Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. (Ephesians 6:7 NLT)
Who are you really trying to impress? Really? A boss. A teacher. A coach. A parent. A date. All of the above. In our search for acceptance, affirmation, and acknowledgement; we cast our net before the broadest audience possible. And in the process, most of us spread ourselves thin. Running ourselves ragged pursuing others’ definition of life excellence and career success.
Maybe, if we ”chase the rainbow,” we can find a better way.
While many companies shelled out big bucks to connect with the Super Bowl’s vast audience, Skittles took marketing in a totally different direction. The Mars Company brand would produce a multi-million dollar ad, and instead of showing it to Sunday’s more than 100m viewers, they would show the commercial to only one single Skittles customer. Marcus Menendez, a highschool student from Los Angeles, California, became the target market.
The company secured David Schwimmer, of Friends fame to star in the ad, hired a cgi special effects teams, and produced an ad tailor made for one person. No need to worry about the preferences of the masses. No need to hire focus groups to create a spot with the broadest possible reach. They only had to catch the attention of one.
”Every other advertiser is going out there and showing their ad to 100 million people,” Matt Montei, the vice president of fruit confections at Mars explained, ”We want to be the one brand who has the most exclusive ad in Super Bowl history.”
The ad was shown to Marcus during Sunday’s game. It will never be shown to another person. All the masses can do is watch Marcus enjoy the spot, tailor made for his pleasure.
If we allow it, others will write various and conflicting standards for our lives. But Scripture calls us to work for an audience of One. No more attempting to please every single demand on our time and resources. Someone else’s description of what a good mom looks like, what a good dad looks like, what a good worker looks like, what a good student looks like. Our work may be witnessed by hundreds, or even millions. But if we exist as we are designed, that work, whatever it is, is actually an act of worship presented for an audience of One!
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