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The Foster Letter —

Religious Market Update

The FOSTER Letter is a bi-weekly e-mail religious market intelligence report targeted to Christian market channel and ministry leaders.  Each issue reports on news, trends, events and research that will directly or indirectly impact your audiences and businesses in a convenient summary format  Better informed leaders make better choices!

Researched, Edited & Published by Gary D. Foster

Excerpts from the

January 25, 2008 edition of

The FOSTER Letter—Religious Market Update

America in 3 Camps America split into 3 camps last year that came sharply into focus at Christmas. 1-The Hunker-Down crowd cut back their purchases, uneasy about dwindling dollars and rising debt. Traffic in non-discount retail stores was sluggish as a result. 2-The Full-Speed-Ahead crowd did business as usual. God bless’em! They chose not to participate in a recession! 3-The I’m-Too-Rich-To-Worry crowd spent somewhat more on Christmas than ’06, almost enough to offset the thrifty Hunker Downs. While the total number of transactions was down for December, the average sale was slightly up, due to the largesse of this group. In ’08 we’re going to see an increasing number of purchases influenced by the head instead of the heart. Service and selection are taking a back seat to quality and price. In the language of Myers-Briggs, we’re shifting from an F (feeling) mindset to a T (thinking) perspective. In advertising, both the Hunker Downs and the Full Speed Aheads are looking for clear statements of benefit. The I’m-Too-Rich-To-Worries are looking for exclusive brands. Efficiency providers like Sam’s Club and Costco will continue to thrive, as will sellers of never-discounted prestige brands. Retailers who have built their businesses on service and selection will feel pressure to reinvent themselves. (MondayMorningMemo 1/7/08) 

Think Like A Customer! Most companies want to make life easier for themselves rather than for their customers. I can uncover these “invisible barriers” to customer service excellence and increased profits for you. My audit and summary of findings will give you a roadmap to rooting out and resolving these unnecessary anchors on your business or ministry. Contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. 

UK Surpasses U.S. Living standards in Britain are set to rise above those in America for the first time since the 19^th century, according to a report by the respected Oxford Economics consultancy. It says the GDP per head in Britain will be £23,500 in ’08 vs. £23,250 in the U.S., reflecting both the strength of the pound against the dollar and the UK economy’s record run of growth and rising incomes since the early ’90s. (TheSourceDaily 1/8/07) 

Oprah-Ization Of American Christianity Commenting on recent findings, LifeWay Research’s Ed Stetzer said, “We found a real openness to hearing about matters of faith, but the study also clearly documents what I call the Oprah-ization of American Christianity. It’s very much a generic ‘big guy in the sky’ view of God and a ‘you believe what you believe, I believe what I believe’ viewpoint on theology. People say, ‘Who am I to judge?’” (BP News 1/9/08) 

E-Coupons In 12 months ending October ’07, the number of visitors to coupon sites grew by 6% over the previous year, to 20.3 million from 19.1 million. (NY Times 12/27/07) 

More Charismatics In ’97, 30% of adults claimed to be Pentecostal Christians compared to 36% in ’07. While just 8% of the U.S. population is evangelical, 49% of evangelical adults fit the charismatic definition. 51% of all born-agains are charismatic as are 46% of all adults who attend a Protestant church. 23% of U.S. Protestant churches are charismatic congregations. 80% have a full-time, paid pastor and the average weekly adult attendance is 82, equivalent to other Protestant bodies. 36% of all U.S. Catholics are charismatic as are 7% of Southern Baptist and 6% of mainline churches. 65% of America’s charismatic churches are predominantly African-American vs.16% of white Protestant congregations. Non-charismatic church operating budgets average $149,000 vs. $136,000 for Pentecostals. 70% of non-charismatic senior pastors have a seminary degree vs. 49% of Charismatics. (Barna Online 1/7/08) 

Status Spheres: a variety of lifestyles, activities and persuasions, which can be mixed and matched by consumers looking for recognition from various crowds and scenes. Contrast this with traditional consumption that is about buying more and/or better stuff than fellow consumers. Trend-Watching.com identifies these new consumer status spheres for ’08. Transient Sphere: For those driven by experiences instead of the fixed—those who are driven by entertainment, by discovery, by fighting boredom, who increasingly live a transient lifestyle, freeing themselves from the hassles of permanent ownership and possessions. Online Sphere: In an online world or virtual world, social status is all about who you connect to and who wants to connect to you, tribal-style. It also encompasses status gained from the number of views for one’s photos on Flickr, to the number of friends on Facebook. Eco Sphere: Millions of consumers are now actively trying to greenify their lives. Giving Sphere Whether it’s giving away your riches, your time, or sharing your (content) creations with total strangers, giving is the new taking. Participative Sphere: For younger (and younger-at-heart) consumers, participation is the new consumption. (TrendWatching.com) 

