Get Your Strategy On
The Giant Inflatable Blue Monkey
May242007 Filed under: Communications Author: Tony Morgan
As I was driving back and forth to the soccer field tonight, this thought ran through my mind. At what point do you determine that your product or service isn’t attracting enough attention on its own and decide you have to bring in the giant inflatable blue monkey?
Does the management team sit around the conference room and talk about what it might take to improve the customer experience or improve the quality of the product or possibly adjust pricing strategies first? Do they run through all those scenarios and decide it’s just easier and cheaper to rent the giant inflatable blue monkey?
What about you? Are you resorting to the "giant inflatable blue monkey" in your business or organization?
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Tony Morgan is a pastor and the Chief Strategic Officer at NewSpring Church where he develops creative solutions for communications, technology and NewSpring Ministries--the church's ministry that equips other church leaders.
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samluce
May 24th, 2007 at 11:58 pm
Not Blue Monkey, I said purple cow.
Seth
Eric
May 25th, 2007 at 12:19 am
Wow…I’d hate to have the “giant, inflatable, blue monkey” on my back. It does seem like a scream for help or attention, but it seems we do this quite frequently in our churches as well as businesses. I’ve always been taught that word of mouth is hard to beat for selling a great product. The big monkey only draws a look, there still has to be a convincing and irrisistable element for the buyer to buy.
drproglf
May 25th, 2007 at 8:45 am
When you take care of people they in turn take care of you. It is all about relationships not big blue monkeys.
Ian
May 25th, 2007 at 3:37 pm
The true brilliance is demonstrated by the guy who said “I’ll make a giant, inflatable, blue monkey and rent it out to car dealerships whose managers are at wits end!”
michael
May 25th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
I think Ian’s point is brilliant.
I wonder sometimes if the modern worship set is becoming the giant inflatable at the church. I love it but it is sometimes all we are known for…that and the jumbotron.
Will
May 25th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Right Michael. The worship of the worship experience and all it’s extras is certainly in this category. Dare I ask it: Has the church been guilty of making Jesus into our Big Blue Monkey through other means?
Metalroof
May 25th, 2007 at 6:10 pm
Obviously, you all skipped Marketing 101. The Giant Blue Monkey is hauled out after the Giant Yellow Kangaroo but before the Giant Red Quid.
Scott
May 25th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
There is a place in the marketing world for the monkey, as long as it is directed at the right market segment. My five year old daughter would be part of that audience.
Example. Our church wanted to promote baptism (not debating the necessity of promoting baptism - just using the example). The idea they came up with included a duck. My five year old thought it was great and was ready to take the plunge. Those ten years old and up weren’t as impressed or as easily persuaded.
The Blue Monkey at a McDonalds - good. At Buffalo Wild Wings - not so much.
Robert Pooley
May 25th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
Well, not a blue monkey… but we do have a blue elephant set to be at our church August 5th. http://xxxchurch.com/07/
Charles Cole
July 27th, 2007 at 10:14 am
Anderson police are investigating the theft of an inflatable monkey from the parking lot of Dream Car Sales in Anderson.
The theft reportedly took place sometime between 12:01 a.m. and 9 a.m. on July 5.
The incident was reported at 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, according to a police report.
Manaf Mazoni told police that “when deflated the monkey weights about 350 pounds and takes three people to carry it because of its bulk.”
No arrests have been made in the case, and the monkey, reportedly worth $5,000, remains on the loose.