Image Is Nothing, Desire (Thirst) Is Everything!

You probably can't read the next line without knowing exactly what it is:

"Image is nothing.
Thirst is everything.
Obey your thirst."

Back in the summer of 1996, Sprite, who is made by Coca-Cola was realizing that the old campaign of "I like the Sprite in you" was time to retire. They feared that it was not catching the ears of "Generation X".

"We were looking for something hip, something fresh, something that would appeal to the younger generation," stated Coke spokesman Bob Bertini.

Sprite realized they didn't have the answer so they hired Lowe & Partners/SMS, a New York based advertising agency known for its ability to appeal to the younger masses (Lowe also handles the entire Reebok campaign). Surprisingly within one week the "obey your thirst" motto was proposed and accepted by Coca-Cola.

I promise I am going somewhere with this but check out this first. It was hugely successful. Sales increased by about 9% since the introduction, especially in the younger age groups. 93% of 18-24 said they were effective. Amongst all the consumers, 83% said the same. That is HUGE!

Donald Rifkin was the genius behind the slogan. His inspiration for the slogan came from an old political speech he had run across in his free time.

"I just love looking through artifacts of political history. I chanced across this one particular speech, and the speaker made an aside about thirst that absolutely just stuck in my head. I felt that I could use it somewhere, so I jotted it down. A month later, when Sprite came calling, the match almost seemed too easy."

In 1971, former President Ronald Reagan, then the Governor of California, was addressing a gathering of the Boy Scouts of America on a particularly scorching Southern California day. As he neared conclusion, Reagan paused briefly to take a sip of water. Noticeably refreshed, upon returning to the microphone, he told the audience, "Now, I certainly have spoken on a number of different topics today. However, if you are to remember one thing, and only one thing, it should be this: Speeches are nothing. Thirst is everything. Always remember to obey your thirst."

There is a great line in the Bible that says, "To obey is better than sacrifice." There are so many things in our life that we are forced to obey. Our simple needs to survive includes, but are not limited to, breathing, eating, sleeping, etc. From an early age we are taught to obey our parents. School teachers, law enforcement, most people in uniforms, etc, demand our obedience, at least expect it. For the average person all these areas of obedience are accepted to a degree.

However where most people lose out on their desire to obey comes in their relationship with God. I see many people in the church that sacrifice so much, give so much time and effort, they give monetarily, and they justify it off by saying I am offering my life as a sacrifice to God, they measure how much they are giving. God clearly declares that if we simply lay our lives out in obedience then allow the sacrifice to follow then it works better. Isaac shows this best as his dad Abraham lays him on the altar to sacrifice him in Genesis 22. For the son, Isaac honored his dad in obedience to death. For Abraham, he honored God in obedience that led to what he thought would be the sacrifice of his son until God provided a ram.

We need to allow our obedience to create the arena, the altar of personal sacrifice. As we begin to live that way we will begin to see lives affected as we the eikons of God love in action and truth instead of just words.

How will your day look differently because of your obedience instead of sacrifice?