February 5, 2010

Christian Advertising at the Super Bowl: Subtle & Controversial

The commercials are by far my favorite part of the Super Bowl. The last couple of years have been pretty mediocre in terms of the million dollar ads, but I'm hoping this year is different.

Where the commercials have usually been made up of beer, cavemen and the GoDaddy girls, this year is different. This year one, and maybe two, commercials have connections to the church. And they're a study in opposites. One is a blatant commercial message for a consumer product--but it has subtle spiritual overtones and you wouldn't guess a church is behind it. The other is from a Christian nonprofit and has raised all kinds controversy.

Doritos & Mosaic
The first isn't out to save any souls directly, but it sure is a lot of fun. Erwin McManus and the team at Mosaic entered and are now in the top 6 for Doritos' Crash the Superbowl contest for their commercial "Casket".

While this commercial is certainly not what you'd expect from a church (which is why I love it) and you'll not see any scripture quoted in their spot, I do imagine it has already created quite a buzz around the church and community.

"We're not trying to use Doritos to propagate a message, but I think we want people to know that we have a sense of humor, that it's OK to laugh," McManus said. "So much of what comes out of the faith community seems so dour and somber and we want to say, 'Hey, we're real people. You can be a person of faith and really enjoy life and laugh."

Phil Cooke, says it well:

"Nobody's going to fall on their knees and accept Jesus as a result of this spot. But advertisers on Madison Avenue spend millions on a Super Bowl spot because they know it influences people. It might not get someone converted, but I think it will get someone to say, 'Maybe there is something I ought to investigate.'"

Continue reading "Christian Advertising at the Super Bowl: Subtle & Controversial"

Posted by Michael Buckingham at 7:41 AM
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January 7, 2010

Losing Your Message but Gaining Publicity

by Steve Fogg, Guest Blogger

Just before Christmas, a church in New Zealand launched a new billboard that received extensive coverage from news outlets and blogs around the world.

The church was aiming to leverage the Christmas season to promote theological conversations. Specifically, they had five purposes:

• To invite people to think about the virgin birth and the nature of God.
• To say that there was more than one Christian way to think about the virgin birth and God. Indeed there are many.
• To promote the Progressive view of Jesus having 2 human parents and God being the power of love in his life.
• To ridicule the very literalistic view that God is a male and literally sired Jesus.
• To invite people outside of the church to see a type of Christianity here at St Matthew’s that they might be able to relate to.

The scope of this post, however, is not their theology but their advertising. The billboard's main point is that Jesus was conceived by Mary and Joseph. But this message did not get across.

Continue reading "Losing Your Message but Gaining Publicity"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 12:14 PM
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September 23, 2009

Catholics Come Home: The Role of Denominations

It looks like the Catholic church is ramping up their "Catholics Come Home" campaign. The LA Times reported that the diocese of Sacramento is "preparing to air several thousand prime-time TV commercials in English and Spanish, inviting inactive Catholics to return to their religious roots."

With less than 15% of Catholics attending church on a weekly basis in Sacramento alone, they're hoping this campaign will change the tide.

In addition to Sacramento, dioceses in Chicago, Omaha, Providence, R.I., and four other cities will launch the "Catholics Come Home" advertising blitz during Advent, the period before Christmas.

Some of the video ads are pretty moving, including the one titled "Epic."

We've covered some of these "We Are [insert denomination name here]" campaigns in the past, and this one from the Catholics is no exception. As Kevin said, "Maybe it's the denominational hopscotch I've played throughout my life, but a denomination doesn't define my identity. I'm a Christian, first and foremost." I agree that we are definitely moving beyond the times when our religious affiliation defined our status in the community.

In my opinion, the opportunity for denominations lies not in their ability to rally around a set of beliefs, but instead in their ability to rally people based on the DNA of the gathered tribe. In other words, beyond doctrinal beliefs, what makes XYZ Denomination tick?

Continue reading "Catholics Come Home: The Role of Denominations"

Posted by Brad Abare at 6:00 AM
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September 21, 2009

Is Advertising a Silly Place to Spend?

Thousand of churches in Australia are about to embark in "Christianity's largest ever Australian advertising push."

But one lecturer in consumer behavior and advertising says that this money is being spent foolishly:

Yes, advertising does have some influence over attitudes and behaviour, but the reality is that it can only really work as a "nudging" tool. In other words, an advertisement will incrementally move you toward a decision, but there are a whole bunch of other variables that will determine your final behaviour or decision. In reality, one-way advertising is a relatively weak motivator when it comes to consumer behaviour (although the ad agencies wouldn't tell you that when you are about to give them $1 million).

He argues that these ads only affect people who are already teeter-tottering on whether to visit a church, and that crowd is relatively small. What he fails to discuss, however, are the principles of brand recognition or the long-term affects of advertising. Regardless, it's a great exercise in thinking twice about where your dollars are going.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 8:02 AM
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June 15, 2009

I am a Christian

The various "I am/We are [fill in your denomination]" ad campaigns that we mentioned last week (Southern Baptist, Foursquare, Episcopal) got me thinking: Who cares?

