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Serving the Christian Market Since 1968 14732 Middle Point Road Van Wert, Ohio 45891 - 419.238.4082 |
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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 July 25, 2009 edition of The FOSTER Letter—Religious Market Update Revolution –We now live in what one sociologist has called the “Risk Society”–a period of profound uncertainty and constant surprises–new and incalculable risks in which we all share, even if we are not aware of them. My shorthand is “nobody knows.” The New Normal means we must “live with a comfortable fluency with disruptive energy that can change the world,” states international strategist, Joshua Cooper Ramo. We are forced now to assume unpredictability, not stability. Ramo calls it “the sand pile effect”–one more grain of sand (and you can’t predict which one) turns the pile from stable to a cascade, an avalanche. Bear Sterns, Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers are kings of the hill one day and bankrupt the next with huge ripple effects. Thousands of lifelong auto dealers are closed down in one week. Even church, that most seemingly stable of institutions, evolves and adapts at a rapid pace. According to church expert Alan Hirsh, “Church is becoming a much more organic, dynamic, and non-institutionalized set of relationships than the old Christendom allows for–more a web, a series of intersecting lines symbolizing networks of relationships, friendships, and acquaintances.” The eternal stays firm. The forms are innovative. (Bob Buford’s My Next Book...Year 5, Chapter 13) Home-schoolers are more likely to go to college, get involved in a civic endeavor, get involved in a political contest, and to vote than their public school counterparts. (Leadership Network Advance 6/23/09) CBA wrapped up its 60th annual International Christian Retail Show in Denver with a Professional Attendee (non-exhibitor personnel) count of 1,903, down 20% from ’08. There were 534 international attendees, down 28%, from 56 countries. Those retailers who did attend were there to “do business”; it was definitely not a family vacation this time. In a time when trade show attendance in general is down 30-40%, CBA President-CEO Bill Anderson noted, “I’m very pleased with the attendance results. While we knew attendance would be down some, I’m satisfied with a strong turnout and the enthusiasm and positive tone throughout the event by both retailers and suppliers.” Next year’s show will be in St. Louis, MO, June 27-30. (CBA News 7/16/09) If It Ain’t Broke—Fix It “Too many people hold onto good ideas for too long simply because they work,” claims Larry Bossidy, former chairman of Honeywell and author of Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters To Get Things Done Right. Smart business strategy not only means setting growth plans for the business or ministry and taking steps to improve productivity, but also identifying the things (margins, inefficiencies, customer/donor satisfaction) that put an organization behind where it wants to be. I can help you confront the issues that separate your business/ministry from greatness! Contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. Donors to faith-based charities are more likely to give via postal mail than donors overall (68% vs. 56%). The most motivating reasons Christian donors cite for giving to a specific charity are “improves the quality of life for people” and “promotes beliefs I agree with.” They are also motivated to give to organizations which have “a reputation for effectiveness.” In contrast, donors to non-Christian charities are most motivated by improving “the quality of life for people” and benefiting “their local community.” 49% of faith-based donors under the age of 50 are interested in supporting groups that let them play a more active role in the organization. This is true for only 29% of faith-based donors 50 or older. Active involvement includes designating where their money goes, volunteering time to help implement initiatives, and meeting with those donations have helped. (DonorSpeak 6/09) Learn How To Do Right-Brain Marketing This is a new term coined to help traditional marketers look at the world differently. An undeniable social trend is emerging for mass micro marketing where customers want real-time trans-parent, human, non-selling relationships. This online relationship defies the old rules but pays off by gaining interactive brand loyalty. (Manta.com) Older Cohort Growth The U.S. Census Bureau predicts the world’s 65-and-older population will triple by 2050, going from 516 million in ’09 to 1.53 billion. In the U.S., the 65-and-older cohort is predicted to grow from 39 million to 59 million. During that same period, the world’s 15-and-younger population will grow just 6%, from 1.83 billion to 1.93 billion. In the U.S., it is forecast to rise from the current 62 million to 85 million by 2050. (Brand Week 6/29/09) Listen Organizations need to listen to their customers in a way that shows those customers are valued. This is especially important because customers’ expectations are constantly changing. If, for example, company A answers its toll-free number in 1 ring, and you are that person’s next call, she will expect you to answer in 1 ring, as well. Customers and donors judge you on what they think ought to happen, not on what you’ve ‘trained’ them to anticipate. Let me help you hear customers and donors. Contact me at 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. Churches Losing Youth While previous surveys have shown that Christian students tend to quit church during their college years, data collected by America’s Research Group for Ken Ham, President of Answers in Genesis, found most of them were already gone in middle school and high school. 