The document discusses how the Catholic Church pioneered rebranding efforts over centuries through the use of symbols, messages, and adapting to new communication technologies. Some of the key rebranding examples mentioned include reframing the cross from a symbol of terror to one of hope, establishing universities and the printing press, and early use of radio, TV, and now digital media. The document argues that the Church's most effective rebranding begins with discovering core truths and sharing them through personal conversations.

1. How Catholics invented rebranding
Published on May 7, 2015
DETROIT - Father Gabriel Richard rebranded Detroit, coining its motto, "We hope for
better things; it will rise from the ashes.''
Some Catholic clergy wince at the mention of marketing (too often associated with
hype, spin and disrespectful change). Yet, few realize the Church actually invented
rebranding starting with the way the public views the Cross.
Branding Definition: Moving From darkness to light. Every Easter Vigil begins in
total darkness with a single lighted candle spreading from candle to candle until the
church is lit up. Rebranding similarly shines a spotlight on a message to make it stand
out in a sea of darkness.
Why are there so many signs and symbols in Catholicism? The Catechism of the
Catholic Church explains: "we need signs and symbols in order to perceive and describe
spiritual or interior realities.'' Signs and symbols are similarly keys to a strong brand
identity.
Generic marketing creates its own form of darkness, producing a white noise of
predictable ads and marketing we mostly tune out. A true brand, in contrast, stands out
with a message that's compelling, unique and genuine.
Just this week, the Vatican revealed a new logo (with a full story explaining its design),
a new prayer and other branding elements related to the Pope's Holy Year of Mercy.
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Joseph Serwach
Strong Stories Build Brands
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2. Yet many Catholics are troubled by the marketing emphasis of the Protestant "Mega
Church movement'' as well as the concerted marketing efforts atheists have employed to
grow their own numbers. The fastest growing faith is people who aren't affiliated with
any particular religious institution.
Some marketers, meanwhile, co-opt church language themselves, calling themselves
"brand evangelists.''
Catholics began a Rebuilt Parish movement which replicates some of the Mega Church
efforts such as offering more appealing music, messages and amenities. A Russian
Orthodox Catholic monk once told me Orthodox Catholics consider Roman Catholics to
be "the innovative Catholics'' because they have made far more changes over the last
2,000 years, such as installing pews to keep up with a Protestant innovation (Orthodox
Catholics still stand in church).
From the Cross to the 1805 destruction of Detroit
How the Church rebranded the Cross. The Cross was originally a symbol of state-
sponsored terror meant to frighten subjects of the Roman Empire into obedience.
The Cross, already a powerful symbol, was rebranded by the first Christians into their
own defiant, revolutionary sign that they were empowered by the ultimate authority,
someone who would transcend the powers of the earth (including any government).
The early Christians similarly rebranded other symbols, holidays and sayings from their
adversaries while adopting a host of messages, signs and symbols that have endured for
more than 2,000 years.
To this day, the mere mention of the Cross or the church's founder can, "instantly raise
or lower the temperature in any room,'' notes Boston College professor Peter Kreeft.
Father Gabriel Richard, pastor of St. Anne de Detroit Catholic Church from 1802
until his 1832 death from fighting a cholera epidemic, founded the University of
Michigan, served a term in Congress (developing Michigan Avenue as a road to
Chicago), brought Michigan its first printing press, and coined Detroit's motto after an
1805 fire destroyed everything.
Father Richard and his parish were at center stage Sunday when it was filled to capacity
by the latest Detroit Mass Mob, a social media-inspired viral campaign to fill old
churches.
Father Richard's memorial made me realize: I am similarly a Catholic who has worked
in journalism, education, public service and rebranding. What do Catholicism,
journalism, education, public service and rebranding have in common? A passion for
uncovering and spreading the truth.

