Auditing the Brand Identity of a Local Church
How can a denomination strengthen its identity as a unified and compelling brand?
They enlist the expertise of a trusted partner to guide the rebranding process and create a distinct and consistent identity.
The Challenge
While people typically may not think of a church denomination as a “brand,” they actually view and interact with denominations the same way they would any other organization, product or service. Brands are built through experiences, so each action and interaction affects a person’s perception of that ministry or organization.
When the leadership of a major U.S. denomination approached Guardian to helpmanage communications during a staff transition, we quickly noticed that the denomination’s brand was highly fragmented. As a rapidly growing, multiethnic group, the denomination operates a myriad of ministries involved in social justice, international relief, church planting, discipleship and other areas, so it was important that they present a consistent identity to anyone who encountered them. We suggested comprehensive brand guidelines and a unified visual presence to improve awareness of their organization.
The PROCESS
Our first priority was to introduce and enforce revised communication guidelines, including a consistent naming structure to support everything the denomination offers and lend immediate brand recognition. Many of the offered resources had no visual or text connection to the denomination, so someone likely would not have realized they were offerings from the denomination. The visual identity greatly needed clarity as colors, fonts and logos were not consistent. To support the implementation of these changes, we expanded the outdated style guide to include revised brand marks, colors, typography and design examples, as well as guidelines for print and digital content.
The denomination was also not collaborating across ministries and multiple emails were being sent each week, causing audience fatigue and confusion. Guardian recommended consolidating the promotional emails into one weekly email to highlight all offerings. We also sought to improve messaging by reducing the number of social media accounts managed by the denomination. The goal of streamlining these accounts was to increase quality control over the messaging and branding being communicated through officialsocial media channels. In addition, Guardian counseled the denomination on investing in awebsite revitalization—the most consistently used communication channel for information and ministry updates—that would focus on simplifying and organizing the structure for an enhanced user experience. Finally, we drafted a rollout plan for how the denomination could implement all of these recommendations in a timely and efficient manner.
The results
By strengthening the brand identity of the denomination, we are helping the denomination avoid confusion, improve name recognition and increase awareness in their ministry work. The consistency will empower the denomination to connect more effectively with key audiences.