corporate branding & positioning

“The issue is not so much how we communicate about religion as reporters but how religious organizations communicate with the press. That is where progress is needed. Churches (and Christian organizations) need to get used to the idea that we will cover them as news when we can and begin to be much more sophisticated in their understanding of the role and function of the press.”

Mike Shaeffer
Former Philadelphia Inquirer Religion Editor

By and large, ALRC clients are not calling people to a cause, but bringing them back to faith in God; they exist to meet – rather than create – felt needs among their audiences and constituencies.
Following the tragedy of 9/11, many organizations found themselves struggling to survive. On the other hand, organizations represented by the Agency – such as The Salvation Army, American Bible Society and many others – were on the front lines, directly helping people affected by the tragedy and offering hope and perspective to a watching world trying to cope.

Gus Niehbur, former religion editor of the “The New York Times,” views religion and faith as shaping forces in society. For Christian organizations to be positioned in the context of news, they need to sell a story about their impact and influence by identifying where their message or mission intersects other forces like politics, economics, business and social development.

Similarly, Ken Woodward, religion editor of “Newsweek,” sees himself as a theologian of culture, whose field is the culture of religion. His job is to identify how religion influences the way people think, feel and act. He, too, always sees religion stories in context of other disciplines such as science, health, business and economics.

Parallel to what is happening in the business world, Christian organizations and ministries are becoming more “niche-oriented,” packaging and presenting the Gospel message for specific audience segments – such as youth, men, women, artists, professionals, etc.

ALRC has helped many organizations identify their audience and prioritize the specialized messages and application they want to impart. Equally important, however is providing insight into the third leg of the communications’ stool – determining what those audiences are doing when the organization wants to reach them.