I understand denominations needing to differentiate themselves and explain who they are. Our own Brad Abare is the communications director for Foursquare and we can blame him for "We Are Foursquare."

Maybe it's the denominational hopscotch I've played throughout my life, but a denomination doesn't define my identity. I'm a Christian, first and foremost. The denominational distinctives are a secondary (or tertiary) concern. Frankly, I think an emphasis on our doctrinal differences only serves to divide us when we should instead find reasons to be united.

It reminds me of the days back in high school when I traveled around to churches in the metro Detroit area putting on yo-yo shows with a good friend of mine (Yes, yo-yo shows. Want photographic proof?). After the shows people would often ask what we were--Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran? A bit confused at first, we always responded that we were Christians. Only grudgingly did we reveal that we attended a Baptist church, not out of embarrassment for the Baptist roots, but because we didn't identify as Baptists. Being Baptist didn't matter. We were Christians.

Maybe these "I am/We are" campaigns help. But I'm not so sure. I want to see people become Christians, not Episcopalians, Baptists, Catholics or whatever you call members of the Foursquare Church (Foursquaries? Foursquarites? Foursquares?).

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:58 AM
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June 11, 2009

You Can't Advertise Problems Away: Ad Campaigns of the Mainline Denominations

U.S. News & World Report covers the shrinking mainline denominations and their desperate attempts to re-brand. It's pretty much the same story we've heard for a while now, but a few interesting items:

• "The under-35 generation thinks church is a judgmental, hypocritical, insular place." (Jamie Dunham, chief planning officer for Bohan Advertising & Marketing, the firm behind the United Methodist campaign) If that's the case, I'm not sure an advertising campaign is the answer.
• The article mentions a new campaign from the Episcopal Church, I Am Episcopalian. Great, they can join the Southern Baptists and the Foursquare Church. Anyone else want to use the same campaign?
• This quote hurts: "Study after study has shown that religions that grow are the ones that are hard-core in some way. They have something that differs sharply from the culture in which they operate," says Boston University's [Stephen] Prothero. "That's the problem with mainline Protestantism: It's not different enough from mainstream America." (emphasis mine)
• Another money quote: "The brand and character of the Episcopal Church is being driven by a lot of things that came out of 17th-century England," says Robert Putnam, a Harvard University professor who has studied church growth. "You can't change that with an ad campaign."

And perhaps that's the big lesson from this article. The problems in the church today can't be fixed with an ad campaign. Marketing (not an ad campaign, but marketing in the big picture sense) can help to address those problems, but you can't re-brand your way out of trouble.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:19 AM
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April 10, 2009

Terry O'Reilly on Selling God

Recently, the Canada Broadcasting Company published an episode of The Age of Persuasion entitled "Selling God." Of course, this is a natural fit for us.

Terry O'Reilly takes a look at current statistics on faith, the recent atheist bus ads, churches' ability to respond to changing market demands and the idea of advertising churches rather than God.

By and large, it's a sweeping survey of churches and marketing. It's well-produced and has some cognizant points to make. I'd say it's a great way to spend half an hour of your time.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:01 AM
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February 20, 2009

Less Advertising, More People

Granger Community Church has realized they can reach more people with less advertising. Executive pastor Tim Stevens explains. Every month they used to mail out thousands of postcards to their community plugging the upcoming series. At first it worked, but now it's just noise.

So instead of adding to the noise with 12 mailers every year, they're going to focus on two big series each year and do a big push for those.

It's a brave idea. A good way to shake things up and try something new. And they're able to do it because they paid close attention to the result of their advertising. It's no-brainer stuff (tracking your numbers), but that's the important stuff.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:11 AM
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December 31, 2008

2008: The Year in Ads

It's that time of year--2008 roundup lists are everywhere. All year, we get articles like Seven Ways to Turbocharge Your Productivity Output Efficiency and Twelve Optimized Brand-Solution Strategies. But for a few sacred weeks, in the vacuum between Christmas and New Year's, everyone lets us know their "best of" lists. So all you church marketers, here's AdAge's best advertising of 2008 and Media Bistro's 10 worst ad spots. Sadly, no churches made the "best-of" list. But they didn't make the "worst-of" either!

My personal list? I'm so glad you asked:

• Chalk
• I Love the World
• Hovis Bread

If you're tempted to not go watch them, please overcome. All three are very inspiring.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 12:57 PM
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December 11, 2008

Church Marketing: Denied

MarketingWeek recently covered a church in Belfast who had an ad pulled for being too offensive.

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a regional press advert from the Sandown Free Presbyterian Church in Belfast for using strong biblical references to campaign against homosexuality.

