Media & Change

If you’ve ever been in a branding meeting or workshop with me, you’ve heard me talk about “unifying the brand.”  My contention is that with 90% of major (and minor) organizations, if you look at the website, print advertising, TV promotions and programming, podcasts, and more, they could all be coming from five or six different organizations.  None look similar, often are completely different looking, and only occasionally ... read more

When it comes to employees, I often encounter religious organizations and non-profits who have an "us against them" mentality.  Rather than creating an environment of creativity and innovation, they believe a culture of domination works better.  So for all you religious and non-profits that still try to "manage by fear and respect," here's some highlights from a Wall Street Journal article by Joann Lubin describing the techniques of innovative ad agency "Mother" in the U.K.: ... read more

I work in the media business, but there are plenty of times I agree with the Kill Your Television website - especially during an election year. But before you throw a brick through your screen, check out the site. It might just be theraputic... ... read more

With the upcoming release of my new book, and the more I study branding as it relates to non-profits, churches, and ministries, the more I'm drawn back to religion itself. Over and over, branding experts point to religious faith as the template for real branding. Here's a few interesting insights from Martin Lindstrom on the religious context of branding. I'd be curious about your thoughts on the issue... ... read more

Are your commercials working? If they're not, it's probably because your writing needs real work. Most commercial writers fall into repeating the same old repetitive phrases that always worked before, and the truth is, today, when it comes to commercials on religious television, it seems like they're all written by the same guy. I've been writing spots for religious and non-profit television since the late 70's, so I've seen a few, and I'm growing tired of the same old "Christian Lingo." That's why this advice from advertising teacher Roy Williams hit a chord: ... read more

As 2008 comes closer, I want to throw out a few statements that I’d like you to be thinking about. I want to write about each of them more fully in the near future, but let me toss out a few controversial topics and see if you agree that each one is something we need to confront: ... read more

I've been invited to be a presenter at the "Rethink Conference" January 17-19 at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California. With a speaking roster like Erwin McManus, Charles Colson, Rupert Murdoch, Larry King, Dan Kimball, Robert Schuller, Kay Warren, Gary Smalley, George Bush Sr., Henry Cloud, and many more (including yours truly), it should be an interesting and innovative conference indeed. I'd love to see you there. ... read more

Apparently, Larry King has become TV ministry's confessor of sorts. Shortly after allegations of alleged ORU financial mismanagement went public with Richard Roberts, he and wife Lindsay appeared on Larry King to speak up for their side of the story. Now, after a divorce from her husband Randy, Paula White is doing the same tonight. Is it because of Larry's history of throwing softballs?

According to the CNN website: ... read more

I reposted the poll below, because I wanted to discuss the question: "From the perspective of perception, should American be called a “Christian Nation”?" You can see by the results that most readers still feel this way. But I’m going to rile a few people up when I say that thinking is going to change in the future. I believe with the changes happening out there on the faith and culture fronts, this question should cause us to re-think this premise in the church. A good resource for this is the controversial book by Greg Boyd: “The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church.” Whichever direction you go on the issue, I think this may be one of the most critical points right now for reaching this culture – especially through media. ... read more

A new era begins at Oral Roberts University.  For the first time in the history of the institution, the school will not have a Roberts at the helm.  The Tulsa World reports that he sent a letter to the Oral Roberts University Board of Regents on Friday tendering his resignation as university president effective immediately.  The regents will meet Monday and Tuesday to determine action in the search process for a new president. ... read more

The latest news in the Richard Roberts/Oral Roberts University controversy should give pause to us all when it comes to e-mail. I’ve often written about e-mail – not letting it dominate your life, and how to keep it under control. But perhaps the most important thing relates to it’s potential for embarrassment. In the case of Richard Roberts, some potentially embarrassing e-mails between him and the ORU government liaison Stephanie Cantees allegedly are being revealed that paint them in a less than glowing picture – particularly (according to the Tulsa World) as it relates to trying to influence local government leaders. A few years ago, I was ... read more

Let’s talk a bit about the “Self-Reliance” campaign by Indian casinos across the country. If you’re from a state that doesn’t have them, then you won’t understand. But here in California, we’re inundated with TV commercials that don’t promote casinos or gambling – they promote Native American “self-reliance.” I’m all for self-reliance, and I’m all for Native Americans. But as a media strategist, I have to hand it to the creative person who came up with the idea of cloaking gambling in a positive moral attribute. You’re not losing money, your helping an entire race become self-reliant. From a marketing perspective, that’s genius. Moral hooey perhaps, but genius. ... read more

There’s been a lot of interesting discussion here lately on the scandals, alleged misconduct, and outright stupid behavior from some pastors and Christian media leaders. It brings up an interesting point, not the least of which is the wave of problems, all happening at the same time. There are some common themes with the criticism, and one that bothers me a bit is the tendency to compare a major, international ministry with a local pastor. The truth is, ... read more

"Bishop" Earl Paulk of Chapel Hill Harvester Church in Atlanta is no stranger to sexual scandal. But now, he appears to be breaking new ground. The Associated Press reports that the 80-year-old leader of a suburban Atlanta megachurch is at the center of a sex scandal of biblical dimensions: He slept with his brother's wife and fathered a child by her. Members of Archbishop Earl Paulk's family stood ... read more

There have been some interesting conversations on this blog lately about criticism of different people and organizations, and the actual purpose of the blog. I’ve written before about our purpose, and I have to admit, the posts dealing with scandal and problems among ministries and non-profits seem to be the most popular. People do respond to criticism, and for whatever reason, seem to gravitate to those posts. My blogs about Randy and Paula White’s divorce, Bishops that sell anointed soap, or Juanita Bynum getting in a fist fight with her husband in a hotel parking lot always seem to get people worked up. ... read more

I just left the fourth annual National Media Prayer Breakfast at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills. Powerful event. If nothing else, it’s quite remarkable that 700 people - mostly Hollywood professionals -  come together in a highly visible way to pray for individuals in the entertainment and media industries. Founded by Dr. ... read more

Oral RobertsIn what must have been an incredibly humiliating experience for former ORU President Richard Roberts, his father, Oral Roberts, asked the ORU faculty in an emergency meeting to rescind their “no confidence” vote on his son Richard. I write about this because from a perception perspective – especially in the media – at the moment when Richard needs to be seen as a strong and confident leader, he’s having his dad ask the faculty to give him a second chance? According to AP reports, the faculty turned him down. The key here is that Oral is the product of an earlier generation, when he founded the institution and could easily maintain control. He could influence faculty decisions like ... read more

I get a number of people asking me “How do you find out this stuff?” Or “How do you process news and information for the material on your blog?” So I thought I’d outline a little about the process I go through everyday to scan issues and stories. Whether you write a blog or not, your job as a media professional or everyday person is to be aware of the issues facing the culture. So developing a system for digesting information, and then thinking about it and processing it will make a dramatic difference in your ideas, your strategies, and your intellectual depth. It’s nothing stupendous, but it works for me: ... read more

You've probably seen the (RED) campaign, led by celebrities like Bono, Oprah, and others, plus the huge number of retail outlets that support the cause. But despite having big names, the (RED) campaign has been turned out to be pretty much a failure. According web reports, despite having blown close to $100 million in advertising, marketing and branding, (RED) has only raised $18 million in funds for Africa. It's an interesting tale of a great idea gone wrong. My question isn't about the fact that ... read more

A quorum of tenured Oral Roberts University faculty voted “no confidence” in President Richard Roberts and voted in favor of “greater faculty governance and transparency of university finances” in a 3 1/2-hour meeting Monday night. The Tulsa World reports. ... read more