Tackling the Tricks of Big Business
Big business uses every trick in the book to get us addicted to their products. Whether they’re promoting consumerism, decadence, or just comfort, big business has tapped into complicated psychological and marketing techniques to get us to do exactly what they want.
But now, someone is finally using those same sophisticated methods to sell a more virtuous lifestyle that consists of marriage, community, and church attendance.
My friend J.P. DeGance recently founded an organization called Communio to tackle this challenge. During our recent podcast conversation, he explained how consumer data can predict whether a marriage will end in divorce.
There are hundreds of variables that may predict divorce, but DeGance identified three observable red flags:
You’re buying TV dinners,
You’re spending money on thrill-seeking activities (skydiving, amusement parks, etc.), and/or
You just joined a gym.
Families exhibiting these warning signs can be saved with an appropriate intervention and sufficient infrastructure within their community. DeGance and I discuss the specific details of that solution during our conversation.
Of course, the goal isn’t merely to save marriages just for the heck of it. Several weeks ago, I interviewed journalist Tim Carney about his book Alienated America. As Tim notes, in a world where people feel increasingly lonely, isolated, and alienated, institutions like marriage and church attendance are incredibly important for building social capital. (They’re also important for building financial capital—another topic we delve into.).
For years now, I have lamented that socially conservative groups are generally incompetent and unprofessional. With such an important mission, I’ve always wondered why they aren’t run more effectively.
In that regard, Communio is breaking the mold. Don’t miss my conversation with J.P. DeGance about how he is using data to save marriages.
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