Scientology will continue to sell hope and all the answers, mostly to young people who are looking to buy hope and all the answers.
They've also tried marketing the controversy, "You've heard about the controversy, now..."
The problem in trying to market the controversy, while it may sell a few contrarians on it, even many contrarians will now go on the Web to read about what the controversy is about.
Here's the mistake I see with Super Power. For years, they sold Dianutty, and some people who became members where enthralled by it. Other members didn't read it, and for many it was just sort of a jumping in point, to get auditing. For the vast majority of the public, it was just unreadable. So, Dianutty was a mystery sandwich to weed out the people who wouldn't buy into something that farfetched and snag the people who would buy into the promises, and something that farfetched. Some of those people would buy more courses, get more deeply involved and get trapped.
Super Power, however, is labeling that building as a place where you get superpowerz, which is apparently what Scientologists worship, since their spokeshole has called it a "cathedral." That is a mistake, in my opinion. That is going too far, because too many people will be curious about what that entails. Instead of the "powers of the mind" or the sought-after ability to erase painful memories with talk therapy, it has something to do with a smell wall, astronaut training equipment and something called an oiliness table. Sorry, this is no longer what is true is what is true for you; this is a lot of contrived cockamamie BS and people are going to be curious about it, in a funny ha-ha kind of way.
With the acquisition of the TV station, it's possible Scientology will eventually try to sell itself as even more of a springboard into Hollywood acting and production jobs. I'm not sure about that. The cult may be too close to collapse to pull the TV station off as anything other than a ploy for donations.
Apparently, for some people, knowing or admiring someone for their success, intelligence, or good looks, who also just happens to be a Scientologist, also involves considering their involvement with Scientology to be some kind of stamp of approval that is more important than EVERYTHING, including even looking on the Internet to read about Hubbard and Scientology! Think Brian Culkin. Of course, that's usually combined with really wanting it all to be true too.
These are people who want to hang around with very positive people, who believe anything is achievable. They don't want to hear criticism or anything negative, once they've decided the person they like is someone they admire, or want to be like. They don't want to hear criticism once they have decided they want to improve themselves and make the planet a better place by their involvement with Scientology.
Are there people who are like that? Sure, I think a lot of us are like that. Scientology will continue to capitalize on that. (I wasn't like that about Scientology, maybe partly because I met only a few Scientologists and they weren't people I admired.) I read some pages of Dianutty and thought it sounded crazy.
However, all this said, I agree that empty orgs are going to be a huge problem. If you're rattling around in an empty org, whether a public or a staff member, you can't help but wonder, what happened to Scientology? That is one answer Scientology won't give be able to give you. If it is such a fantastic thing, such wonderful tools, where are all the people?
Tom Cruise, always a big draw, I think the video he made is more of a Scientology killer than the couch jumping, divorces, Lauer appearance or anything else. So hopefully anyone who is interested in Scientology partly because they admire Tom Cruise really needs to see, Tom Cruise on Tom Cruise, Scientologist. LOL