Marketer Created Preference

In my business classes in college, we studied the concept of a "Marketer Created Preference." Basically, this is when advertisers set a standard, or create an expectation (preference) for their product in a way that is self-serving. Examples abound in the consumer goods industry. Look at your average toothpaste commercial. The ad shows a swirl of toothpaste in the shape of an "S" on the toothbrush - about 3 times as much toothpaste as is necessary. If you put that much toothpaste on your brush (and many people do), most of it falls in the sink before it ever hits your mouth. Cha-ching! The more you waste, the more often you have to buy another tube of toothpaste, which means more money for AquaFresh, Crest, etc. Over a life time, if you buy toothpaste twice as often as you need to, that doubles their sales. If everyone does this, the increase in sales is quite significant. Shaving cream is another great example. Barbasol shows a man with enough shaving cream on his face to pose as Santa at the local shopping mall. It's absolutely unnecessary to have that much. But, in showing these quantities in their ads, the marketers 'create' the preference, and people blindly follow along, using their products in like manner. It's quite an interesting concept, and it works for marketers. Very well. Think of the products you use, and think about why you use as much as you do. Is it really necessary, or do you just do it because that's what the commercial/the box/the actor says you should do? So, how does this relate to the church? What 'marketer created preferences' exist in your church? What standards and expectations have you set? These aren't always bad things. You can create good, positive preferences for people, and guide them when they aren't sure how to use a certain product, and you can use church created preferences, for lack of a better term, to teach people how to live a Christian life. How often should a person read their Bible? Pray? Evangelize? Serve others? Are you, and others in your church, modeling a good standard for others to follow? On the flipside, are you wasting people's time by modeling ineffective behaviors and patterns that ultimately don't accomplish much? Just as many people trust advertisers and follow their lead, so do many people trust you, and follow your lead as a Christian. Set the standard high, and make a positive impact in the lives of those you lead!