The ad used biblical references such as "Thou shalt not lie down with mankind, as with womankind; it is an abomination" to convey its opinion on homosexuality.

The article goes on to say that the ASA considered the ad too strong and offensive. Their punishment? In the future, they need to seek approval by the ASA before publishing any advertising.

Continue reading "Church Marketing: Denied"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 6:11 AM
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August 20, 2008

Atheists Marketing Billboard

We've talked about billboards a lot. No, really. A lot.

But here's a little something different. Coming to you courtesy of DJ Chuang's Twitter, here's sort of the opposite of a church marketing billboard. It's an atheist marketing billboard. Kind of clever, but I have to say, chalk up a victory to the church for having better and more clever billboard marketing.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:10 AM
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June 12, 2008

Can Jesus Christ Become a Superstar Again?

Those are the words of Marie Claire as they look at dwindling numbers of Christians in Australia. Where do they turn to answer this question? Oh yeah, the marketers!

They asked ad agencies around Australia to create a campaign for, well, Jesus. There were some interesting results; my personal favorite is The Thinking Woman's Pin-up. And my least favorite? Jesus Christ's Facebook Page.

Love the ads or hate the ads, it's always good to see people using effective media to get their message across. After all, the medium is the message, right Brad?

Either way, seeing top ad agencies' perspective on marketing Christianity is always a refresher and a challenge--we should be leading the world in this, but we're not. Yet. (link via MMI)

Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:07 AM
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May 19, 2008

When People Avoid Your Advertising

Here's a pretty great quote from Cammie Dunaway, the vice president of sales and marketing for Nintendo of America in an interview by the Wall Street Journal concerning the Wii Fit:

"What we see is consumers are increasingly turning to friends, family and news articles as credible sources of information about products, more so than in the past ... because consumers are getting much smarter, because they have better access to information and they are able to share information online. They are bombarded with advertising messages--so they have more tools to avoid that advertising today."

I don't think it's any secret, but it's a good reminder.

Branding for Dummies says we are subjected to over 3,000 marketing messages a day; I've heard numbers as high as 10,000. So what are we to do?

Continue reading "When People Avoid Your Advertising"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:48 AM
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April 11, 2008

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

The Stuff Christians Like blog has been around since January. Unfortunately, I just found out about it today. Prodigal John explains how Christians like myriad things, such as: not knowing how to hold hands, calling people "seekers," metrosexual worship leaders and comparing Braveheart to Christianity. I wish I could go on.

Apparently, Christians also like "Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!" What he means by that is this: churches make a lot of racket and want to bring people in through said racket. But there are problems with that.

"If a special sale is why you first bought your watch, then if that watch store ever wants to get you to buy again, they have to run a similar sale. Study after study has shown that we are creatures of habit. We repeat ourselves, so if you attract a big crowd with a car giveaway or hot new worship band or anything else, you create a relationship built on a reward not a redeemer. And when you try to take away that reward you'll lose a lot of your guests. It's hard to transition to God when you started the conversation with a gimmick."

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:49 AM
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December 26, 2007

Christmas Rap

Just before the Christmas break, Robin Stansbury from the Hartford Courant called me about a story she was doing on Rev. Bill Keane of First Baptist Church, Branford, Conn. Keane wrote a quirky little rap song about the Christmas story. A former radio guy, Keane recorded it himself and then purchased air time on popular Hartford-area radio stations.

Robin called asking if we had any comments on the approach and the spot itself. You can read her full story on the Courant site.

The gist of my comments can be summed up when I said, "Keane ain't no P. Diddy, but this rhapsody will certainly stand out amidst the clamor and clanging of all the other holiday sounds this year. The message is simple and the messenger is authentic."

Posted by Brad Abare at 3:17 PM
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December 14, 2007

Chocolate Rain and Church Marketing

by Paul Kuzma, Guest Blogger

Who is Tay Zonday and why should you care? I’m glad you asked, because he is one of the latest examples of viral video gone wild in the new advertising stream of Web 2.0. Its impact may not be seen or heard in your sanctuary, but you better believe it is already being seen, heard and experienced in the lives of those who both do and do not attend our churches!

In April of 2006, Tay placed a homemade music video about nothing called "Chocolate Rain" on YouTube. The video is homemade in its feel and quality and is almost five minutes long. It shows nothing more than him singing the song in front of a professional microphone, which causes him to “move away from the mic to breathe in” (watch the video and see what I mean), along with periodic views of his hands playing the keyboard.

Continue reading "Chocolate Rain and Church Marketing"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 8:40 AM
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November 13, 2007

Handvertising?

by Greg Atkinson, Guest Blogger

What on earth is handvertising? Just what you think--it's advertising on the back of someone's hand, available from Handvertising USA. They wanted me to blog about this new form of advertising that's "completely different from the television commercials and magazine ads people are used to," according to their press release. Sounds mark-of-the-beast-ilicious, doesn't it?

