Every company and/or organization has a message they want to get out. And they have a market they are trying to reach. Hitting your target requires research, planning and a good sense of how to market the “product” you are trying to get out there.
In this case it appears 5 Hour Energy is either ignorant about their market or simply arrogant enough to think they can take the place of coffee for the true coffee drinker.
Let’s break it down:
- Coffee drinkers drink coffee because they love it.
- Similar to smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee is relaxing and warm.
- Coffee is meant to take time to consume.
- A small shot of cold liquid will never be a replacement for coffee.
- For many, the process of getting or making the coffee is part of the ritual and doesn’t need to be “fixed.”
In my estimation – a HUGE fail on the part of 5 Hour Energy. It’s like making a commercial for people who love Ice Hockey – telling them you can get the same experience by attending a 15 minute field hockey game in 90 degree weather. Not a chance!
In Closing
I can totally see teenagers using 5 Hour Energy, or people that need a quick pick-me-up. Possibly even coffee drinkers who feel they need it added to their already high intake of caffeine. But it will never replace coffee for the true coffee lover.
Similarly, we need to look at the messages we’re sending people from our church websites. Are we hitting our target? Are we “marketing” to the right crowd and offering them the thing they really need? Are we failing because we are trying to fill a need that isn’t there? Or worse yet, are we so arrogant that we are ignoring the facts and telling people what they need without first understanding where they are coming from?
Wake up! And smell the coffee…
