Over the past four years, we have been entertained by Apple's barrage of ads showing why it is so much better than a PC. AdWeek called “Get a Mac” the best campaign of the decade. Apple used humor and side-by-side comparisons to draw distinctions between Microsoft and Apple offerings. In many respects, this campaign was a huge success, especially considering the dismal performance of Vista during the same time frame.
If you happen to be a hermit, here is one example of the ads. In addition, Mashable has a retrospective of the top 10 ads or you can find them all in an Adweek retrospective..
The campaign was so successful, it created thousands of spin-offs. Many poke additional fun at Microsoft, brought up the shortcomings of Macs, or were used by Greenpeace to point out the environmental damage caused by computer manufacturing. (Here is a link to the top 10 parodies too.)
So…what does this have to do with church marketing?!
A few weeks ago, we talked about how church marketing needs a little "swagger" or marketing that uses humor, is relevant to the audience and includes "slice of life" stories to make it more engaging to the people we are trying to reach. The "Get a Mac" ad campaign takes this one more step forward by comparing two different options to highlight the difference between the two without getting too arrogant in the process.
As a church, we are to be "in the world, but not of the world." We are called to live a life of sacrifice to re-present God to the world. Why do we do this? Why should someone else seek a relationship with God? What makes it better than other religions or ethical/moral standards? Why is Christianity a better path than other options? Can we articulate it in a compelling way?
My question is: Is there a way to draw comparisons between a Christ-centered and World-centered perspective without coming off as holier-than-thou or arrogant?
Related Post:
If a mini-van can have "swagger," why can't the church?
