Friday Art Reflection – Branding & Advertising
Day in and day out, we are bombarded with advertising. Whether it is on TV, through radio, in print, online or even on our own clothing, branding and advertising have become powerful forces for shaping our worldview and influencing our choices. Few people recognize how deeply these ads impact the way we perceive and respond to the world around us. It effects the way we do ministry, “promote” our churches and communicate our vision. It is everywhere.
Before anyone thinks I am an alarmist, the fact is that not all of it is bad. Without question, much of it is bad, but it is also a matter of degree. Despite all this, we, as the church, need to be more intentional about recognizing and countering the negative. Naomi Klein once had this to say about the dangerous impact this has had in our society:
“We are looking to brands for poetry and for spirituality, because we’re not getting those things from our communities or from each other.”
The reason this is posted as an art reflection is because I believe that part of the power and impact of these ads comes through the use of creativity. Perhaps the answer to responding lies through the use of artful creativity as well.
What are your thoughts? How have you seen ads & branding negatively impact the church? Wider culture? How many we counter it?
First off, your image isn’t working.
Hmm… fascinating quote by Klein there. I’d say that she’s on to something. Advertising generally plays off of what may be called spirituality: the desire to belong, be significant, be lovable, etc.
Advertising only works because people are not experiencing spirituality in relationship to God and others. Therefore, to counter it, we need to somehow creatively and lovingly demonstrate to people that they belong, are significant and lovable and so on.
Matt,
Thanks, the pic should be fixed. Great points.
Peace,
Jamie
Fascinating idea that advertising plays to what is essentially a spiritual issue–that of the human search for meaning. What’s weird is that, if we settle for what any advertisement promises, we settle for much less than is out there. We limit ourselves. We settle for what seems at the time to be fullness, but is really emptiness.
In a general sense, then, advertisements negatively impact the church because they are aimed at convincing us to settle. Last week, in our malls in the U. S., people fought crowds like gladiators to buy their little piece of fullness which, two months from now, will either be gone or forgotten.
How do we counter it? I’m not sure except that I think you’re right about the creativity angle. I myself watch the ads because I like to be surprised. I’m kinda wondering if the church should spend more time surprising people. (Notice, I said “surprise” and not “shock.”)
I guess I wonder who advertising attracts. I was reading the paradox of choice by schwartz and he basically said that most, if not all, advertising was to create brand loyalty…that makes you wonder if advertising in the church is more about getting Christians to join your work as opposed to another churches work?
Sure we don’t mean to attract other Christians, we want it to work on normal people, but it tends to attract those who are looking for a change and turn off the people who we want to see changed…
make any sense?
Ray,
Very good points. What bothers me is how we have convinced ourselves that the consumer options we have equals freedom. This is so far from the truth. I would love to hear more about the surprises you are thinking of.
Peace,
Jamie
Kyle,
That makes sense. I wonder what it would take to reverse this trend. Any thoughts?
Peace,
Jamie
i think we have to begin to see advertising from another angle and i think you allude to it in your “art” thoughts.
Advertising will become effective when it isn’t pure advertising, but in fact something reliable and social. And when the product becomes interesting because it’s a by-product.
for example, you blog about your life, your thoughts, and your experiences as a Christian and friends read it and learn and are taught about your “Christ.” You comment on blogs, share resources all the while pitching (because it’s your life) your Jesus and way of life.
It’s almost as if being honest and faithful in your blog you are able to advertise with right motives in mind. Stories end up leading people into the dialogue, as opposed to abstract advertising geared to anyone and everyone.
Our advertising comes from people reading the stories on our blog or the stories of people from our church who refer to us. One girl saw one of our communities blog posts about how she loves her church (jessi oates) and then came as a result of that; she had been out of church for 2 years.
Kyle’s points are good.
I’m struck by how happy that baby seems to be…
Dana
That picture is disturbing.
Here’s a method for dealing with the marketing machine that I thought of during a housegroup. It played off of Jesus’ many “You have heard it said… but I say to you…” bits from the sermon on the mount. Essentially, we tried to creatively imagine what kinds of things would fill in those blanks if Jesus were literally walking around in today’s world.