This new approach raises more questions than answers. Is marketing going too far? Could anyone take this seriously in a church setting?

Personally, I'm a big proponent of the "less is more" theory. I've written on it several times. I wonder if this is a sign of saturation in this booming field of communication. Maybe I'm alone and you love the idea. Maybe you think NASCAR could use some more ads on their cars and drivers. I wonder if churches are better off concentrating our efforts on doing a few things well, rather than lots things of cheap and cheesy.

But could something like handvertising be used in an effective way? What about putting your youth group's logo on the hands of students as they enter your events, concerts or lock-ins? What if a key word, theme or Scripture verse that was emphasized in your worship service was stamped on the back of your hand as a reminder as you go throughout the coming week? That physical reminder could build connection, sharpen shared experiences and be a powerful tool to reinforce spiritual commitments.

Or it could just be annoying as you try to scrub it off the next day.

Is all this non-sense? Again, I don't know. I'm simply giving you food for thought. So I ask, how many of you can see yourself using a marketing ploy like this in your ministry context and culture? How many of you think this is a crazy idea?

Posted by Guest Blogger at 6:04 AM
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October 16, 2007

Sexy Church

CNN is giving some church marketing love in their video top stories. It seems as if a church sent out 50,000 mailers entitled "Red Hot Sex" to their community. The flyers were intended to pique interest and generate buzz, and they did--but not of the positive kind. Check out the video.

The long and short of it left a community asking hard questions like, "Why didn't the church spend this money on the community?" And it left the pastor saying he would do it all over again, but he wouldn't do it again. If that makes sense.

Continue reading "Sexy Church"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:53 AM
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October 2, 2007

Don't Be Afraid to Advertise

The Delmarva Daily Times recently discussed church marketing and included our very own Brad Abare. You should check it out.

The article discusses religious leaders choosing "new" ways to advertise. And by new, they particularly focus on billboards. They go into the differences in advertising between Christians, Jews and Muslims, and they even mention the naked pastor. Their main discussion, however, is the increased spending and emphasis on advertising.

Brad has this to say in the article:

"The advertising shift might worry graying members of the church, but the change is essential for the church to stay relevant ... I think we've messed it up in the church over the last couple thousand years. Look, you've got the greatest story ever told and if you hide it, sit on it and just go to church every weekend, you're not doing enough ... Advertise by design, not default. Don't just go along hoping people will get it. Get intentional--that's the challenge."

Read the full article here.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:35 AM
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July 26, 2007

Church YouTube Contest

A few days ago we talked about online church video. We encouraged everyone to embrace the phenomenon of online video and harness its power. One church in Boston is doing just that.

The Greater Boston Vineyard is having a YouTube video contest for their fall kick-off service. It's certainly an interesting way to harness the power of web 2.0 and mobilize church members outside of church walls. I see some really good things coming of this.

Continue reading "Church YouTube Contest"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 11:25 AM
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April 16, 2007

How To Achieve 277% Growth

OK, so the title isn't fully accurate. But it is how one church did it. Eastpoint Community Church in Middletown, Del. had an incredibly simple, strategic and successful marketing campaign, detailed by Marketing Sherpa (membership required). Here's a quick summary of their story:

A small, young church, they were looking to reach a community saturated by a younger generation with a general disquietude towards the idea of church. They knew that an unobtrusive web site would bring just the proper message--we don't merely want to tally converts, but we want you to discover us. Thus the brainstorming began.

Continue reading "How To Achieve 277% Growth"

Posted by Joshua Cody at 7:28 AM
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March 16, 2007

Church Doesn't Suck Billboard

Apparently it's church billboard week. First it was "Satan " in the copy, and now it's "Sucks." GracePoint Church in Wichita, Kan. has launched a billboard campaign that's drawing criticism, thanks to the headline, "Church Doesn't Suck."

"We wanted to speak directly to the people who have maybe given up on the church, maybe they've given up on god," says pastor Bryson Butts. "I believe the church has got to get in the game and to speak a message that will be relevant to this culture. The message doesn't change but the methods have to change."

That's a familiar refrain we're happy to see spreading. Of course not everybody is happy completely on board with the campaign. (link via CT's Weblog)

Update: Kirk Longhofer (of the 'not everybody' link above) wants to correct us: "I in no way say I'm not happy about it. In fact, my post says I hope they're successful. I simply question whether they're going to be effective. I agree entirely that we have to 'get in the game' as Bryson says. I don't think this is a very effective way to do that."

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:16 AM
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March 15, 2007

Satan Hates Life

Lifechurch.tv launched a new billboard campaign recently that's pretty creative. I've seen billboards for churches before and I've liked, well, none of them. This might change my mind. The time spent behind the wheel is definitely a great time to try and set people's mind on Christ, as they drive (hopefully) without too many distractions. I've just never seen it done in a way that was either thought-provoking or non-threatening. Check out the whole campaign.

