Monkey + Amazon = Recall…The Power of Humor in Press Releases.

I found a press release this week by a company called Woot!  Woot is an online community that focuses on selling cool stuff cheap.  They only sell ONE ITEM PER DAY and they have built an entire community around the buying experience, the irreverent branding and creating community.  Product descriptions commonly mock the product, the customer, or Woot itself. 

Woot has built a very strong buying community focused on finding the bargain.  They use of the social community tools at their disposal to create a buying experience like no other.  It is a lot of fun reading their site and people have a "perverse pride" in identifying with the brand.

Woot has done 3 things right:  1) focused on the ONE BIG THING; 2) created a UNIQUE VOICE to connect with their consumer; and 3) nurtured a STRONG COMMUNITY through all channels.  This is something all churches can learn from to be able to be more effective in reaching their neighborhood.

The press release is an extension of what they stand for…

I heard the press release mentioned on a podcast called Media Hacks, which is a marketing and new media podcast by some of the top thinkers in the social media space.  It is a little "spicy" so it may not be suitable for work when Julian Smith is on (so be careful at church

They were raving about the press release, so let me share it here…

Most companies would NEVER use a rapping monkey to announce their public acquisition by Amazon, but is stays completely true to their brand.  This acts to reassure their community that they will not turn into the monolithic, faceless company.  They will stay the Woot that they know and love.

Normal press releases are bogged down in corporate speak, 50 dollar words and lots of techno-gibberish (or church speak in our world) that says very little and tends to be ignored.  Woots press release has been watched over 150,000 times.

So…what may have a non-event for the market and a significant fear my their loyal customers turned into a massive opportunity to spread the word on Woot.

Think of it as a press release with swagger…

I posted earlier on why churches need to add swagger to their marketing and communication efforts.  To create impactful marketing and communication efforts (or frankly, to be effective at all), a church needs to be brutally clear on its calling and how it articulates that calling to a specific community in a relevant and meaningful way.

Let's break that down…

1.  Brutally clear calling – Can you articulate your church's unique calling in 5 to 7 words?  If not, EPIC FAILURE.  People have very short attention spans and even shorter memories.  While we cannot communicate all of the "WHYs" behind our calling in less than 7 words, we can stay true to what we are about. 

 I still remember the mission statement of the church Kim and I attended in Hawaii over 12 years ago (Trinity UMC in Aiea, HI…"Love God, Love Neighbor, Reach Out.").  Everything they did was linked to their statement and they never changed it.  

2. Focused on specific community – Many churches make the mistake of trying to be all things to all people.  I would argue that the more focused a church is on a specific community, the faster they will grow.  Jesus focused on disenfranchised Jews, Paul on the Asian Gentiles, Mother Teresa on the orphans of Calcutta.  Each had a clear focus and immeasurable impact.

3.  Meaningful and relevant communication with a twist of swagger – We do not recall what is not interesting and meaningful to us.  The Woot press release provides all three.  Sometimes swagger is humor.  Sometimes swagger is thinking about something in a very different way.  Sometimes swagger is showing the impact of actions on another human being.  At all times, the message is not about "us" as a church but how it relates to "them" as an audience and why it is important to them.

4. Speak in your unique voice – Woot has a distinctive tone in their community.  Churches need to as well.  The tone needs to be relevant and meaningful to your community and stay true to your calling.

…But I don't have a rapping monkey!

I do not think we should all use rapping stuffed animals to get our message out.  It needs to be authentic, relevant and clear to have meaning.  How can you sharpen how you articulate the calling of your church?  How can get clear on your community?  How can you relate the calling to the community in a fun or interesting way?

Tough questions, but Jesus did it.  So should we…

Related Post:

If a mini-van can have "swagger," why can't the church?

Goodbye "Get A Mac" – Learning the power of "contrast" for church marketing

Don't blame the tool…church marketing (how) vs. clarity of calling (why)

What is your church's theme song?