Like most of the rest of the world, I was deeply touched when I first encountered Susan Boyle, the decidedly unglamorous 47-year-old who lives alone with her cat, Pebbles. She captured the world’s attention on her audition for “Britain’s Got Talent,” the British version of “American Idol.”
I’m honestly not a huge fan of reality television, viral videos, and YouTube sensations, but this feels so different. In a world where everybody is looking for their 15 minutes of fame and every advertiser is shouting for our attention, along comes Susan Boyle—and for seven minutes the world seems to come to a screeching halt.
Her story is so arresting, and so emotional, that it seems to change all of the rules. Yet, characteristically, it is already being touted as an example for marketers, something that even marketers like Dorothy Crenshaw are a little uncomfortable with.
“…to talk about ‘marketing’ doesn’t feel quite right when you consider Boyle. At a time when authenticity is routinely offered as a brand attribute, hers is the real deal. At first blush, what her story said to me is simply that talent will win out. The woman can sing. But, it wasn’t just Boyle’s striking vocal ability, or even her soaring song choice (‘I Dreamed A Dream’ from Les Miserables… what could be more quixotic?) that moved so many to tears. It was the setup. The contrast between the patronizing smiles and eye rolls of her audience with the shocked faces and emotional outpouring when she nailed the song. As our most purely authentic new star, Boyle is also the perfect symbol for a culture that’s newly in love with simple pleasures and basic values. Andrew Eklund of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune proclaims her ‘the most important marketer of the 21st century.’”
What I like best about this story is the complete upside-down nature of it: an unemployed, middle-aged woman from a small village who is in one moment mocked and ridiculed and in the next praised. In a world that values power, recognition, wealth, and status, Susan Boyle is for me a picture of heaven. Jesus said blessed are the meek and the humble, the poor and the persecuted, for the Kingdom of God is theirs. For one brief moment while watching Susan Boyle, I could almost imagine that.
Paul Stewart is the Lead Pastor of The Gateway Church, a brand new faith community forming in downtown Des Moines committed to seeking a renewed approach to Christian spirituality and the teachings of Jesus. Paul graduated from North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is married to his high-school sweetheart, Jessica, and has three beautiful children: Sophia, George, and Evelyn.