Posted by Joshua Cody at 9:50 AM
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February 26, 2007

10 [Cheap] Ad Ideas from Roy H. Williams

If you're not already getting the Monday Morning Memo from adman Roy H. Williams, you're missing out. Not only is Williams a brilliant pithy writer, he's got one of the sharpest minds that just oozes wisdom. I know several within the CMS community have attended his workshops at the Wizard Academy.

Today's memo is very applicable to churches, especially church planters! By the way, did you know I am tag-teaming a couple workshops at the National New Church Conference? I'll be doing a pre-conference track with Mark Batterson and a workshop with Drew Goodmanson.

Today's Memo from Roy is full of cheap ways to advertise. Some won't surprise you (door-hangers anyone?). Others will get your juices flowing (ever heard of nighttime silhouettes?). If you have cheap ideas that have worked for you, leave a comment and let the world know!

Posted by Brad Abare at 10:25 AM
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February 15, 2007

Testimony Billboards

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports on a church billboard campaign that's personal. Love this quote:

"Marketing and evangelism are the same thing," says Mara Einstein, associate professor of media studies at the City University of New York and author of the forthcoming book Brands of Faith: Marketing Religion in a Commercial Age. "A product becomes a part of a user's personality, and the users of the product become evangelizers of the product."

(link via CT's Weblog)

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:16 AM
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January 3, 2007

Chipotle and Crossings Church

Last month I wrote an entry about potential partnerships that might exist between companies and churches. Not surprising, it sparked several heated comments. I am working on a follow up post that dives a little deeper into the subject.

In the meantime, we got an e-mail from Josh Karrer, a church planter with Crossings Church out of Richmond, Va. Several months ago, Karrer approached local and regional managers for the insanely yummy Chipotle restaurant.

Continue reading "Chipotle and Crossings Church"

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:09 AM
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December 23, 2006

Free Miracle Cloth

Here at Church Marketing Sucks, we are often criticized for feeding the capitalistic free-market economy mindset that says if you advertise, promote, or market something well, people will come and churches will grow. This criticism is usually from people who have not read far enough into what we're actually doing, and instead see the words "church" and "marketing" in the same sentence and start swinging.

It grieves me when I see churches follow the lead from mainstream marketers and attempt to package themselves in a way that feeds this consumer mindset. It's as if some churches have resolved to think that the only way to connect with people is to do so in the context of a "buy/sell" relationship with the community they are seeking to reach. Bunk!

Allow me to illustrate this point with the following ad I saw today in one of our local downtown LA newspapers.

Continue reading "Free Miracle Cloth"

Posted by Brad Abare at 9:56 AM
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November 15, 2006

Using Whipped Cream and Gay Marriage to Start Conversations

With membership declining as much as 20% in the last decade, the United Church of Canada needs to try something drastic. So they've launched a $9.3 million ad campaign. The ads touch on hot button issues, including sex and gay marriage. The ads direct people to a web site, wondercafe.ca, that attempts to engage people in conversations about spiritual issues and the big questions of life. They site also offers a church locator.

The campaign will run for three years and is backed by more than a year's worth of research and testing. It's also more than just advertising. According to a Q&A about the campaign, almost half the $9.3 million pricetag includes support and training to help local congregations be more open and welcoming to visitors.

Continue reading "Using Whipped Cream and Gay Marriage to Start Conversations"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:58 PM
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September 16, 2006

Have a Pint with Jesus

The face of Jesus has shown up in some mysterious places, but now it will appear in the frothy remains of a pint of beer as a part of the Churches Advertising Network's Christmas 2006 ad. You may remember the Churches Advertising Network from such controversial ads as Che Guevara Jesus and What would love do now?. Part of the campaign includes a MySpace site set up for Jesus.

"The message is subtle but simple--where is God in all the boozing at Christmas?" asks Churches Advertising Network Chairman Francis Goodwin. "For many, Christmas is just drinking and partying and God is excluded, yet many young people are interested in finding deeper meaning and exploring faith. We hope the link to Myspace will offer another venue for them to discuss their feelings and debate the issues."

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:04 AM
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July 29, 2006

Church Advertised with Republican Party

I know I've complained about being busy before, but you know it's bad when Christianity Today is clamoring for more CMS. Their weblog reported on a pastor donating to the Republican party and calling it advertising and wondered outloud where our coverage was. Wow. It's nice to be missed. And such a call out can't go unanswered, so here's our better-late-than-never post:

Calvary Temple Church in Texas is making headlines for accidentally donating to the Republican Party of Texas. Pastor Del Way explains that the church sponsored golf tournaments for "advertising purposes," and is regularly involved in community outreach efforts.

The church has asked for their money back from the Republican party "This is just an innocent thing," Way said. "It wasn't for a candidate."

