I had Starbucks this morning with a good friend of mine, Tom Hinton, who works at a local Lexus dealership. He loaned me their dealership book on Lexus branding. It’s fascinating to read through so I thought I would comment on a few of Lexus’ guiding principles over the next few days.

The Lexus Guiding Principles
Our guiding principles derive from the legacy of leadership and innovation that has inspired us from the beginning. Our guiding principles are our covenant in action. They are the basis for the QUALITY, INTEGRITY, PASSION AND PRIDE that define the Lexus experience.

We demonstrate the truth of these principles every day, and see their wisdom reflected in our customer relationships, our working partnerships and our own professional pride.

By living these principles, we stand above the rest.

We are passionately committed to providing our customers with an ownership experience that is deeply satisfying to the senses.

Tom shared with me that at Lexus they strive to sell an experience not a product. The phenomenal commercials Lexus has been running recently with Elvis Costello, Dianna Krall and John Legend are a testament to Lexus’ principle to create experiences that their customers will find “deeply satisfying to the senses.” By changing the way their dealers view what they are selling they are able to change the way potential customers view their brand.

As you know I’ve been reading a lot from “The Purple Cow” recently. In it Seth Godin talks about how the market is saturated with far too many products than most consumers can possibly consume. In the automotive market it’s not enough to just sell another luxury car. Lexus strives to set their brand apart by selling the experience, not the car.

Here’s some food for thought and discussion.

• With what some would call the over-saturation of religion and spirituality in the world today what is it that sets your church or ministry apart from the rest? What makes you different? Are you unique and creative?
• How can ensure your message doesn’t get lost in the static?
• Are you trying to get people to buy your “product” or are you allowing them to share an experience?
• Would people leaving your weekend services describe their time with you as an “experience that is deeply satisfying to the senses?”