(Part Four)
“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field. Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” Matthew 13:44-46
On the shelves since 1937, Old Spice, by the 2000s, was considered your grandfather’s aftershave product. It became associated with the past. When I smell the original old spice, I think of my grandfather and the mug he used for his shaving cream with the Old Spice ship as the logo.
In early 2000, the company knew it had to do something to attract a younger client base. At that time, Axe company was dominating the young men’s market. Axe turned the industry on its head, and instead of focusing on the effectiveness of their product as an odor blocker, Axe promoted themselves as the product to buy if you want to attract the ladies. To make things worse, Old Spice rolled out a new product called “Glacial Falls,” targeting the 40-60-year-old male demographic, which was a flop.
The company asked, who do we want to target our products? Do we want to hold on to the niche that is a product for older, more serious men? Instead, they decided to target a group that had yet to be marketed. They chose the 12-34 male demographic and had a fourfold strategy.
First, they would target those teens and tweeners who still needed to declare brand loyalty. Secondly, they would increase the number of products they produce. Thirdly, they would advertise the product with a correlation between their product and the people you admire most. Finally, they would create an advertisement that made you feel entertained but interested.
In 2008, they rolled off the line the “Swagger Campaign,” which showed famous athletes professing that the men they are today are due to Old Spice. It was a complete success. They followed up in 2010 with a campaign called “You wish your man could smell this good,” It promised that even if you were not in athletic shape, you could smell as good as they do.
The commercials used to advertise the products were humorous and made you smile. It increased company sells over 107 percent, and as of 2015, it held a 28 percent market share of a 1.4-billion-dollar deodorant market.
Jesus told his disciples that the Kingdom of Heaven was the greatest prize they would ever find. He uses the example of a man that accidentally finds treasure in the ground and sells everything to own the property. He then uses the example of a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls, and when he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it. Neither of these individuals tried to take it illegally but instead invested everything they had to own it for themselves.
If we followed the Old Spices model, what would it look like for the church? First, we would actively engage with people who are not followers with intentionality. Then we would invest in our youth and use our influence to strengthen their faith. We would become people that even non-followers would admire for our generosity, compassion, and service. Finally, we would actively create an environment where people feel joy and connection.
We would do all this because the prize is worth everything. Let us live into the Jesus story and rebrand our message to influence the world.
Journeying Together,
John
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