Steve Fogg: Clear and Simple.

Ban All Religion - The Pitch

No, I'm not advocating banning all religion. I wanted to share with you a segment from a television show here in Australia called The Gruen Transfer. The show is about the inner workings of advertising mixed with a bit of comedy from the host. The panelists are usually agency staff who comment about advertising campaigns and genre's of advertising.

The video you'll watch is from a segment is called 'The Pitch' where two agencies are challenged to sell the unsellable. The shows producers think that banning all religion is unsellable. I had a very interesting interaction with them and others on the show's Facebook page (It is a very popular page so you will need to scroll down quite a bit).

Many agencies turned this particular pitch down which is a first for the show because it is extremely popular here in Australia. They turned it down because of the controversial nature of the segment.

Here is the challenge for every Christian denomination and churches. Can we create compelling advertising the promotes Christianity? Is Christianity 'sellable' in the 21st Century? Should we?

Check out the pitch segment. For some of you this segment will challenge you and even be offensive. After you watch it let me know what you think about the video and my question, is Christianity 'sellable'?

 

Note: This segment even got featured on Richard Dawkins site.

Should Churches Use Billboard Advertising?

There are contrasting opinions about the effectiveness of churches, denominations and faith's promoting their message and advertising through billboards. 

I've heard many people use the argument that churches should be using their money to help poor and needy people rather than advertising. I personally don't believe it is an either or proposition.

I've seen many churches use it for the oddest things and many times a billboard has been the wrong medium to use (Here are a 10 examples).

For me it all boils down to your communication goal and your message.

1) What do you want to say/achieve?

3)  Who do you want to say it to?

2) What is the best way of saying it/achieving your goal?

4) Where/what is the best communication channel to reach those you want to say it to?

If you've asked these questions and billboard is your best communication tool then use it. If there is another way to express your churches message then use that. Your message doesn't have be communicated only through traditional media. Your message can also be communicated through your church actually doing something good. 

There's a novel thought. A church doing something.

How about you, what do you think? Should churches use billboard advertising or advertising in general? Comment below.

 

 

Muslim Advertising and Marketing

I don't think I've ever seen this in Australia. Muslims are advertising on billboards directly aimed at countering the claim of the central message of the Christian faith.

The billboard claims that Jesus a prophet of Islam. According to their website its just the start of the media blitz and more outdoor advertising is planned on buses. (For the record, I obviously disagree with the billboard's message) 

Check out the story in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Christian denomination leaders reactions. I'm not sure how much this billboard cost but it has picked up a whole stack of free media in a city of 4 million people. 

What marketing or advertising lessons do you think churches can learn from the campaign?

 

 

 

The Good, Bad & The Ugly: Christmas Billboards

The good - A media report (with picture) from Scotland about a church Christmas billboard which is a bit more original in its creative execution. This billboard is from ChurchAds.Net as part of their 2010 Christmas Campaign. Here is an interview with the Creative Director behind the billboard.

The bad - I wrote a guest post last week on Church Marketing Sucks about the Christmas billboard war between the catholics and atheists.

The ugly - I passed this sign below on the way to work this morning. I turned the car around and had to take a photo. This sign is on a high speed traffic intersection with tens of thousands of cars passing it each day. This church is surely full of people who work for the intelligence services as code-breakers.

 
What have you seen around that you think works or bombs?

 

The Best Job In The World

Yes I believe I have the best job in the world. Really. I do. In fact coming to work everyday as the Communication's peep for my church just doesn't feel like work. It feels like my job is just what I'm meant to do during the day.

But I digress.

This post is sooo relevant for all of us serving at churches. One issue we all have in common is budget constraints. Often we let the budget limit our creative development and communications strategy rather than letting it unleash and develop the idea in an innovative way.

I love what this ad agency did. They had a very tight budget (from a global perspective). They chose an innovative and original way to communicate it. Which in turn unleashed incredible results. It has been called one of the top 50 PR stunts ever.

How about you? Do you have budget restraints? Have these restraints helped or hinder your creative development or communications strategy?

What innovative creative development and communications have you seen other churches do?

(Footnote: I hate it when I accidently post an article before I get around to finishing it. Some of you may of received the incomplete RSS article which really doesnt make any sense what so ever - apologies for that!)

Follow me on Twitter, come and say G'day on Facebook, get regular updates via my RSS feed or stalk me in person in Melbourne (you'll have to do the leg work on that one).

Is Your Church An Old Spice Church?

Hello ladies.

Now look at your church. Now back to me. Now back at your church. Now back to me.

Is your church an Old Spice church? Is mine?

Let me rephrase that.

