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Most professional advertisers recognize 2 primary communicative objectives: Consumption and Branding. Consumption advertising can be better described for churches as "Event Marketing". The end purpose of Event Marketing is a call to action - "attend this event" or "purchase this product". "Brand Marketing" has a completely different although complimentary end purpose - "trust me", "identify with me", and "understand me". It is this latter form of communication that most churches neglect, and yet branding is almost certainly a more crucial objective for this generation.
At GenEvange we are opposed to a "pick-a-card-any-card" philosophy. Sony wouldn't settle for this approach. Neither would Apple or Nike. Why does the local church settle for it? Perhaps because until now there has been no suitable alternative. To understand our philosophy you must first recognize what we are not - GenEvange is not a mass producer of greeting-card-type postcards. We do not offer hundreds of designs and task you to select the right one. What we offer are proven, strategic, and compelling brand advertising campaigns designed specifically to help you establish and enhance a positive church brand in your local community. We offer the finest communicative tools, designed and created by the best Christian advertising minds in the country, with the specific intention of assisting the evangelical cause of local churches. Read through the following 3 rules of engagment to gain an understanding of our brand philosopy. For a more in depth exploration of branding and brand management for churches, visit our Resource Center where you will find several applicable articles in the "Immutable Laws of Branding" series. Then, visit our Campaign Gallery and explore some of the most effective marketing ever produced for church use.
 Like friends, brands must earn trust and must work to develop a relationship grounded in understanding. Think about it. Would you release your child to a daycare without ever visiting the school or interviewing the teachers? Let's say someone sent you an ad inviting you to a Lion's Club dinner, but you know nothing about the Lion's Club - What do they believe? How old are they? Men or women? What do I wear? Do I have to do anything at this meeting? Does it cost me money? Are these people normal? Without having a sense of the Lion's Club brand, you are not very likely to attend that meeting. Great advertising for churches must assume that if someone isn't currently going to church, they have a similar set of unanswered questions. For the most part, a single "event marketing" postcard is simply not going to sway them. Ultimately the task of the brand must be to make your church a familiar and integral part of the community in which you exist. Brands build bridges. They make people comfortable with you even before entering your church doors that first time. They soften people to the uncomfortable ideas of religion, church and new community.
 Most of the pastors we've encountered in the past several years are passionate about their work and eager to articulate the many facets of their church. Churches are complex; brands should be simple. To be effective, you must intentionally focus on key attributes of your brand. Narrow the scope of what you present. As humans we use brands to help us organize things so we can make appropriate decisions. If we can't understand something easily, the chances of us working very hard to organize it are slim. GenEvange ad campaigns are designed to isolate the strong points of contemporary church community. They will ad clarity, not confusion, to your brand.
 The most significant difference between consumption and brand advertising is this: brand advertising always run in sequence, consumption can be achieved with a single ad. Brands build relationship. Think about your chuch as if it is entering into a relationship with your community. Relationships grow as a result of interaction. The number of interactions, the stronger the possibility to develop familiarity. The better the quality of interaction, the stronger the brand association. We suggest anywhere from 3 to 6 hits as the range necessary to make any sort of impact on brand recognition. These hits MUST be in identifiable sequence and should occur within short period.
Campaigns
"We're In Business" - Campaign Precis
 It takes more than a good
photo of a pleasing face to create impact. Memorable advertising
engages the mind. Effective outreach should be intelligent, not just
pretty. "We're in Business" is designed to break down
barriers by creatively communicating who you are, what your "business"
is all about, and why neighbors can feel comfortable with you, even
before they meet you for the first time.
"Real Life. Real People." - Campaign Precis
 When you think about it, it's easy to understand why new people fear
church. Everything is unfamiliar - surroundings, people, traditions,
expectations, obligations, beliefs, music. There are so many questions - Who are these people? What do I wear? What will they ask me to do? What do they believe? Are they normal? "Real Life. Real People." creates a sense of familiarity for your brand.
"I Go To Church" - Campaign Precis
 The early apostles were great marketers - they understood the power of
testimony. "I Go To Church!" harnesses that same power by giving a face
to real-life referrals. Using congregational members from
your own church, we mix photographic and illustrated media to create ads that will hit
their mark in your community. Every campaign is completely customized to include your people.
We are introducing 2 new campaigns this summer - if you would like to be on our mailing list so you receive sample packs, please create a Client Account .
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