Authentic Not Slick

May 9, 2006 by

Mike Sares, pastor and founder of Scum of the Earth church in Denver–a church full of mohawks, piercings and the kind of alternative crowd not usually sighted in church–nicely summed up the attitude many have toward marketing:

“The slicker something appears, the less we trust it.”

That can be a problem for communicators. How do you do something good (you can’t accuse Scum of the Earth of shoddy communication) without appearing slick?

The answer, I think, is authenticity. Slick happens when your communication doesn’t match your community. Slick happens when people feel targeted instead of served. Slick happens when people think marketing is something sinister.

Authenticity, on the other hand, generates trust, which is half the battle. And, of course, you can’t fake that.

Post By:

Kevin D. Hendricks


When Kevin isn't busy as the editor of Church Marketing Sucks, he runs his own writing and editing company, Monkey Outta Nowhere. Kevin has been blogging since 1998, runs the hyperlocal site West St. Paul Reader, and has published several books, including 137 Books in One Year: How to Fall in Love With Reading, The Stephanies and all of our church communication books.
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8 Responses to “Authentic Not Slick”

  • Todd Ramsey
    May 9, 2006

    Marketing should originate from who or what an organization is. Much of the “slick” marketing we see today is intended to fool or manipulate.
    A church that isn’t “slick” may not do well with slick advertising. The last thing this culture needs is somebody else trying to fool them into thinking they’re something they’re not.
    So, in conclusion, yes, authenticity is essential.


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  • BrentLevesque.com
    May 9, 2006

    Slick or authentic?

    An entry made today at Church Marketing Sucks contains an important — yet often ignored — principle of communications: authenticity.
    All too often, we try to project a false image of ourselves and our ministries in an attempt to appeal to the peop…


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  • Paul
    May 9, 2006

    Great thoughts. I have seen this confirmed in youth ministry as well. Teens are tired of the slick and would prefer authentic (as long as it isn’t uncomfortable, that is). Comfort is still too desirable.


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  • mdvmo
    May 9, 2006

    Being authentic in media is especially tricky for small congregations with limited resources. We are a small United Methodist congregation (average attendance of 50) in a multi-point charge and must depend on volunteers to do what little marketing is done. We use some tools from the UM Igniting Ministry campaign, but we do not utiiize any of the campaign’s glossy or full color print pieces simply because they are too slick for what our little congregation has to offer – use of those pieces would be false advertising. We know of other small congregations who photocopy hand-printed flyers that probably frighten away rather than entice potential visitors. It would be nice to find a toolkit of some sort that would allow small congregations to produce inexpensive promotional materials that are relatively authentic (in a mass-produced sort of way), and visually pleasing. We don’t want to be slick, but we don’t want the recipients or viewers of printed materials to be wondering about handwriting samples and questioning the mental stability of either the author or those who approved distribution of the materials.


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  • Todd Ramsey
    May 9, 2006

    mdvmo – ArtistryMarketing.com has some nice toolkits, similar to what you’re talking about. You should check them out.


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  • mdvmo
    May 9, 2006

    Thanks Todd! I took a look and really like the example pieces, but they are still too colorful and fancy for what and who we are. We would welcome leads on b/w packages. We are also limited in that we are stuck in a region with dial-up internet as the only avenue to the web. The Artistry site was slow to load and view, but we have saved it as a resource.


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  • RC of strangeculture
    May 9, 2006

    Really good post…i think this responds to a number of my feelings certain comments on this site have made me want to say.
    –RC of strangeculture.blogspot.com


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  • Jeff Brooks
    May 9, 2006

    “Slick” is in the eye of the beholder. Glossy paper, lots of color, and professional design — things some would see as inauthentic — might be just right (i.e. authentic) to others. It’s all about audience. The only way you can be authentic is to know your audience.


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