The Marketing King

Earlier this week we talked about a post Tony Morgan, the marketing brain behind NewSpring Church, made on his blog and his spin on why churches should immediately seize all traditional marketing efforts. Though there may be some disagreement on whether or not Tony’s post is taking things a little too far, we can all agree that this next guy is The Marketing King…

Word has it that fast-food giant, Burger King, has dispatched it’s agents to major U.S. cities to take part in a large covert operation. The “King” has been misplacing his wallet in high traffic areas. When a passerby picks up and opens the wallet they get a bit of a surprise!

Burger King has loaded these wallet with actual cash (bills ranging from $1 to $100), Burger King gift cards, a map of the local Burger King restaurants, and an awesome “King” state I.D.

I thought this was a totally brilliant guerilla marketing campaign for a fast-food chain! It reminded me a bit of the days when the church youth group would go to the mall and hand out tracts, except this time there’s free cash, a yummy treat, and no cheesy faith guilt trip (sorry not a tract fan)! Here are some pics of the found wallets:

HT: So Good

Death to Church Marketing?

Tony Morgan had an interesting post on his blog tonymorganlive.com this past weekend in which he encouraged all churches to immediately stop their marketing efforts. He writes that our hearts are pure in wanting more people to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ, but that traditional marketing and advertising are not going to make this happen.

I agree with the core message that Tony is getting at here. That if we choose to rely on our marketing strategy to bring people to Christ we will fail miserably. The only true way to attract people (like flies) is by sharing the life changing love of Christ with others. Though Tony seems to be taking a pretty extreme and radical view on this subject the questions he is asking are ones I think all churches should be considering before they design and distribute their next direct mail piece. Here are a few of them:

• If we stopped marketing, what would we have to change for people to invite their friends?
• If we stopped marketing, would the environment make people want to come back?
• If we stopped marketing, would the conversation be relevant to people’s lives?
• If we stopped marketing, would the relationships keep people connected?
• If we stopped marketing, might we actually help remove some of the noise from people’s lives?
• If we stopped marketing, would we get a better response when we start using marketing tactics?
• If we stopped marketing, are we more likely to be sensitive to God’s leading?

So, what do you think? Are we just adding to the noise with church marketing at the expense of truly changing lives? Let’s here your take on this.

Saving Like Grandma Used To

So, our economy is going down the drain. Financial institutions are needing billion dollar bailouts. People’s retirements are being flushed away overnight. What can we do? Well, I like what K-Guy did, he created some awesome art. He took everyday objects and used them to tell the story. Be inspired!

From Graffoto Blog

Video Game Friday

It has been a couple weeks since the last game, but I am back on it. Here is a game for all you font geeks, and I know you are out there! Have a great weekend, and play the font game!

A Roundhouse to the Face

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. —Colossians 3:23-24

This verse is like a roundhouse to the face for me. It hits me hard. As a designer I think it is in my DNA to complain about clients. Add on top of that churches who are unreasonably demanding and I am even worse. Now with all that said, read that verse again. Do you work for men or for the Lord? Do you serve others with all that you have for the reward or men, or from the Lord? I need to lets this verse sink in, and fall back on it when I return to my designer complaining mode.

Nothing like hardcore dancing. Oh the memories.

Time to Vote, Again…

Today you have the opportunity to help settle one of the worlds most ancient debates. It’s a question that has plagued modern man for centuries and started all too many tribal wars. Yes, we’re talking about the age-old questions of:

Is graphic design art?

The race is tight right now with a “Yes” answer having 54% of the votes, so head over to this fun little website (www.isgraphicdesignart.com) and cast your ballot today! Who knows, if you live in a swing state this could be your biggest vote of the year…

Happy Thursday!

Please Help, You Are My Only Hope.

I am starting to work on a new project that is revolving around the 10 Commandments, and I need your help. Take the time to read through the text, and let me know what image comes to your mind. I want to find imagery that represents the whole of it. Please, I need your help!

Soles4Souls

You may have seen this around the blogosphere in the last few days, but it’s a really great idea and an even better cause. Soles4Souls in a non-profit organization with the simple mission to “impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes.” In the next 50 days Soles4Souls is hoping to raise enough money to donate 50,000 pairs of shoes to people who desperately need them. The best part of all of this, is we all have the chance to make a difference!

By donating a measly $5, the price of a fancy Starbucks latte, you can provide two people with a pair of shoes each! We want to encourage everyone to head over to their campaign website, www.50000shoes.com, and make a difference in someone’s life. This is all of our chance to do something!

Free Desktops from Your Verses

Well, you guys just gave me such amazing verses that I thought I would create some desktops to go with them. Here are two to start out with, but keep you eyes open this week, there will be more!

Download one of these sizes:
1920 x 1200
1680 x 1050
1280 x 800
1440 x 900
1024 x 768

Download one of these sizes:
1920 x 1200
1680 x 1050
1280 x 800
1440 x 900
1024 x 768

My Thank You To The Church

With the presidential race over I think it is time for me to chime in on my feelings of this election. I have seen America and the Church become increasingly divided over the past year. Some of it is for good reason and some of it is very wrong. But what I saw from the Christian community on Wednesday, at least the ones I read, gave me hope.

I saw Christians disappointed, but not resentful. I saw Christians scared, but trusting in our Lord. I saw Christians replace judgment and hate with obedience and love. The Church obeyed the Lord this Wednesday by accepting our new president and praying for his well being. We did not yell and scream that God will damn us, but we understood that our Lord is sovereign in all aspects of this world. I want to say thank you to all the church leaders for being an example to me and the rest of the world of what it looks like to live as a true Christian.

Between Two Worlds posted a dozen blog posts from various authors, please take the time to read them.