Bringing back community

Arriving at a powerful brand positioning for Church in the City

Definitions of Marketing
Modern sense of the word emerges in 1920s

A social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and values with others. (Kotler 1991)

The right product, in the right place, at the right time, and at the right price.
(Adcock, et al)

Marketing is the human activity directed at satisfying human needs and wants through an exchange process. (Kotler 1980)

Marketing is easy to do but tough to do well. well.

The job of a market researcher is simply to study and understand people. After that, marketing is simple.
- Howard Aster

Needs
Need - State of felt deprivation.
Physical, social, psychological Most basic underlying concept of marketing

Want - The form taken by human needs as they are

shaped by culture and individual personality.

Demand - Wants backed by buying power.

Understanding the distinction between wants and needs is very powerful and important when trying to understand the target market and develop marketing strategies.

Features & Benefits

A Feature is an attributes of the product. A Benefit is how a product feature positively translates into their lives.
Ask: So what? Why should I care?

People buy benefits not features.

Features & Benefits

Functional benefits:
The tangible benefit the product offers the consumer.

Emotional benefits:
Also called self-expressive benefits How the product or brand makes me feel and/or what it says about me.

What are the key functional and emotional benefits for the following brands?

The Challenge People don t know of the vibrancy that s going on here. I think we need to get that outside more because we have a low profile on the street. It s just so alive in here. But when you re walking across the street, you don t know that s happening inside.

what we did: the strategic need driving this project

The CITC elder board wishes to develop an effective brand name and positioning statement that epitomizes the values of the Church. To do so, the board would like to understand how members of the congregation view the Church and their personal experiences with CITC. Specifically, they would like to know what inspires people to attend CITC, and how to communicate that message to a broader audience. To achieve this, a holistic view of the emotional drivers is required to create meaningful, relevant platforms that can be leveraged in future brand communications.

what we did: project objectives

The Ultimate Objective: To fully understand the emotional drivers that inspire people to attend Church in the City. The insights will help shape the Churchs brand name and positioning for the future. This will be achieved by: Understanding what it means to be a Christian in todays society. Exploring the frustrations, tensions, and issues that arise in their faith and life. Exploring the emotional triggers and barriers to joining a Church; in particular to understand what experiences or life transitions lead individuals to seek out a Church. Identifying the emotional territory that members associate with CITC; to identify what specifically inspires people to attend CITC.

Marketing planning process

Analysis
Whats going on? How are we doing? Consumer analysis
Customer analysis Competitive analysis Trial, Awareness Brand Equity

Objectives
What does success look like?
Brand VISION Target Market Positioning

Strategy
Which choices will best achieve our objectives?
Choosing the Marketing Mix (4 Ps) Product Price Promotions Place (distribution)

Planning
How much do we spend? on what? where? when?
Budgeting costs, timing and feasibility Tactical planning Resource allocation

Execution
Making it all happen! Executing the plans in
the market Includes implementation, Design, Ad development, media airing, etc.

Did it work? Were we successful?

Trial, Awareness Brand Equity

What does our Church stand for?

our church brand

our church brand: a source of community in a big city

People view CITC as a source of community in a big city that otherwise offers very little
Cultural oasis in a big city: For many, CITC represents a cultural oasis in the big city of Toronto where the immensity and coldness can often lead people to feel spiritually and emotionally disconnected.

in their words
It is very difficult in a large city to have the unity, the diversity and the commitment with church. It s almost impossible to find the required Christian ideals and principles in a church. And they Your kid isnt glared at if they service one specific community do make a noise and theyre part with these goals and these of a community. Jesus said let aims. the children come unto me, and
I know how disruptive children are, and Jesus told the disciples to back off and let the kids come sit with him and our church is being a great example of that.

our church brand: connection keeps people coming back

The genuine human connection people feel is what keeps them coming back
Cherish the human-side: The traditions at CITC that facilitate human connection is what people look forward to and cherish the most. Human connections make us strong: Whether it be praise reports, meaningful conversations during coffee breaks, or an overall genuine interest felt from others, people feel they are valued and part of a community and as a result keep coming back.

in their words
I ve been to churches before where they had a coffee break, but where there s just the line-up and people are just hoping the service will start again so they don t have to talk to anyone. But here it s like Ok, people can we wrap this up? I know you want to This is a church that clearly is get the update. It was just connected to one another and Paul genuine. Genuine would be a big was not a hierarchical kind of pastor. word for me. Genuine He is very much a Sheppard, and connection. somebody who would listen to you
and hear you out and not a charismatic, tell you what to think kind of person. His personality was a big part of what locked us in here

Everything just lined up. I got the sense that everyone was invested in one another and everyone knew each other. I thought this was going to be the beginning of my Church hopping, but I didn t go anywhere else, and I ve been here ever since.

