Some time ago I posted Tim Challie’s in depth look at Zondervans marketing of The Purpose Driven Life. He featured Greg Stielstra, Senior Marketer at Zondervan who handled the Warren account and used a term he has coined called PyroMarketing.
Challie’s first post on Stielstra’s methods was in May 2005.
As Stielstra managed Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life series he started planning to come out with his own book on the pyromarketing he used to push Warren’s books and spin off industry into award winning mega sales.
Then supposedly new information came to light. Challies updated the controversy here.
Following the success of The Purpose Driven Life and other phenomena that displayed the value of PyroMarketing, Stielstra decided the time was right to publish a book explaining his philosophy of marketing. Without claiming credit for its success, he sought to explain the success of the book through the principles of his marketing philosophy. HarperCollins Publishers agreed to publish the book, which was to be titled PyroMarketing : The Four-Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep Them for Life and was expected to reach store shelves by mid-2005.
The deadline didn’t happen, that’s not uncommon in the publishing industry. Challies says Rick Warren tried to suppress the book and have revisions made.
Not long afterward, it appears that Rick Warren contacted Zondervan’s President, Doug Lockhart, and demanded that all references to The Purpose Driven Life be removed from PyroMarketing. Apparently this demand stemmed from a concern that this book would make a clear connection in the mind of the reader between The Purpose Driven Life and marketing technique. Lockhart returned to Stielstra, suggesting that he remove all references to Warren’s book and that he find examples of his marketing principles from the 2004 Presidential campaign. He declined.
It appears. Apparently. Suggesting.
Maybe.
Wallo World and several other bloggers picked up this story.
It is well worth it as a consumer to read the series of events in full from Challies, and to understand how niave consumers are.
I counted 8 trackbacks on the May post and 10 on Challies July post.
The Latest
Publishers Weekly reported the end of August that:
Abstract: HarperBusiness will publish Greg Stielstra’s Pyromarketing: The Four-Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep Them for Life on September 27, without any substantial alterations.
achievable ends reports today that Stielstra has joined Thomas Nelson publishing.
A search of/for Thomas Nelson staff aquisitions does not bring up any results.
However Zondervan has a Senior VP of Marketing position open.
Stielstra’s site is here.
achievable ends has been on top of the story.
scotthodgeorg. looks at the recent Rick Warren supernatual claims about the spat as does Church of the Customer
god-of-small-things has quotes from Rick Warren in the Publishers Weekly article.
Bottom line?
I haven’t read Rick Warren and don’t intend to.
I think religious book consumers are being targeted with ‘controversy’ so PyroMarketer guru Stielstra and his publisher can sell a lot of books.
After all, controversy is just another successful marketing technique.
Stielstra’s book: PyroMarketing : The Four-Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep Them for Life is on the Harper Collins Coming Soon List
Release date: September 27, 2005
PyroMarketing : The Four-Step Strategy to Ignite Customer Evangelists and Keep Them for Life - Greg Stielstra - Release date: September 27, 2005
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PyroMarketing - 4
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Zondervan PyroMarketing - 29
Harper Collins PyroMarketing - 4
Rick Warren PyroMarketing - 34
Update: In the post above I made the personal observation that:
I think religious book consumers are being targeted with ‘controversy’ so PyroMarketer guru Stielstra and his publisher can sell a lot of books.
After all, controversy is just another successful marketing technique.
In the comments below Mr. Stielstra’s father has taken understandable execption to my opinion. I have no interest in harming this family or the publishing house. While my opinion may have merit in terms of ultimate sales, the harm this family has been through takes precedent, and I apologize to Mr. E. Stielstra and commend him for his defense of his son and the publishing house.
Published 3 years ago
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Anybody else think the Pyromarketing cover looks an awful lot like the cover of Steve Elliot’s “The Grassfire Effect”?
I guess I don’t see what is so controversial abour Rick Warren. Could we say Christ by sharing the Gospel or the Apostles were involved in “marketing”? I feel ANY sharing of the Gospel is okay as long as it is done with a proper attitude by the writer. I have read some of Wrren’s books and to me he seems like to have a great attitude. Maybe the controversy is based on the content which is basic Christianity 101 and with the Holy Spirit from the Bible as well. To say there is NO Spirit behind Warren I feel is a little off. I’m not naive. I just read Warren’s book in conjuction with Scripture and he is right on and is definitely 1st century on his statements.
I just don’t understand the unWARRENented (being punny :)) on Warren.
Good one DH!
I understand Warren is affable, kind, sincere, etc.
There are good authors that will never have marketing gurus or get the opportunity to have worthy work published, through no fault of their own.
I’m not slamming Warren, I don’t know the guy.
This was hyper marketing at it’s finest, like the Left Behind series.
Stielstra has been involved with over 750 books. Warren must have been the dream client; a marketer could do use unwarrented numbers of people in unprecedented proportions to sell the product.
Captive audience ripe for the picking.
I don’t have much sympathy for adults that don’t take time to understand how things are sold to them, I guess. We lose sight of what we need and what we just thnk we want.
I agree we lose sight of what we need or want. I personally feel that all Christians should embrace what Warren has to say. He is so right on and the message he gives from the Spirit is foundational and simple like Christ’s was. To put Warren’s stuff in the same category as Left Behind is way, way overboard. (However, I personally like the Left Behind series but that in no way influences my liking of Warren).
I personally care less how something is presented to me. To me the content rather than the how is the most important. I’m not influenced by the marketing only the content. I have read Warren’s books and find them not-wanting in any way.
I don’t have much sympathy for people who reject messages of Truth just because it is marketed to them a certain way. No where in the Bible does it say the Gospel has to be told a certain way only “the Great Commission” and the “Romans Road”.
“Captive audience ripe for the picking.”
John 4:34-36
35Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are RIPE FOR THE HARVEST. 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
I guess Jesus was a marketer as well. This proves my point about all of this attack just because it is marketed. To me I think the controversy just because of one thing, marketing, is unWARRENted. I just don’t see the problem as long as people are coming to Christ and more Christians are doing more for Christ as well. (It will never be fullproof because we are all humans, but at least more than otherwise and for that reason in the worse case I commend Warren)
Jesus was definitely not into marketing! Marketing is about determining the desires of a target group of customers and persuading them that your product will satisfy those desires. Jesus didn’t “sell” — if anything, he appears to have tried to put people off. “Take up a cross” is not a marketing strategy!
Telling people to “Follow me”? Also take up a cross does satisfy the desire of peoples souls.
At times He did put people off when He did that it was to help the person He was speaking to to recognize their own heart. Jesus knew that they “were like sheep without a shepherd” (recognizing the needs of the target group (at this time Jewish people). The GReat Commission includes preaching (sharing the Gospel). So is preaching pursuading? Can Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, use us to pursuade others to have Faith in Christ? Paul did this in Colosians with the “unknown god”. To me it is the content of the message combined with the heart of the person giving it. I still don’t see anywhere where Christ dictates the how, except when He stated “it is not My time” in relation to His revelation of His glory to the people.
To suggest Harper or Greg Stielstra wanted controversy in order to increase sales of PyroMarketing is simply not true. As Greg’s father I have seen the two faces of Rick Warren. If you wish to hear more contact me. I have been in the middle of this for one year and it is frightening to watch Satan at work as he seeks to divide and conquer.
Elden Stielstra
Mr. Stielstra:
I am sorry your family has been put through difficulties.
Whether your son or the publishing house wanted controversy, it appears they received it.
I apologize if my skepticism has harmed you, I’ve amended the post to reflect your concern.