"I'd be an idiot to directly support a party," Way said. "I want to be above reproach."

Yes, you would be an idiot to directly support a political party with church funds, but you'd also be an idiot to indirectly support a political party with church funds. It seems obvious that the golf tournaments were Republican Party of Texas events (how would you not know?), which seems like an obvious violation of IRS rules. Advertising at such an event may seem murkier than a straight-up donation, but it's still supporting a political party.

The lesson here is know where your advertising dollars are going. Or maybe it's don't advertise a sport that involves silly pants. You decide.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:18 AM
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April 3, 2006

Church Advertising is a Waste of Time

by Ryan Stauffer, Guest Blogger

Here's a confession: I'm not a fan of big churches, and by "big churches" I mean weekly attendance over 20. I think that churches should meet in homes and that "ministry" means helping a guy replace his broken water heater. Also, I think church advertising is a waste of time.

I recognize this is narrow and even a little hypocritical since I currently do communications full-time for a church of 700. I'm always butting my head against my own lack of enthusiasm for big events and organized ministries. But every few weeks I hear about something that gets me really pumped (usually a bunch of guys fixing cars for widows and single moms) and reminds me of a concept I consider to be at the root of church marketing:

The most powerful apologetic for Christianity is a local church body living the way it should.

Continue reading "Church Advertising is a Waste of Time"

Posted by Guest Blogger at 9:38 AM
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January 19, 2006

Secular Marketers Try to Promote Church Attendance

In this week's survey we're asking whether or not non-Christian marketers can successfully market the church. So far just over half say yes. Coincidentally, we were pointed to an article from a UK Christian magazine where they asked two mainstream advertising firms to put together ad campaigns to promote attending church.

The piece started with a five-fold strategy for rebranding the church from Mark Ritson, Assistant Professor of Marketing at the London Business School, who came up with the list after attending a christening he didn't dread as he expected.

1. Only select church leaders who understand God, the public and who are good at strategy.
2. Conduct research to identify the needs of society today.
3. Position the church against the true competition-consumer culture.
4. Replace hard pews and exposed brickwork with a better setting for experiencing God.
5. Revisit the church's approach to marketing communications. Ritson called for an integrated marketing strategy that embraces advertising, marketing and PR.

It was the final point that prompted the magazine to issue their challenge.

Continue reading "Secular Marketers Try to Promote Church Attendance"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 10:44 AM
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September 15, 2005

Church Advertising in the UK

There's an odd flux of church advertising in the UK making the news this week, from secular firm Fallon to the Alpha program to Che Guevara.

Che Guevara
The Churches Advertising Network (CAN) released their 2005 Christmas campaign, complete with Che Guevara-like poster and radio spots. The goal behind the Guevara poster is to show a powerful Christ and dispel the idea of Jesus as a "wimp in a white nightie." CAN has been doing ads since 1991 and you can check out the archive on their site for some edgy ideas (What would love do now?, Christians make better lovers, etc.).

Continue reading "Church Advertising in the UK"

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:15 AM
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August 23, 2005

The Upside of the Downside

Authenticity in marketing and communication continues to be tried and tested. Whether it be the "real" women in the Dove campaign, the sincerity of a t-shirt from a church in Canada, or the honesty in a direct mail postcard from a church in Kansas, being authentic is pretty attractive in my opinion.

Earlier this year, in a Monday Morning Memo from the Wizard of Ads, Roy H. Williams had some keen insights on being authentic when it comes to marketing.

"Features and benefits, features and benefits, features and benefits. We've polished our pitches to such a degree that we've dimmed our abilities to persuade. The customer is only half listening because the inner self is asking, 'What are they not telling me?'"

To win back the attention of our audience and earn credibility, Williams suggests that marketers learn to name features, benefits, and the downside.

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Posted by Brad Abare at 6:29 AM
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August 18, 2005

Free $25 Google AdWords Credit

With all the recent talk about search engine marketing, Derek at Woodland Baptist Church in Bradenton, Fla. pointed out that you can get a $25 credit for Google AdWords if you list your church in Google Local.

Once you sign up they mail a postcard to verify your address and the postcard includes a pin number for the $25 credit. It's more like $20 of advertising money since there's a $5 set-up fee, but $20 can buy many clicks. It's a great way to test out AdWords and see if it works for your church. And it's free.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:22 AM
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August 5, 2005

Churches Using Advertising

The Boston Herald reports on churches using advertising, though the whopping two examples they give doesn't illustrate the trend very well. They spend most of their time talking about the United Church of Christ and their infamous "Bouncer" ad that was rejected last year, and their plans to run a similarly edgy ad this year. They also mention Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Cambridge, Mass. and the ads, billboards and postcards they've used.

