I have always believed that it is only a matter of time before the temples, churches and mosques in the country (and the world) become full fledged business institutions, with targets, P&L, Balance sheet and listing on stock exchanges. In a fast moving, commercialized world, peace of mind, stress-relief etc. comes with a cost and religious institutions will have a perennial, huge market.
Well, there are enough indications (or even proof) that we are moving in that direction. A recent marketing case study published by MarketingSherpa tells us the story of an excellent marketing program by a church in USA, Eastpoint Church, that used a combination of billboard, website (web 2.0 eh!), podcasts and blogs to grow the church community by 277% !. And God said, ‘In Digital I Trust’ !
For marketing men, this indeed is an interesting case study!
Sample the well written copy on a brochure:
‘So before you write church off completely, give Eastpoint a chance to change your mind. We realize you could do a thousand other things on a Sunday morning. So can we. But we have found a group of people who are willing to be real with us, to talk with us, to support us, and to give us a church experience that’s everything but boring. There is something different here. Come and see.
…..
So what if there were a church that knew what you were thinking? What if there were a church committed to move beyond boring? Not because they want your money or your membership, but they have been where you are. They know what it feels like to be bored, disinterested, and turned off by religion. They know what it is like to sit through a religious service and have no idea what’s going on what’s being said. Of course ‘church-as-usual’ is a hard habit to break It takes a more thoughtful approach and a little more work to rescue the church from irrelevance.
The billboard that drove traffic to the website
The complete case study is available here.
Tail piece: The last 10-15 years, Kerala, with its increasing tourist traffic, has seen how well orchestrated ‘marketing programs’ can turn the fortunes of small obscure, unknown temples in countryside.