3. For example, newspaperman Jack Knight, the founder of the first news organization I
worked for after college, summed up great journalism in six words: "Get the truth and
print it.'' G.K. Chesterton similarly said, "The difficulty of explaining why I am a
Catholic is that there are 10,000 reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is
true."
Telling that truth in a way that will get people to listen to your words is essential.
Legendary advertising pioneer David Ogilvy used to say, "Tell the truth but make the
truth fascinating'' and added, "The more you tell, the more you sell.''
McCann Erickson, the agency we worked with to build the Pure Michigan brand, has a
simple motto: "Truth Well Told.''
The Archdiocese of Detroit is preparing for a 2016 Synod on the New Evangelization,
aimed at convincing every member of the church to spread the Good News and grow
the faith (very similar to one-to-one marketing). But again, terms like marketing, public
relations and branding make many nervous.
At the same time, every rebranding tool has Catholic connections. The printing
press, a key tool in any rebranding effort, was founded for church use more than 500
years ago. In fact, every media ever invented was harnessed early on for church
purposes.
Your "real brand" is your unique, core truth
The key difference between marketing and rebranding: marketing is about selling
something (and sales people are infamous for exaggerating) while rebranding is about
discovering and sharing an absolute truth. The more powerful the truth, the more
powerful the branding message.
No product, service or organization sets out to become a commodity. They want to be
brands that stand out.
When products become commodities, like PCs, companies compete over price, features
and convenience (as a result, the average laptop earns a 2 percent profit margin). The
commoditization theory can also explain the splintering of Protestant faiths into more
than 30,000 unaffiliated organizations.
When a powerful brand, like Apple, stakes out a role as a true brand, it can charge more
(Apple margins are 10 times higher than PCs) because buyers value "the halo brands"
that stand out. Similarly, a powerful truth always stands out.
Church leaders have pioneered the uses of every new communications innovation:
St. Paul took advantage of Roman highways, traveling 10,000 miles to spread the

4. word.
The oldest universities, the college system and the scientific method were each
begun by the church.
Johnanes Gutenberg's development of the printing press is best remembered for
producing the Gutenberg Bible.
Father Charles Coughlin began his radio show on WJR-AM in 1926.
The Venerable Fulton Sheen was a radio and TV pioneer from 1930-1966.
Catholics Come Home, founded by former advertising executive Tom Peterson, uses
TV advertising to evangelize and grow the faith. Whenever his ads air in a TV
market, attendance at parishes rebounds. Peterson argues that God gives us all
unique talents we must make the most of to serve God. His talent in clearly in
advertising the faith and conversions.
Father Robert Barron, currently the most widely known priest in the United States,
came to fame via his YouTube channel and his digital ministry, Word on Fire. He
argues we once invested millions building beautiful cathedrals but most people now
spend more time online so why not go to where the people are?
Today, more than 60 percent of the buying journey occurs online as people search
online for answers and more than half those searches happen on smart phones. Our
friend, Catholic blogger Brandon Vogt, has a great story about how he won a key
Google search away from atheist critics who kept saying the same anti-Catholic
statement by simply turning the statement into a question that headlined a blog.
Rebranding starts with untying knots, defining the brand
Rebranding becomes necessary when the existing message is no longer working or
relevant. Frequently, we find leadership and other parts of an organization are saying
different things, going in different directions (sending mixed messages and setting
conflicting priorities). The brand efforts have become knotted.
The first, necessary step is to unknot the brand confusion, untangling the knots to help
discover an organization's true strength or top priority.
My employer, one of the first integrated brand communications firms in the nation,
patented the Unknot. Align. Market. method. Very similarly, the favorite devotion of
Pope Francis, one that has become the fastest growing devotions in the church, is called
"Mary Undoer of Knots.''
Rebranding takes off by activating the brand
Once a brand is properly defined and unique enough to stand out against its rivals, the

5. next goal is to "activate'' that brand through channels ranging from owned media to paid
media to earned media.
And yet, none of these channels beats the power of the oldest, strongest form of
communications: personal, one-to-one conversations from a friend, loved one or trusted
expert.
The latest rebranding efforts recognize that the latest digital tools allow online
evangelists to inspire the faithful in the same personalized way church founders could
while connecting with more people more effectively.
For example, the Detroit-based Mass Mob movement, modeled after Flash Mobs and
inspired by a similar project in Buffalo, N.Y., uses the latest social media tools to lure
large groups of friends to all gather at specific parishes on specific dates. This week's
Mass Mob at Father Richard's former parish filled his church to capacity.
St. Anne, founded by the French in 1701, is the second oldest continuously operated
Catholic Church. Today its parishioners are largely Hispanic but the St. Anne "brand''
has shifted with the members.
Father Larry Webber, who ran the Detroit-based Capuchin Soup Kitchen founded by the
Venerable Solanus Casey, compares faith to food. He notes that we can wake up in the
morning to the smell of bacon and instantly be filled with hunger or we can walk into a
diner where they've just burned a breakfast and instantly lose our appetites.
Similarly, Father Larry argues, God knows we can be overwhelmed by something if we
get more than we can digest at one time. He feeds us a little bit at a time, as much as we
need at a given moment, as much as we are able to digest and comprehend.
Ultimately, the best way to evangelize the faith (or any brand) is to start with
conversations, which lead to conversions. Branding tools, from books to brochures to
videos to social media posts simply amplify and build upon those conversations.
How to activate a brand or movement - 7 Catholic examples
There's an old gag about what happens when you combine a Jehovah's Witness with a
Catholic. The punchline: Someone who knocks on everyone's door but doesn't talk.
How do you reactivate the world's most enduring brand when Catholics are known to be
shy about discussing their faith? There isn't any one way to activate brands - every tool
has its purpose, reaching different audiences in different ways. Below are seven
examples of how each method helped pulled me a little further along in my faith
journey.
These tools, if used well, work in most efforts to build a brand.

