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According to Robert Stephens, the founder of Geek Squad,

Marketing is a tax you pay for being unremarkable.

In this context, I believe that by marketing Robert means promotion - that is advertising, direct marketing, interactive marketing, personal sales, sales promotion, and public relations. Unfortunately, marketing has become synonymous with advertising and other promotional elements. By its true definition, marketing encompasses product, price, place (distribution), and promotion, and this is commonly referred to as the 4 P’s of marketing.

It is still a great quote, but consider it this way:

Marketing promotions is a tax you pay for being unremarkable.

Remarkable products and services promote themselves through word of mouth. Typically, remarkable organizations earn their remarkability by having a great product or service. However, an organization can also become remarkable through the other three P’s of marketing. For price, think of Wal-Mart’s low cost or Giffen goods. For place, think of Wal-Mart’s distribution or LifeChurch.tv’s Internet campus. And for promotion, think of Apple and Nike.

There are a few lessons to be learned here:

1. If your organization is unremarkable, you will have to compensate by spending more money on marketing promotions to be successful.
2. If your organization is remarkable, marketing promotions will only amplify your success.
3. If you can only be remarkable in one area, have a remarkable product or service because it will keep people coming back for more as well as generate word of mouth.

For further reading on how to make your church remarkable, read my previous article “Marketability First.”