95% of 20- to 29-year-old evangelicals attended church regularly during their elementary and middle school years. Only 55% went to church during high school, and by college, only 11% were still attending church. The research found nearly 40% of the surveyed 20-somethings first had doubts about the Bible in middle school. Another 43.7% first doubted during their high school years that all of the accounts and stories in the Bible are true. Only around 10% first became doubtful about the Bible accounts during college. Among those who said they do not believe all the biblical accounts are true, the top reasons for doubting the Scriptures were: “it was written by men” (24%), “it was not translated correctly” (18%), “the Bible contradicts itself” (15%), and “science shows the world is old” (14%). Even more alarming, attending Sunday school proved to be of no help in strengthening a young person’s faith. 61% of surveyed young adults said they attended Sunday school, while 39% percent didn’t. Those who attended are actually more likely not to believe all the accounts and stories in the Bible are true, to doubt the Bible because it was written by men, to defend keeping abortion legal, to accept the legalization of gay marriage, to believe in evolution, and to believe that good people don’t need to go to church. Part of the problem, Ham points out, is the curriculum. While Sunday school teachers teach “Bible stories,” children are left to learn biology, anthropology, geology, astronomy, and other science courses at public schools. (Already Gone by Ken Ham & Britt Beemer, New Leaf, 2009) Texting Nearly 60% of mobile phone owners use their phones to text, with 94% of teens the largest user group and 20-somethings at 87%, according to the Vlingo Consumer Mobile Messaging Habits Report. Among those in their 40s, usage jumped from 56% in ’08 to 64% in ’09, while among 50s it jumped from 38% to 46%. 35% of all respondents use their phones for texting more than for phone calls. Almost half do both in equal numbers. Despite the popularity of mobile data services, 41% do not text, 70% do not browse the Web, and 73% do not use email on their mobile phones. With 86% of respondents paying their mobile phone bills themselves, cost is one of the main reasons for non-adoption. (Center for Media Research Brief 6/4/09) Christian Market Counsel With over 30 years of first-hand involvement, I am one of the foremost authorities on this unique market channel. Contact 419-238-4082, Gary@garydfoster.com or www.garydfoster.com. Google Book Search reports that 99% of the millions of books they have digitized have been viewed at least once, and copies of 89% of them have been purchased. (Raise the Standard, Larry Carpenter, 2/11/09) Teens Music Source Nielsen research finds 16% of teenagers around the world consider radio their “primary source” of music, with another 21% identifying it as a “secondary source.” But the numbers lag far behind MP3 players, identified by 39% of teens as a primary source of music, and computers, preferred by 33% of teens. (Media Daily News 6/30/09) More Conservative 39% of American adults say their views on political issues have grown more conservative in recent years, compared to 18% whose views have grown more liberal and 42% who’ve not changed, reports Gallup. (Baptist Press 7/6/09)
Strong Marriages
A nationwide LifeWay Research survey of American adults with children
under 18 living at home found 87% feel they have strong marriages. 74%
strongly believe they will remain married for life, and 64% strongly
agree if they had it to do over, they would still marry their spouses.
As parents, 76% believe they give enough of their time to their
children, but only 56% agree their families enjoy enough relaxing
times together. Parents with evangelical or born-again beliefs and
people who attend religious worship services regularly are
considerably more likely to report having strong marriages.
(Baptist Press 7/6/09) URLs Drive Readers Research from Affinity confirms magazine ads with URLs are more likely to drive readers to advertiser websites. Even if “drive to web” is not the goal of the ad campaign, including a URL to boost web visits is a benefit most advertisers appreciate. (Center for Media Research Brief 7/21/09) Barnes & Noble says it will offer more than 700,000 books that can be read on a wide range of devices, including iPhone, the BlackBerry and various laptop and desktop computers. Barnes & Noble is promoting its e-bookstore as the world’s largest. (NY Times 7/21/09) Global Aging In the 1970s, women globally were having, on average, 4.3 children. Today the global average is 2.6 and only 1.6 in developed countries. It takes 2.1 children to replicate a population. By 2050, the U.N. predicts the world’s population will begin to level out. (Boomer Project 7/2/09) PTSD Studies show nearly 1 in 5 U.S. military Iraq deployment returnees suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In ’07, Army statistics reported nearly 14,000 newly diagnosed cases, a 50% increase compared with just 1,623 in ’03. Officials believe up to 30% of all U.S. vets suffer from the disorder, but most keep it hidden for fear it could harm or end their military careers. (Christianity Today 7/07) For information on how to become a subscriber to the entire 3-4 page Foster Letter---Religious Market Update, E-mail us at: subscribe@garydfoster.com
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