I’ve been writing about Kevin Roberts’ new book on marketing, Lovemarks: The Future beyond Brands [ Link to part one Link to part two]. Roberts’ main contention is that marketing has to move beyond brands to something new. Here’s one more take-away point from the book:

Brands vs. “lovemarks”

Throughout the book, Roberts says that the key to a new kind of marketing is to develop “emotional commitment.” To show what he means, he includes a table contrasting qualities associated with brands, and qualities associated with a new kind of marketing….

BRAND –> Lovemark
Information –> Relationship
Recognized by consumers –> Loved by people
Generic –> Personal
Presents a narrative –> Creates a love story….
Symbolic –> Iconic
Defined –> Infused
Statement –> Story
Defined attributes –> Wrapped in mystery…
Professional –> Passionately creative

Apply some of these contrasts to Unitarian Universalism:

• On promotional literature for our churches, instead of giving Information, how about promoting a Relationship?
• Instead of worrying about being Recognized by consumers, how about worrying about being Loved by people?
• Instead of Generic statements about what “we affirm and promote,” how about Personal statements about who we are as persons?
• Instead of Presenting a [historical] narrative of a church, how about Creating a love story of our life together in faith?
• Instead of trying to Define exactly what we are (which too often involves negative statements of what we’re not), how about Infusing our living values through everything we do?
• Instead of Statements about who we are and what we believe, how about Stories about our lives and relationships together?
• Instead of Defined attributes, why don’t we just Wrap some things in mystery?
• Instead of being Professional, why don’t we try being Passionately creative? (…and come to think of it, that’s exactly what I try to do here on this blog….)

Things to think about as we try to spread the word about our churches.

Next: final installment on “xploring”