Quiet Strength, by Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, has sold more than one million copies. Written with Nathan Whitaker and published by Tyndale House, it is now one of the best-selling sports-related books in history. (ECPA Rush to Press 1/14/08) 

More Than A Storefront America’s biggest consumer advertisers are learning that just having a website isn’t enough to establish and cultivate an ongoing customer relationship. Many have launched free e-magazines filled with relevant content offering entertainment and practical advice along with soft-sell product promotion where it’s appropriate. “It’s a major trend and it’s a moving trend,” claims Gary Stibel, New England Consulting Group. It’s not really new, but marketers have historically been far too blatantly commercial. I can help you craft an effective e-marketing strategy that can help you build brand loyalty and ultimately sales. Contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. (AP 1/3/06) 

Copyright Wrong U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a case challenging the copyright protection given to so-called “orphan” works, or material for which the owner can’t be found. Currently, books, movies and other material are entitled to copyright protection that lasts for the author’s life and an additional 70 years. After the author has died, an heir often owns the copyright, but can transfer that right. The problem arises when the copyright is transferred so many times that it’s no longer apparent who owns it. Sometimes books and the like have been out of circulation for so long that the actual owners don’t even realize they have a claim. Legal experts say that locating the copyright owners in these situations is often a daunting and expensive task. Copyright expert Eric Goldman says in such cases, no one benefits by the current regime, which exposes anyone who posts orphan works to liability for copyright infringement. The U.S. Copyright Office agrees, “There is good evidence that the orphan works problem is real and warrants attention.” (Online Media Daily 1/9/08) 

Religious Influence 27% of Americans would like to see organized religion have more influence on the U.S., 32% want less and nearly 40% want it to stay the same. In ’01 30% wanted religion to have more influence vs. 22% less. (Outreach 1-2/08) 

Direct Mail Appeals sent by charities are not producing as much money as they did in years past because the number of people who give through the mail is declining. Charities have increased the amount raised per solicitation, but not enough to make up for the failure to recruit new donors through the mail. (Philanthropy Today 1/8/08) 

Is Marriage Necessary 44% of Americans ages 20 to 69 believe marriage is not necessary in order to have a committed, fulfilling, life-long relationship, reports a Zogby/AOL poll. Marriage Savers’ president Mike McManus finds the number shocking. He says, “People who are married live longer, they’re healthier, they’re happier; they’re wealthier. A man who’s single, for whatever reason, will live 10 years less than a married man; a woman, about 4 years less.” Many fear if they marry they’ll end up divorced, and the antidote is to cohabit. But Rutgers University's National Marriage Project research finds couples who live together before marriage are 46% more likely to divorce and significantly more likely to experience domestic violence within their relationships. McManus says, Churches really aren’t very ‘marriage-minded’ – they’re ‘wedding-minded.’ They are equipped to be able to help couples have weddings, but they really don’t know how to build marriages.” (OneNewsNow 1/8/07) 

Donors Skip Giving Roughly 6 in 10 U.S. households contribute to charity routinely, according Indiana University’s Center on Philanthropy Panel Study. The ongoing survey asked the same 8,000 families about their charitable gifts made in ’00, ’02 and ’04. While the total percentage of gifting households was similar in all 3 years (67% to 69%), it was not always the same households. The study found that nearly one third of gifting households shift between donating and not donating. (The NonProfit Times 1/14/08) 

Fact Vs. Values Relentless repetition was once enough to drive your message home. Not anymore! Fact-based statements can be proven or disproven objectively. But the “truth” of a values-based statement hinges on agreed-upon values. Modern advertising overflows with values-based statements, e.g. “Big selection,” “High quality,” “Low prices,” “Easy credit.” Even though they may be true in the mind of the advertiser, the public has heard them all before. The left hemispheres of our brains detect and prefer fact-based statements. Today we are hype-immune and hunger for statements of fact. To persuade today’s hype-resistant customer, you must learn to make fact-based statements in your ads. NOTE: I can help you make sure your ads are not just repeating clichés but clearly delivering meaningful facts that will deliver results. All you have to do is contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. (Monday Morning Memo 9/26/05, Foster Network) 

Anonymity is one of the 3 signs of a miserable job.  “Employees who aren’t known and individually appreciated by their managers will not be fulfilled in their jobs.”  (Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lencioni, Jossey-Bass, 2007) 

Big Brother or Safety A Rhode Island school is testing a student-tracking system by putting computer chips on grade-schoolers’ backpacks and a GPS system in their school buses. Parents are given a choice as to whether or not to participate in the pilot program. (Digital Frontier 1/14/08)

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