Innovation...

So I realize I'm such a nerd.

I was getting into the shower this morning at 4:00am in preparation for flying to Vancouver today and the soap container 'spoke to me' so I tossed it in my carry-on so that I'd have it here tonight to include it in this post for you.

Irish Spring ladies and gentlemen.

But not just Irish Spring, NEW 'MicroClean' Irish Spring!

Yes, I'm a marketer's dream.

'Cause a part of me's a marketer.

(Of dreams and images and story and sound)

Anyway, they got me hook line and sinker.

See, it's like this.  "All New Irish Spring MicroClean with micro beads..." is your surefire ticket to "...a complete clean feeling!"

Such melodrama.

But y'know what got me?  It's at least kinda' true and that's something we producers and preachers need to keep in mind.

Companies that output product live or die by creating a constant stream of new and exciting versions of the same old thing.  My 'Gillette Sensor Excel' is another case in point.  The BEST razor ever, so good that they can't find a way to top it.  They tried the 'Mach 3'; nope we all stuck with our Excel's.  They've moved on to this new four-bladed one with a edge trimmer etc. 

Blah, blah, blah...

The Sensor Excel is the best razor ever invented, they'll never top it.

Which I'm sure it the matter of much discussion around Gillette boardroom tables 'cause they've made something so good they can't possibly top it and they're in the business of constantly outdoing themselves so that their customers/consumers will have reason to keep coming back for more.

And that's the lesson we need to learn from Irish Spring.

Irish Spring is great, but there's always room to change it up, throw in some 'micro beads' put a splashy new cover on it and market is as 'all new'.  It's still soap.  Great soap.  But just soap after all.

Your sermon this week is just a sermon, based on the Bible, inspired by the Spirit, filtered through your life.  Good raw materials to be sure, but just a sermon.  Until you get your hands on it of course--making it into someting so special that your audience can't wait to hurry back next week for more.

Your movie is just a movie.  It has the conventions--the appendages--of a movie.  It's a story told in picture and dialogue and sound and music.  Just a movie.  Until you get your hands on it of course--making it into something so special that your audience can't wait to hurry out of the theater and tell all their friends how you changed it up, how you added some 'micro beads' to it and made it this whole other thing...

Like Irish Spring.

So I'm just sayin', put some "Irish" in your sermons this week boys.  Put some "Irish" in the stories you're developing people 'cause we the people are suckers for that stuff.

And maybe, just maybe (if'n you do your job) we all end up smellin' a little nicer than when we started.

T