6. Here are seven examples of media channels being used very well to grow the faith:
The Word: Inspiration begins in the Church but what satisfies your appetite for
faith the rest of the week? Catholic Lighthouse Media years ago began a brilliant
program, recording inspiring Catholic talks and putting them on CDs people could
play in their cars. Today those talks are also available for download and often can be
found on video as well.
Advertising. I still remember exactly where I was the first time I saw a Catholics
Come Home ad because that spot did such an amazing job of making a compelling
case for the story of the Church in just 60 seconds. I saw that ad on the eve of the
2008 Presidential election and after years as a reporter covering politics (and later
business) that one ad (see video below) reminded me just how trivial the concerns of
the world can seem compared to the role of the Church.
Earned Media and Video. Over Thanksgiving weekend 2012, I found myself
flipping through TV channels and found myself on PBS, which was re-airing Father
Robert Barron's amazing 10-part Catholicism documentary. Father Barron, better
than anyone else in the Church today, has managed to get beyond the "Catholic
media bubble'' and into mainstream media channels like NBC and PBS. In public
relations, we call that "earned media,'' reaching people where you wouldn't
otherwise reach them. Father Barron's amazingly done production lead me to his
YouTube commentaries.
Dynamic talks, videos and books aimed at a general audience. Dynamic Catholic
has done an amazing job of talking to the masses on their own level. For example,
one great Matthew Kelly talk is called "Passion and Purpose,'' a theme that can
move a crowd that might be wary of organized religion (and institutions in general).
Most people come back to the Church when they are suffering, lost or looking for
help or guidance. Dynamic Catholic does a stellar job of reaching people who are
seeking out that help and guidance. Dynamic Catholic has also done top-notch
research and begun a book give-away program to help churches deepen the
relationships of the faithful.
Thought Leadership. Once we get an appetite for something, we often want to dig
deeper. Ignatius Press does a stellar job of producing Catholic films and books that
help answer the need for in-depth answers.
Social Media and PR campaigns. The Detroit Mass Mob has done an amazing job
with its Mass Mobs of breaking into every day media channels. Mass Mob efforts
work because of traditional PR (getting the stories covered by the Detroit Free
Press, The Detroit News and other media) and then spreading the word further via
social media and the web.
Word of mouth, marketing and viral movements. Another metro Detroit-based
effort that has gone national rapidly is the St. Paul Street Evangelization movement.

7. Volunteers get training at churches or online and then stand in public places
(including at Church-sponsored festivals) or talk to people in every day life, giving
away Catholic items (medals, Rosary beads, prayer cards, CDs and booklets) to
evangelize one-on-one.
How individual parishes can spread the Word
Two of our favorite priests (we've worked with both), Father Andrew Kowalczyk of
St. Clare Montefalco Church in Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, and Father Gerald
Gawronski of Old St. Patrick Church in Northfield Twp., show different approaches to
building a parish brand and grow membership.
Father Andrew, like Pope Francis and leaders of the Rebuilt movement, has focused on
making his parish welcoming, including to those who have left the faith. Father Gerald,
meanwhile, has focused on making his parish (one of the oldest in the state) appeal to
people who long for Catholic traditions.
Yet both emphasis the core of Catholicism and of rebranding: Truth that lights up the
darkness. Below are two 2-minute primer videos we made for Old St. Patrick and St.
Clare of Montefalco.
Above: St. Clare focuses on being the "welcoming'' parish and being bold, Catholic
and Holy.

8. Above: Old St. Patrick focuses on people who love Catholic traditions.
Below: Generic marketing is something we mostly tune out. Bottom: A true brand
stands out like a candle in the dark.

9. Above: Mary Undoer of Knots is the favorite devotion of Pope Francis and also
offers a core ingredient to rebranding: unknotting mixed messages.
From Catholic News Agency:
The Vatican's Arduous Task of Communicating in the Modern Age
Tagged in: rebranding, catholic theology, branding & identity
Joseph Serwach
Strong Stories Build Brands
53 articles
Leave your thoughts here…
Brendon Miskell
Alliance Marketing
Sounds good to me Werner Bosman, JC did not base his campaign on a glossy rebranding or marketing
exercise...
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William Nowling
Senior Partner at Finn Partners
You missed your calling, "Father" Joe. Excellent.
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