our church brand: diversity symbolizes you too will be accepted

The ethnic, cultural and demographic diversity within the church is a sign to all members that they too will be accepted
Diversity viewed with fondness: People look at the diversity within the church with great fondness. The diversity represents a sign that as a church, we put our money where our mouth is and our values truly support the ideals of grace and acceptance in the eyes of God. Reminder that they are welcome: The diversity within the church is an ongoing reminder that they are entering a place free from all forms of discrimination and prejudice.

in their words
It s the unity of the church that s so great, because I was really just taken by how diverse the congregation was, in terms of age, in terms of ethnic background, in terms of ability, there are people in their wheelchairs. This is what the body of Christ is supposed to look like. This is everyone, everywhere here. This is a little representation of the cross-section of humanity here and in genuine relationship with each other.

our church brand: looking for more is what unifies us

How CITC differs from other churches is a source of pride for the those that attend it
Members often find themselves drawn to CITC based on their past frustrations with other churches often stating other churches are: Too hierarchical Lack openness and cultural diversity Dont facilitate genuine and meaningful connections Lack overall warmth and graciousness Inadvertently treat youth as not part of the community

Looking for more as the common link: This becomes a sense of pride and unity between CITC members as they often share their fondness for how CITC is different as a way to connect to others.

in their words
Having their support (church), just drew me to church more and more. It took me away from stereotypes and I just started seeing the whole truth about who God was.
Having been in a big church, we didnt like the hierarchy, didnt like the personality, didnt like the organizational difficulties of actually plugging in. We had been intentional about plugging in, going to a small group, but we didnt have a connection with the general church population.

Big hollowed halls, one person every 55 steps, you have to wave at the person sitting next to you. Its always been about a group of people working together in my mind. When I walked through this door, I said wow, Im going to be here a while. It suited what I thought a church should be about Unity, community and togetherness

our church brand: offer for a more balanced way-of-life

The fact that CITC is a way of life and not a weekly event, gives people hope that their lives as a whole can be in balance.
Feeling out-of-sorts: People are coming to church with all different back-stories. Most of the time people feel their life is in some state of disarray where they are not using their time as they would like, not being as prudent towards their Christian values and generally not being where they want to be. On-going balance and support: For those that get involved with extra-curricular programs, they maintain hope that their life can be in balance and they are better equipped to lead the life they want to lead.

in their words
Not just Sunday, it s the connections that happen during the week that are so valuable. Truly the highlight of my fall was church on Sunday and women s bible study on Tuesday and just getting to really be with people who were really interested in knowing who I was who were so willing to share themselves too.
You really get the sense that Church and your life are supposed to be one.

Positioning
The place in peoples minds that your brand occupies. The first thing you should do in marketing.

Positioning starts with a product. But positioning is not what you do to a product. Positioning is what you do to the mind of the prospect. That is, you position (place) the product in the mind of the target market.
- Ries & Trout, Positioning , 1972

Positioning happens whether you want it to or not. All brand interactions influence positioning. The more effectively your brand can own a valuable position in the target s mind, the more efficient all your marketing efforts will be.

Positioning: actual position could be anything

Ideas and dreams. Human connection. Sense of community. one. The non-religious The evangelical one. The traditional one. For imperfect people. ?

A brands Actual Position in the mind of the target could be based in function, values, emotion, design, executional elements, etc. and it can be different for different people.

Positioning Statement framework:

FOR [Target market and key unmet need] [our brand+product] is/provides/offers [key emotional end benefit provided] Because unlike [key competitive frame of reference], [key POD benefit vs. competition] The target can believe this is true because [factual reason-to-believe that makes your key point of difference believable to your target]

Positioning Statement framework:

Target market and key unmet need our brand+product Key emotional end benefit provided key competitive frame of reference key POD benefit vs. competition Reason-to-believe that makes your key point of difference believable to your target

For people who aren t into church, who are looking for a non-institutional way to explore their faith, The meeting house provides a way to explore your faith in a decidedly irreligious way. Because unlike other more traditional churches, The meeting house allows you to live out the vision of real church and explore issues of importance. The target can believe this is true because The meeting house does not have sites in traditional church locations. There are nine meeting house locations across Ontario, meeting in rented movie theatres and meeting locations to live out this vision of real church.

Positioning Statement framework: Church in the City

Target market and key unmet need
For people on a spiritual journey from all walks of life, who are looking for a sense of community in a big city Church in the city provides a safe place to explore your relationship with God with compassion and without judgment , and to experience God s grace. Because unlike some churches, CITC is a vibrant faithbased community that honors Jesus Christ as the center of our faith and is not simply a place where people gather for church on Sunday. The target can believe this is true because we rely on the authority of the Bible .we follow Jesus, foster genuine relationships, are actively engaged in urban ministry, teach from the bible, and offer multiple opportunities to serve, to connect with others, and to grow spiritually.

our brand+product Key emotional end benefit provided

key competitive frame of reference key POD benefit vs. competition

Reason-to-believe that makes your key point of difference believable to your target

One brand, multiple touch points. One church, multiple campuses.

A brand is a living entity. and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand gestures. Michael Eisner, CEO Disney

Our Church Brand

Community

Diversity

Connection

A spirit of connection and community

Where did community go