"People who used to give you a blank stare when you said 'United Church of Christ' now remember that ad," Buford said. "In the public mind, we're not the same church we were" before debuting the TV ad.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 5:07 AM
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July 12, 2005

Keyword Advertising for Churches

Search term advertising has been the latest rage. It's cheap, incredibly trackable, easy to do—and often effective. Is your church trying it?

The Rock at Church Ranch in Westminster, Colo. has tried keyword advertising and it's working for them. Ryan Dickinson, the church's Outreach Coordinator and a partner at the Denver area Harper Design, shared that in less than a month they increased visits to their web site from 5 per day to 45 per day. They've had little competition for the keywords, so they pay around 10 cents per click.

Last month they spent a whopping $32.42 on keyword marketing, drawing 291 click thrus. They've averaged 28 visitors per month, or about two new families every week. They haven't had a Sunday yet without at least one visitor who came to the church thanks to their web site. So far this summer their attendance has hit a high of 147, compared to 115 last summer.

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:13 PM
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July 11, 2005

The United Church of Christ's God is Still Speaking Campaign

You may disagree with their theology, but you've got to love their marketing. The United Church of Christ made headlines late last year when their TV commercial featuring a bouncer at the gates of a church and a voice-over saying, "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." was rejected by NBC and CBS.

Their "God is still speaking" campaign, based on Gracie Allen's quote, "Never put a period where God has placed a comma," is also drawing attention. And as a result, some UCC churches seem to be growing, reversing a longtime downward spiral.

We've looked at the lessons from the UCC before, but it's worth a reminder and a few new thoughts:

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 6:22 PM
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February 10, 2005

Billy Graham Preaches to the Choir

I've been seeing Billy Graham's face on some of the web sites I regularly visit: ChristianityToday.com and Crosswalk.com. Both are Christian sites and both are carrying ads for a Billy Graham TV special.

Let me get this straight: They're doing a TV special to present the gospel (what else does Billy do?), so they advertise on sites with primarily Christian audiences? And there's no 'invite a friend' spin to the ads, it's just 'watch Billy'. Seems like the BGEA is off the mark this time.

Usually they're right on the money: Earlier this year I saw ads on the homepage of CNN.com hyping a TV special featuring Franklin Graham. At last year's L.A. crusade the organization spent $1.4 million on advertising, most of it in non-English media and they backed it up with 12,000 volunteers trained in 19 foreign languages, along with 17,000 translation radios for the event itself. A few years ago ads for BillyGraham.org appeared on spiritual-related sites, all pointing to the organization's online spiritual help section (Full Disclosure: I worked for the BGEA from 2001-2003).

The lesson? Spend advertising dollars actually reaching your target audience. If you want non-Christians to come to your church, don't advertise in the local Christian paper, advertise in the alternative weeklies. Otherwise you're just preaching to the choir.

Update (Feb. 15, 2005): The inside scoop on this story is that thanks to sweeps month the BGEA was unable to buy time slots on any national networks, so they went with several Christian cable and satellite networks. Since Billy Graham would be appearing on Christian TV, they decided to advertise on Christian sites with more of an awareness campaign (though I can't help but wonder how much awareness Billy Graham needs). More than awareness, it seems the BGEA should be mobilizing people with the 'invite a friend' angle they're usually so good at. Watching with a non-Christian friend may be the obvious next step for a Christian, but you can't spend advertising dollars hoping people will make that mental step. The lesson still stands: spend your advertising dollars reaching your target audience with your target message.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:46 PM
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January 18, 2005

Rolling Stone Rejects Bible Ad

by Andy Havens, Guest Blogger

The largest publisher of Bible's in America, Zondervan, is rolling out a new and more modern translation of the Bible, Today's New International Version. But, according to a story in yesterday's USA Today, although the language has been updated, apparently the message itself isn't hip enough for the music industry magazine Rollilng Stone, which rejected an ad for the new publication.

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Posted by Guest Blogger at 10:49 AM
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November 27, 2004

Google, Apple and the Church

According to Advertising Age, Google is looking for an ad agency in what would most likely be a multi-million dollar account. Google has never had an ad agency before, relying almost entirely on word of mouth.

Apple, on the other hand, also relies on word of mouth, but has had an agency from the beginning. Their ads are legendary.

When it comes to the church, word of mouth is without a doubt the best form of advertising. Ask nearly anyone in your church why they came and chances are pretty good it is because they were invited by someone, not something.

Google has a host of incredible tools that people talk about to others.
Why would Google be looking to an agency to create advertising?

Apple has very cool products and gadgets that cause people to drool on others.
Why does Apple invest so much in its advertising each year?

Churches have the greatest story every told, definitely worth spreading to others.
Why don't churches invest more in advertising?

Word of mouth is only good when the person who can spread the word remembers to say something. Advertising is one of the things that can initiate such an action.