Such as: “You have heard it said that you are only lovable if you look like a Cosmo covergirl, but I say to you that you are already beautiful and lovely because you have been made in the image of God.” We went on like this, slaughtering a bunch of cultural holy cows. It was a powerful time!
Great points, Kyle. Thanks for sharing them.
Peace,
Jamie
Dana,
If it is any comfort, the child in the photo has been “branded” digitally. In other words, the ads you see were added later with a computer.
Peace,
Jamie
Matt,
I think that is a fantastic and creative way of using Scripture to subvert power of ads in our lives. Well done!
Peace,
Jamie
I think the worst effect this advertizing has is that we don’t trust anything anymore. We expect everything to have a “spin” and rightly so. Unfortunately it has made us expecting nothing to be true…sometimes not even faith.
Nick,
That is an excellent point. Or is it? I am not sure I trust you… (wink).
Peace,
Jamie
I’m sure the baby was not harmed. “Inking the baby” is not what disturbed me- it’s that we’re so gleeful in the midst of branding, like we’re eager for exploitation, totally unthinking.
I don’t think corporations are the bogeyman. I think we all participate, and we need to participate differently. If you have time, Jamie, take a look at http://www.krusekronicle.typepad.com and scroll down to archives on the right- find the entry for Nov. 22, “OJ Simpson and Virtue in the Marketplace, part 2.” A true third way, requiring -yes!- discipine and intentionality from Christians.
Dana
Dana,
It is true. We have convinced ourselves that the bombardment of commercial demands somehow equal prosperity and freedom, when in fact they represent social, economic and spiritual bondage.
I’ll check out the link, thanks!
Peace,
Jamie
Great topic to bring up. Branding is everywhere,
especially this holiday season. How do we stop it from destroying our children?
Ariah,
I think it is more than the children that it is destroying, but it is a great risk. What do you suggest?
Peace,
Jamie
Jamie,
Well, I’ve been thinking about this a bit in our community. I’ve been podcasting about it too. I really think we just need to be really creative and find ways to teach our children a value set that is alternative to this world, and hopefully still appealing.
Jamie,
Great thought, and good suggestion from Matt.
It is insideous, in that I think we’re bombarded with it, and hardly give it a second thought- but it truly does influence us. It’s part of our culture.
To be more and more aware of that, is good. To apply critical thinking. And see it in light of God’s kingdom in Jesus, and in light of the world in which we live. We must be those who really think about our lifestyles and what they say to others- to whom we are to be a witness.
Ariah, that is good to hear. I’ll try to check out some of the podcasts.
Peace,
Jamie
Ted,
I think you right on about the need for critical thinking. We often dismiss ads as silly and shallow (which on some levels is true) when they are often very intentional designed to subvert free thought. Thanks!
Peace,
Jamie
Glad you guys liked me idea, my friends sure did! I was combing through my blog archives, and I came across a bit of writing I did in spring that illustrates another creative way of engaging the pervasive thought-patterns of our culture as found in advertising. It takes the kind of critical thinking that Ted is rightly advocating with a creative, satirical twist.
Resignation Letter to the Spirit of the Age
Matt,
Thanks for the linkage. Very helpful.
Peace,
Jamie
How much does it cost to produce all the original content in the TV shows we see? I don’t know, but it would be quite considerable, just by estimating the number of people needed to make the various shows.
How do the TV networks afford to produce all their shows? Because a quarter of the air-time is bought by advertisers. This means that various comapnies are paying the networks enough money to produce everything we see on TV.
Companies would only spend big money on advertising if they judge that the populus will buy more of their good & services, to the extent that they will make at least as much extra money as what they pay for the advertisers.
So we, the populus, are judged to be so easily swayed by TV advertising that what we buy – no, just the extra that we buy due to advertising – no, indeed just the extra profit made by the extra we buy due to advertising – that amount is enough to maintain all the TV shows we watch for free.
Eric,
Thanks for this glimpse into the economic dynamics of this issue. Much to consider.
Peace,
Jamie