I eagerly picked up Phil Cooke’s book, “Branding Faith: Why some churches and nonprofits impact culture and others don’t” (Regal Books, 2008). For many years I’ve been a proponent of the power of a brand. I worked for a national financial company for a number of years, and during that time the entire workforce went through “brand training.” I also worked in a screen printing and embroidery shop for a number of years, where I saw the impact of a visual identity. I had many expectations for this book, but they didn’t prepare me for the intensity and scale of Cooke’s message.
To say that Phil Cooke was the perfect person to write this type of book is an understatement. He has been in the movie-making business, in Hollywood and in Christian circles, for most of his career. He runs two movie-making companies, and consults with ministries around the world when it comes to identity and branding. His expertise flows throughout the book, while making it easy to read, understand, and apply.
Let me tell you the author’s purpose for this book:
“This book isn’t about public relations; it’s about ideas. It’s about using the power of storytelling to create a life-changing impression of you and your organization in the minds of your viewers, church members, partners, visitors and supporters. It’s not about manipulation but about helping people clearly understand who you are and how you can impact their lives” (p. 21).
As I said, I knew that a brand was important, but I couldn’t begin to articulate why I thought so. I learned that branding isn’t just a logo. It’s about the feeling, the connection, the understanding or perception that goes off in my head because of a logo, or tagline, or motto. It isn’t the power of clip art, it is the power of emotional connection.
Cooke takes the time to define branding and detail its impact on our lives. For example, “10 percent of a two-year-old’s nouns are brand names.” For those that are wary of the misuse of branding, he helps show that while branding has been used for ill in some cases, to ignore its power and usefulness is more detrimental in the age that we live in.
Some churches and organizations have started to catch on to entry-level branding, but they aren’t sure how to implement it to its potential. (I’ve seen this firsthand on a church and small business level in several situations.) Cooke takes some time to deal with this as well.
This is my Number One resource when it comes to the power of branding. It is a must-read for every ministry leader, pastor, small business owner, or anyone who wants to take the work they are doing and take it to a level of influence beyond anything they could imagine.