The Oprah Effect

You have a business. Your business gets mentioned on Oprah.  And bam! You're an overnight success.

If only it were that simple.  After watching CNBC's special, The Oprah Effect, I'm wowed at the power Oprah Winfrey wields in instantaneously placing regular companies and people into a dreamy stratosphere of success.  

A little cake baking company turns into a multi-million dollar, nation-wide endeavour in a matter of months.  An upscale soap company sells out of stock in just a day.  An aspiring writer becomes a best-seller the moment her name is uttered on camera.  And all this because millions believe in the brand: Oprah.

Certainly there's something to the persuasion Oprah has over her viewers.  But as I watch I see that it's definitely not all given to these people on a silver platter.  The special talks about the big winners of being mentioned on Oprah, but I'm curious about those that have been lucky enough to win the Oprah lottery ticket but perhaps squandered away their good fortune on frivolities and find themselves just as they were before her golden touch.  Where are they?

The businesses and one individual mentioned on The Oprah Effect were already hard at work trying to succeed.  They had a clear identity of who they were and how they were unique from other companies.  Smart people already worked behind the scenes to keep them afloat.  For those that have seen and sustained their success, the problem was the same: they needed to get the word out.  In fact, I think that's the key.  It's not really the luck of the draw that gets you on Oprah.  As demonstrated by one company who tried for 7 years to be chosen for Favorite Things, companies, products and people really have to be able to sell themselves to the Oprah Show in order to receive her seal of approval.

However, CNBC pushes the viewpoint that there's never been anyone like her before when it comes to her business promotion power.  While that may be true, I don't believe that being seen on Oprah will guarantee anyone success.  Successful branding and marketing still come from inspired, talented, and hard working individuals.  But a little magic never hurt anyone.

In my years of watching Oprah (yes, I watch Oprah) I notice how careful she is when talking about religion.  I'll try not to speak for her, but it's my belief that she is a strong Christian.  She believes in God's salvation through the crucifixion and resurrection of God's son, Jesus Christ and the ongoing work of God through the Holy Spirit amongst us.  How does this factor into her branding and promotion power?  It has everything to do with it.  Be too forceful and open in her religious viewpoints and she'll alienate her audience.  Christianity has become for this post-modern generation a constant example of how things should NOT be done: hypocritical, irrelevant, untrustworthy, dangerous, and maybe most detrimental...boring.  But to refuse to acknowledge an element of life so deep would betray her most endearing quality of being open and real with her audience.  

Christian communities that exist today, teeter between these two poles.  There are those that know what Christianity is all about and those that don't.  Going too far or talking in terms that only those who already know the "brand" does no good when we're trying to introduce new potential "customers" to the brand.  Heretical you say?  How can I possibly reduce Christianity to a brand?  Jesus to an icon?  God's children to consumers?

Or is that just what this culture needs?  A good slap in the face of our consumeristic lifestyles to remind us that there is a brand, a product, a price tag ...much more worthwhile and powerful than any we've been trying to buy on our own?

So what do you think?

Uh-oh...Here Comes Change

Without agreement on which way the church is going it can seem like people, all with the best of intentions, are crashing into one another.  Rather than each going his or her own way, let's turn the signs so we're all focused and heading in the same direction.

Any church wanting to change its impact needs to change its activity.  The key to this step of the process of branding your church is not just about change...it's about the right changes.  How do you know what those are?  I'm sure you can already guess what I'm going to say right?  

The changes you make are guided by your mission statement.

The most important ideas you wish to get across will guide you as you decide:

1) your audience

2) how often you will communicate with your audience

3) the tools most effective to reach your audience

4) the look that will be consistent in all your communication methods

Your Audience.

The characteristics of the audience you'd like to reach shape the ways in which you choose to reach them.  Picture the people your church wants to communicate with.  Perhaps you'll first think about the people already a part of your community:

Are they young? old? rich? poor? church-goers? new to Christianity? from the US? immigrants? what is their ethnic background? do they live and work in the immediate area around the church? do they drive a distance to come to worship? what is their household income like? are they mostly single, married, divorced, widowed? is there more of one gender than another? where do they tend to spend their money? is there a prevalent company or industry that most people earn income from? are people settled in the area or move frequently in and out?

Many of these questions will also help you figure out what your audience is like in light of the people you'd like to communicate with who aren't already a part of your church as well.

How often you'll communicate with your audience.

How many times should you put something in front of someone before they'll remember it?  3? 10?  What's certain especially today when we all live in a world where we are constantly barraged with images, is that it requires more than one point of connection for the message to stick!

If your audience is as busy as most, you might consider building at least three points of contact into your regular process of communication.

The tools most effective to communicate with your audience.

This is very important!  I suggest that you choose both primary and secondary communication tools.  

Primary tools are those that are effective in communicating to the widest audience possible.  A good rule use to decide this is the 80% rule.  If something you are communicating does not effect at least 80% of your target audience, it should not be communicated through a primary communication tool.  Also, the tool you choose to use must be available and frequently used by at least 80% of your target audience or it should not be considered a primary communication tool.  

For instance, if your target audience is suburban families, weekly Constant Contact, text messaging, and an active website could be three primary tools.  But if your target audience is working professionals who live in urban areas your primary tools might include Twitter and social networking sites.

Secondary tools are those that effect less than 80% of your target audience but more than 20%.  Again, if your target audience is suburban families, secondary tools are focused on reaching teens, moms, dads, couples, those going through divorce...each in those specific roles.

BUT....I can't let you leave without giving you the tough reality.  It's not that churches don't understand the value of communication.  They do.  In fact, most churches OVER communicate.  Take a hard look at the frequency with which your church communicates to its audience.

• Newsletters handed out on Sunday morning, mailed to homes during the week, posted on the church website
  
• Bulletins that often contain the same information as the newsletter
• Bulletin inserts that may repeat information they've seen on fliers, bulletin boards, and newsletters
• Fliers covering any available space on the church walls fighting for attention from passers by
• Bulletin boards
• Kiosks
• Pre-worship service announcements on the worship screens

There are merits and downfalls of every kind of communication.  I realize I'm walking a thin line here telling you to communicate the same thing several times so people hear you but not to communicate unnecessarily.  The key is to evaluate the way that you use each form and decide if it is helping or hindering the communication of what's really important...your mission!

Are the fliers around the church really saying anything anymore or do they just blend together in a cloud of words?  Would it be better to restrict messages to particular areas of the church?

Does your audience appreciate a paper-in-hand newsletter or would it be easier to use if it were on the church website?

Do pre-service announcements just displayed on slides before worship reach your audience or are they more effective when someone speaks about them from the front of the room as well?

Take time to explore all your options of both new and more traditional media.  For some ideas of using new media see my blog posting, Advancing Your Brand Through 2.0 Technologies.

A Consistent Look.

Now that your mission is consistent through your communication, be sure to keep your look consistent.  Have you ever met someone for the first time and found it hard to spot them in a crowd the next day because they're wearing a different outfit?  It will be easier for people to identify your message amidst the millions of messages in their lives if they can look for consistent colors, fonts, and formats.  

This will carry across all of your chosen forms of communication, both primary and secondary.  You need to consciously decide exactly where your look will be carried out: website, print, worship space, emails, bulletin boards, welcome materials, curriculum, office space, and even the structure and color of your building.  My advice is to implement these as time and resources permit, but keep doing them consistently!