Branding

I once heard legendary film director John Huston say something to the effect, “Great movie directing should be invisible. If someone in the audience ever tells you how great a particular shot is, then you’ve failed, because you’ve distracted them from the story.” Huston knew great shooting was there to enhance the film story, never to call attention to itself. I feel the same way about branding. ... read more

When a product, person, or organization has to enter a particularly hostile or challenging market, they essentially have three choices: 1) Stay true to who or what you are, 2) Change who you are, or 3) Change how you’re perceived. It doesn’t matter if it’s product sales, non-profit work, or politics, perception matters, and in a media driven culture, how you’re perceived is just as important as who you are. ... read more

The news today is that lingerie retailer "Victoria's Secret" is pulling back from their "sexy" image after consumers complain and business declines. We saw it coming in the much subdued spot on the Super Bowl, and it now appears the company feels its crossed the line between "sexy" and "sleazy." Three interesting issues here: ... read more

Branding Faith is just out, but now I need your help sharing the message.  Here's the top 10 reasons this is a critical message for anyone concerned about being heard in today's media-driven culture:

1) When researchers tell us that we’re being bombarded with as many as 3,000 advertising messages a day, more Christians need to understand the power of the media and how it impacts our lives.

2) Pastors teach or preach in services for 1-2 hours per week. But in a nation where the average family watches TV and surfs the web 5-7 hours per day – who has the most influence?

3) At a time when Nike, Starbucks, or Apple tell the best stories, how do we re-capture the ability to share the story of our faith with the culture? ... read more

Regardless of what you may think of President Bush and his legacy, some really positive things have happened during this tenure that the media isn’t much interested in reporting. Under the direction of drug czar John Walters, teen drug use is down 25% over the last 6 years. There are 860,000 fewer teens using drugs than in 2001. The Medicare drug benefit plan has been a success – enrolling 24 million seniors with premiums running about 40% below projected costs. Even his hard stand on ... read more

With Mitt Romney leaving the campaign trail, I’ve been thinking about Mormon beliefs – especially in relation to branding and identity.  Having had a presidential candidate out there, a lot more people are thinking about the Mormon faith – not necessarily about converting, but asking questions about theological integrity, relationship to orthodox Christianity, and perception in the culture.  This isn’t a doctrinal discussion, but a branding one, and in that light, here are a few thoughts: ... read more

Reports are that the ORU Board of Directors is reborn with a new vision, and certainly new rules of governance. Richard Roberts and the Oral Roberts Ministry has now moved off the campus to begin a new life somewhere else. And perhaps the best news of all, enrollment hasn't slacked off a bit during the entire process. Out of all the allegations of financial mismanagement, the incredible debt, poor management, lawsuits, and more, perhaps the most lasting impact this episode will have is a lesson in how to move from ... read more

Here's my column in Ministry Today magazine about branding churches and non-profits. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ... read more

The secular press has noted the move of churches toward branding. This article on The Tennessean website notes the search. We're going to continue this conversation, because I think it could be the defining issue of our time. ... read more

Here's a feature article in this month's Ministry Today magazine on The Art of Branding.  What do people think of when they think of you, your church, or your organization? ... 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

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

Famous atheist Sam Harris posted a recent article by Caspar Melville on Sam's efforts to talk non-believers into changing the name "Atheist." Why? Branding. Harris feels that they would impact the culture more effectively if they stop using names like "Freethinkers," "Brights," "rationalists," or "anti-theists," since they have such bad connotations, and hurt more than help. Check out Caspar's article. Its interesting that atheists have marketing problems too.... ... read more

Whenever I work with non-profit or religious leaders in trying to brand their organizations, I usually ask the man or woman at the top, “What makes you different?” In other words, “What personal trait separates you from the pack?” The first response I invariably get is “authenticity.” I get that answer over and over. Many pastors and ministry leaders are especially proud of their authenticity, and feel like they are one of the few who have it. But that usually leaves me a bit depressed. Not because this person really is authentic, but because they consider it so special and rare. After all, ... read more

While teaching in Moscow, Russia a few years ago, I watched a block of religious programming on a European TV channel in my hotel.  I was surprised to find that of about 6 programs I viewed, only one had done anything related to local customization.  In other words, the program open and close, structure, and even commercial spots were the exact same as the program that had been broadcast in Cleveland or Tulsa.  It goes without saying that ... read more

If your advertising or programming hasn’t been getting a response lately, the first place you should look is viewer fatigue.  In other words, is the audience simply tired of seeing what you’re presenting?  Too often, programmers and advertisers get into a rut.   Our spots look alike, we use the same voice over artist, show the same graphic style, or tend to write the same way – over and over again.  Viewer fatigue means that people are simply getting tired of it all.  In our efforts to unify a brand, we want to give all the advertising and programming a unified, thematic look, but that doesn’t mean it has to be the same.  If you think your viewers are suffering from viewer fatigue, here are some ideas to consider: ... read more

As we’ve been discussing “The Miracle Theater’s” full page ads in USA Today, it’s interesting to compare the effort to similar approaches for other causes.  Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal posted a story on the ad campaign Italian label Nolita has done to call attention to the problem of anorexia in the fashion industry.  It’s an excellent article – no name calling, personal insults, or questioning anyone’s integrity.  It’s simply an engaging discussion of ... read more

The Miracle Theater in Pigeon Forge, TN, continues it’s very expensive advertising campaign, promoting their petition “standing up” for Jesus Christ. The AP estimated their original USA Today full page ad cost nearly $100,000, and today while I traveled through Ohio, another ad appeared. At least today’s ad was more of a statement, rather than an attempt to sell tickets, as I commented on in my earlier post. I appreciate their boldness and their desire to honor God. The question (as it nearly always is on this blog) is one of strategy. ... read more

It is the function of art to renew our perception. What we are familiar with we cease to see. The writer shakes up the familiar scene, and, as if by magic, we see a new meaning in it.
-- Anais Nin

As a commercial director and media consultant in Hollywood, perception is my business. I deal in the visual world of products and people, and how they are perceived by the viewing audience. Today, in a media-saturated culture, perception is the currency of choice. Public relations has become an art form as celebrities, politicians, and companies confront the need to impact and control public opinion, and the issue of perception has become a critical part of advertising campaigns, press releases, and public statements. ... read more

Alert reader Fergus Scarfe in the U.K. told me about Neil Boorman , who torched his designer wardrobe and possessions and tried to live a brand-free life for a year - so how did he do? His experience is worth thinking about. ... read more