Branding

18 Mar

“In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. Their foundations are stronger because they are built with the strength of the human spirit, not an ad campaign. The companies that are lasting are those that are authentic.”  ~ Howard Schultz

Branding is something that has interested me for many years. It is phenomenal how much time, effort, and money a company, or even a person, puts into branding. Companies seem to be in a never-ending cycle of tweaking their brands to keep them front and center so that the general population will purchase them.

As I purchase sodas for my staff, one of the things that caught my eye several years ago was Diet Coke. They used to have a couple of products. Diet Coke with Lime has been a popular choice. To dress things up, the Lime morphed to Ginger Lime Diet Coke. Instead of Diet Cherry Coke, they introduced Feisty Cherry Diet Coke. What makes a drink feisty? One asks that question even as that person is reaching for a carton in order to try it out at home.

To a certain extent, Lent is about checking our branding. It is a very intentional look at our very selves, asking if we are still in line with the core principles of our faith. It is about tweaking ourselves, when necessary, to let the world know that what we have is still relevant. It is about packaging ourselves in a new way and presenting our faith in such a manner that others will consider taking a look at it for themselves.

We have to become the brand. If we merely talk about the tenets of our faith but do not live them, no one will become interested. If, however, we talk about our faith and live the faith with passion, people will say, “I want what that person has!”

Make the faith exciting. Make it desirable. Make it attractive. The great thing about that is, when you do, it becomes more exciting, desirable, and attractive for yourself as well. As Diet Coke has gone from plain ol’ cherry to “feisty cherry”, go from plain ol’ Christian to passionate Christian. A lot more people will go for your brand that way.

FAITH ACTION:  In all that you do today in your Lenten journey, make sure that it comes from the heart and not merely from obligation.