and not me that can make someone want to accept him as truth. All I can do is live out my life the way I feel I should based on my convictions and my willingness to serve my God and others.
While there are some churches that understand the necessity of harmony and unity without giving in to conforming to the world, I think we need to go a long way in order to see real change and relevance within our communities.
While it would be great is a Sunday morning service and Starbucks had great coffee in common, but I think it is more important for the church and Starbucks to seek a connection with those in the community as their point of continuity. The church is not a corporation, but they both are involved in marketing to the people and therefore I believe the church can take some lessons from Starbucks on how to be more relevant within the community.
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Dave: great riff on what was originally a pretty ‘lite’ post. Glad you found it interesting! I’m also a big fan of Kem’s too.