Branded House Case Study | ep12

This week we are going to finish our conversation on branding. If you haven’t listened to part 1 of this conversation, hit pause and go listen to part one. 

This week we will reference a case study on mcurtis.co that works through the transition from a house of brands to a branded house.

What does a strong church brand do?

It delivers on the promise of growing people in their walk with Christ If you have an event, it moves people toward growth It helps clarify pathways for spiritual growth. It directs those with needs to biblical solutions It is an identifier of a specific gathering of the body of Christ It reveals the transformative power of a legitimate relationship with Christ to a doubting and lost world It is a testimony of the truth of God’s word, and of God’s promises through the body of Christ It values the right things It can be a tool to articulate what is importantSometimes we lose sight of the larger mission because of our love for our own area of focus.Multisite usually focuses the conversation of house of brands vs branded house, but I think our values should.

Case Study

Every ministry had a logo, and every ministry leader wanted their logo to be amazing. We were constantly rebranding ministriesThat isn’t a good branding practice, and it is an expensive use of timeMultisite amplified the complexity. We were now tasked with overseeing, designing, revising, and maintaining hundreds of logos. We weren’t helping people find what they needed. Catchy names, witty abbreviations, and a completely internal language that visitors couldn’t engage. This is a house of brands - unique everything for everyone We moved to a branded house - one brand with minor, plain name customizations for each ministry. 

Recommendations for a branding solution

You brand should establish a visual hierarchy based on importance

1. Church first

2. Campus second

3. Ministry third

Everything your church does should function within this system. 

Affirms that a win for any team is a win every team.Affirms that a win for any campus is a win for every campus.

Your brand should have goals that move forward the mission:

Clarity: People who have never been to our church need to understand what we are saying without us explaining it. 

Consistency: Consistent branding helps people understand what we are saying, and reinforces that we are one church with multiple ministry sites. 

Scalability: This new branding philosophy can be implemented quickly which will allow us to move at the speed of ministry. 

Flexibility: As each campus begins developing and investing in a local focus, this approach positions us to help support better. 

Unity: As an organization, every ministry win is a win for our church.

Bottom line:

The strongest brand isn’t one that wins awards for looks, it’s one that points your congregation and your staff toward the mission.