I was blown away by the original thinking and creativity in this TV ad. I've been thinking about about the creative projects that I've been working on over the last month. I've been asking myself - are my ideas original. Are they standing out, are they serving and amplifying the mission of the church. 

How about you? How is your creative output?

I'm not saying that doing creative like this will make your church smell sweeter than a romantic millionaire jet fighter pilot, but I am insinuating it.
 

The Google Job Experiment

Have you every Googled yourself? I have. (Purely for SEO purposes of course)

Copywriter Alec Brownstein used the fact that we are all vain, to get a job.

He used Google AdWords which matched the name of his favourite Creative Directors.

You know what? it worked. Everyone bar one called him. Today he works for one of them.

Made me wonder. What AdWords would my church put up to reach the people we are trying to communicate with? (It only cost Alec $6 to get a job. Small budget, big payoff.)

What words would you use for your church?

Related Posts
Making Goodbyes Fun
The Search For Love

...............................................................................................................................................................

          Follow me on Twitter  |  Say G'day on Facebook  |  Subscribe to RSS

Does Yo Church Communications Crew Got Creative Swagger?

Yo, yo, yo, wassup.

Ahem.

I blogged yesterday how you can get out of the communications rut and tell the same story in an original and imaginative way. (I'm trying to live it out with my blog headlines and the way I write at the moment)

This TV advert for Toyota (below) presents the wagon in a original and imaginative way. (As a parent who owns one, I will now from this day forth call my Toyota bus, my 'swagger wagon') This ad cut through the usual safety, boring people moving advert stereotypes that car companies create. Sure it had lots of product feature shots of the new car, but it made me feel differently about my ride.

It made me:
1) Laugh out loud.
2) B proud of mo swagger wagon rather than think of it as a bus.
3) Imagine myself pimping the bad a$* song with my homies (wife and kids).

Forgive me. The rap lingo is just contagious.

Simply put, Toyota retold the story in a fresh and imaginative way. They got out of the rut.

How are you approaching your communications? Is it in the same way each time? Can you get your creative communications swagger on? that yo mamma can dig?

What would you like to do differently? Drop in a comment and see what happens!

(In lame rap gangsta speak)
Word. This ad is da bomb. Made me wanna get some of that mo of that strategy booty for ma communications crew.

Related Posts
Church Marketing Myth No. 5
Communication Commandment No. 1, No. 9
Rebranding the C Word

You can follow me on Twitter, come and say G'day on Facebook, get regular updates via my RSS feed or stalk me in person in Melbourne (you'll have to do the leg work on that one).

Rethinking Church?

Interesting Advertising - Does 'Rethinking church' work for you? 

Some great scriptwriting. Interesting concept. Did it execute well?

Want more?

Follow me on Twitter

Lets be Facebook buddies

Subscribe to my RSS

State Of The Slate: Did Apple Take One Bite More Than They Could Chew?

Last week Apple released it's long anticipated, much hyped, much blogged about -  iPad.

With the iPad launch, Apple moved from clear and simple, tangible, measurable benefits [in a short sharp sentence], to creating a verbose, vague, hyperbolic sentence.

Did Apple get it wrong? Let's find out what the State of the Slate really is.

Headlines Apple have previously used:

1) iPod - 'A thousand songs in your pocket.' (Tangible, measurable, benefit)

2) Launch of the Air, 'The thinnest laptop in the world: Thinnovation' (Tangible, measurable, benefit)

3) Launch of the iPhone 3GS: 'The fastest most powerful iPhone yet.' (Tangible, measurable, benefit)

Contrast this with:

4) iPad - 'Our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.'

Let's break this down:

It's verbose - 14 words to describe what they are offering. Contrast that with 6 or 7 words previously.

It uses hyperbolic words - Magical, revolutionary and unbelievable. Harry Potter might be magical, but the iPad is just an oversized iPod touch with less features. 

Revolutionary? iPod, iPhone was breakthrough. iPad is incrementalism at best.

Unbelievable price, subtitled cheap and is same price as the Kindle.

It's vague - Advanced technology and device. Get specific. Is it a tablet? Why is it advanced?

Overall - Apple has promised more than they can deliver.

Lessons For Church Communicators:

1) You may be the sharpest communicator around, but it only takes one bad campaign to for your communications mojo to gogo. Stay sharp. Ask trustworthy people you know will give you honest feedback to review what you are going to communicate before you go live.

2) Get tangible, get specific on what you what you are envisioning/offering. Don't use hyperbolic language that promises more than you can ever keep. Don't be vague.

Related posts
How to communicate simply and clearly
The hottest ad on earth and why it doesn't work
Lessons Every [Church] Leader Can Learn From Apple

Let's connect on:
Twitter
Facebook
RSS