Posted by Brad Abare at 9:16 AM
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October 12, 2004

Meet Your Church: Freckles, Fat, and Gray Hair

Less than a month ago, during the week of September 27, Unilever's Dove brand (soaps, lotions, etc.) launched a global marketing strategy called "Campaign for Real Beauty." Dove did a similar plan in the U.K.; exporting it to the U.S. would be a natural fit.

The marketing campaign includes images of not-so-model-like women with a variety of features (older woman with gray hair, freckled girl, and a "generously proportioned woman" recruited from everyday America). At first glance the campaign seems a little odd because it doesn't fit with your typical beauty commercials or ads. After a while, you realize these women are your neighbors, your friends, and your community.

For the most part, I believe the Church is spot on for this topic when it comes to marketing the people of our churches to the people not of our churches. Lets face it, we as sinners are always in need of a makeover. Becoming more like Christ is a daily challenge for our hearts and minds that soap and shampoo can't reach.

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Posted by Brad Abare at 7:21 AM
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September 20, 2004

Business Ventures as Church Advertising

Starting businesses, providing jobs, and generating an economic turn around for a depressed area of Portland: It's advertising without advertising.

"People have lost faith in the church because the church isn't showing them anything," says Elbert Mondaine, the idea man behind Celebration Tabernacle's economic empowerment plan that has ten Portland businesses in the works or up and running. "If the 12 churches in the one-and-a-half-mile radius of this place each started two or three businesses, we'd have it goin' on."

"The church is supposed to be the core of the community and responsible for at least a portion of social and economic development," says Mondaine. "The church needs to be a place of empowerment."

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:05 AM
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September 15, 2004

One Church – One Commercial

Texas blogger Rob Stewart writes:

"The McDonald's at 50th St. and Quaker Ave. doesn't have its own commercial separate from commercials for the McDonald's at 19th and University. There's an ad for McDonald's, period. What if we advertised the Church that way? Not ads for Monterey Church of Christ or Second Baptist Church or Holy Parish Church, but ads for God's Church."

Right on. While it’s not exactly the same idea, some denominations are using national campaigns on a local scale, making better quality commercials that are easy on the small budgets of local congregations.

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 11:19 AM
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August 9, 2004

Churchy the Church Mouse

Advertising Icons are making news: Smokey the Bear, one of the most famous ad icons in history turns 60 today, and Advertising Week in New York City launched a promotional campaign featuring icons like Tony the Tiger and Mr. Clean in a run up to their September event that includes online voting for the favorite icon. Too bad they're don't have a least favorite icon poll -- I'd like to nominate Arby's oven mitt.

But with all this talk of advertising icons, perhaps the church should have its own icon?

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Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 7:07 PM
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August 5, 2004

Billy Graham's Marketing Man

Rick Marshall, crusade director for Billy Graham's 2001 Lousiville Crusade, talks about the organization's marketing efforts, which included spending $200,000 (not including donated or discounted ad space) on 65 billboards, 60 bus ads, 318 TV spots, 43 newspaper ads, 7,500 posters and 844 radio spots.

"Popular culture views Christianity today as self-righteous, critical, judgmental," Marshall said. "If people think they are going to be preached at, they are not going to come."

One billboard boasted the line: "If God exists, you'll be glad you came. If he doesn't, there'll be pizza."

Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks at 8:40 AM
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August 4, 2004

Olympic Marketing Sucks... Up the Money

Despite the unusually quiet publicity, extremely low ticket sales, and impossible preparation feats the country of Greece is going through with this year's Olympics in Athens, corporate sponsorships remain strong. Over 1 billion dollars in sponsorships - 32 percent of the total IOC revenue - will flow from heavy weights like Coca-Cola, Visa, and Kodak. NBC expects to net a record $1 billion in ad sales for its television coverage of the games, with nearly 90 percent of its commercial inventory already sold. Sponsorships have kept the games going for many years. While Olympic-size marketing opportunities are often only available to the big spenders, your church can benefit big time from the concept of sponsorship.

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Posted by Brad Abare at 6:05 AM
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July 28, 2004

Think Yellow

Advertising in the yellow pages continues to be a worthwhile medium despite the growing strength of search engine sophistication. According to The Kelsey Group, small- and medium-size businesses spend 46% of their ad budgets on yellow-pages marketing, and just 3% on search-engine keywords.

When it comes to finding your church, many will turn to the local phone book. Are you listed? Is your information correct? Have you considered purchasing a small display ad that gives people a little extra taste of what your church is all about? Yellow page advertising is relatively inexpensive and it is also a great way to reach the out-of-town guests and newcomers to the area.

Posted by Brad Abare at 7:31 AM
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July 27, 2004

Ad Slogans Lost in Translation

"It takes a sexually aroused man to make a chicken affectionate." - Purdue Farms
"Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave." - Pepsi
"Suffer from diarrhea." - Coors

These are just a few of the mistranslated ad slogans from mega campaigns over the years. Perhaps you have heard them in their intended form...

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Posted by Brad Abare at 5:04 PM
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