Red Bull
I read an interesting article about Red Bull in Forbes this week. I think part of being "as shrewd as snakes" is learning from the marketplace. Dietrich Mateschitz is a brilliant marketer. Red Bull sold 1.9 billion cans last year generating $2 billion in revenue!
The article said he simply sells an ordinary product inventively. It is one of many energy drinks, but Mateschitz has created a cult following. How? I've never tasted it, but I think he designed it for the Western palate. But it's more than that. It's the slim blue-and-silver can. And they spend 30% of their income on marketing! There is an old adage in business: you've got to spend money to make money. I think more churches need to grasp that concept and invest more into "compeling people to come in." That phrase in Luke 14 literally means "to demand attention." How many of America's 340,000 churches are really demanding attention? Red Bull is very particular about the things they sponsor. For example, they've gone after the extreme sports market. They know their niche. I think churches need to come to terms with who they are and who they aren't. They need to niche themselves.
The church just needs to be a little more inventive in the way it markets the message. We've got the good news. It's a product you can't even man-u-facture. It's too good! We've just got to package it a little better!
Whenever I see a product that is really well packaged and marketed it challenges me to do a better job communicating the gospel.
By the way, here's a beverage idea. You know how there are what I'd call "cause" bracelets for everything under the sun now? For example, "live strong" benefits cancer research. How about a "cause" drink that benefits something? I think it'd be an interesting marketing tact in the world of beverages. Drink for a cause!
For what it's worth, Jesus marketed "living water" to the woman at the well.
The article said he simply sells an ordinary product inventively. It is one of many energy drinks, but Mateschitz has created a cult following. How? I've never tasted it, but I think he designed it for the Western palate. But it's more than that. It's the slim blue-and-silver can. And they spend 30% of their income on marketing! There is an old adage in business: you've got to spend money to make money. I think more churches need to grasp that concept and invest more into "compeling people to come in." That phrase in Luke 14 literally means "to demand attention." How many of America's 340,000 churches are really demanding attention? Red Bull is very particular about the things they sponsor. For example, they've gone after the extreme sports market. They know their niche. I think churches need to come to terms with who they are and who they aren't. They need to niche themselves.
The church just needs to be a little more inventive in the way it markets the message. We've got the good news. It's a product you can't even man-u-facture. It's too good! We've just got to package it a little better!
Whenever I see a product that is really well packaged and marketed it challenges me to do a better job communicating the gospel.
By the way, here's a beverage idea. You know how there are what I'd call "cause" bracelets for everything under the sun now? For example, "live strong" benefits cancer research. How about a "cause" drink that benefits something? I think it'd be an interesting marketing tact in the world of beverages. Drink for a cause!
For what it's worth, Jesus marketed "living water" to the woman at the well.
2 Comments:
for what it's worth - i tasted red bull during one of their promotions.....not very good.
PM, Living Water is a great idea. An Ebenezer's brand distilled bottled water, whose proceeds go directly to Missions projects or relief orgs! You know how 7-eleven also does the refillable cups? We could have "living water" on tap, and dispense it cheaply to people who have the merchandise. I can see "Living Water" Nalgene bottles, sports bottles, etc.
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