Friday, April 18, 2008
Branded!
A while ago I did a three part series on whether Christianity was becoming a brand. - I - II - III. Moody radio thought enough of it that they called and interviewed me and did two 5 minute segments on their equivalent to "Morning Becomes Eclectic." That's better success than most of my posts, so I was pleased. At my father's funeral one old friend mentioned that he had heard me on the radio and I starting talking about my semi-regular Hugh Hewitt appearances, and he was actually referring to the Moody piece. You never know, but frankly I thought the idea was dead after teh Moody broadcast.
That is until Jollyblogger turned me on to this piece which extends the comparison/metaphor of branding to merchandising - something I had not thought of. Think about it - the great branders in business make all sorts of unrelated products upon which they affix their brand, which serves the dual purpose of promoting the brand and creating new revenue streams. People confuse owning every branded product with living a lifestyle associated with the brand. So if I only own enough Nike crap, I will be as good a golfer as Tiger Woods.
And as the author of this post points out, we get a similar thought when it comes to "Christian" merchandise. But he also points out the futility of such things.
But, as usual, my mind turns to the motivation of those that do still use it. You see, those techniques are quite effective at promoting and growing the congregation, church, whatever label you want to attach to the building and it's inclusive activity.
Again and again and again, we seem to confuse the message and the medium. The church is the medium, Christ is the message. If you need any evidence of how critical the difference is, I strongly recommend that you look at the breadth of programming available on satellite or cable television. So much medium, so very little content.
We always seem to forget that Christ measured His impact on the world in a very different way - not in the crowds He attracted, but in His humiliation and death. A lesson we all need to cling to.
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That is until Jollyblogger turned me on to this piece which extends the comparison/metaphor of branding to merchandising - something I had not thought of. Think about it - the great branders in business make all sorts of unrelated products upon which they affix their brand, which serves the dual purpose of promoting the brand and creating new revenue streams. People confuse owning every branded product with living a lifestyle associated with the brand. So if I only own enough Nike crap, I will be as good a golfer as Tiger Woods.
And as the author of this post points out, we get a similar thought when it comes to "Christian" merchandise. But he also points out the futility of such things.
First, we should note that the primary purpose of brands and labels is to promote, while the goal of the Great Commission is to share the good news. We are called to share a deep, honest, and often times offensive truth in the Gospel. This kind of content is in stark contrast to the methods of conveying ideas found in advertisements, which are shallow, deceptive, and ear-tickling. Remember, we are not trying to dupe customers into buying our product over other products. Since the main purpose behind branding and labels is to promote, and we are not called to promote Christianity, on this point, at least, we should question the rightness of Christian branding.This may strike at the very heart of why the use of modern marketing technique in general is not all that applicable to the spreading the gospel.
Not only is “promoting” Christianity theologically problematic (at best), it is ineffective. When choosing a candidate, brand, or sports team, popularity is persuasive. But if you are trying to persuade people that they are morally depraved and need a savior, the amount of people who attest to this belief is not very relevant. The reason is that for most individuals, choosing a brand, sports team, or candidate is more a subjective matter of taste and preference than an objective seeking of truth and goodness. If a band appeals to the tastes of most people, than it is reasonable to assume that other people will enjoy the band, but it does not follow that if most people are Christians then Christianity is true. Thus, a shirt with a cross or scripture on it is not likely to influence someone to become a believer, while a shirt with a band name on it is likely to encourage people to listen to that band.
But, as usual, my mind turns to the motivation of those that do still use it. You see, those techniques are quite effective at promoting and growing the congregation, church, whatever label you want to attach to the building and it's inclusive activity.
Again and again and again, we seem to confuse the message and the medium. The church is the medium, Christ is the message. If you need any evidence of how critical the difference is, I strongly recommend that you look at the breadth of programming available on satellite or cable television. So much medium, so very little content.
We always seem to forget that Christ measured His impact on the world in a very different way - not in the crowds He attracted, but in His humiliation and death. A lesson we all need to cling to.
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