Feb
05/
08

My [fill in the blank] doesn’t understand

by Michael Buckingham
My [fill in the blank] doesn’t understand

It’s one of the most frustrating things in the world of church marketing. The people around you, maybe it’s the church administrator, maybe it’s the church board, or even the pastor, don’t understand the impact of marketing and excellence in…

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Feb
04/
08

Where did the great Super Bowl commercials go?

by Michael Buckingham
Where did the great Super Bowl commercials go?

I don’t follow football religiously, I can’t tell you who won the AFC last year or anyone’s record. Fortunately, I do enjoy watching the game because what is normally my highlight of the Super Bowl was a complete disappointment this…

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Jan
31/
08

Stop stealing from sinners

by Michael Buckingham
Stop stealing from sinners

I was chatting with Terrell Sanders of ministryCOM and during our conversation, we were talking about the possibility of speaking on sermon branding at the conference, we stumbled upon a pet peeve of mine. Church “creatives” stealing ideas from…

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Jan
28/
08

Sermon series highlight: Grow Up Great

by Michael Buckingham
Sermon series highlight: Grow Up Great

This sermon series, for Sam Rijfkogel at Grand Rapids First, is all about pressing towards greatness. The series was also attached to their Vision Sunday, Martin Luther King day and Sanctity of Life day – A tall order.

We quickly…

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Jan
22/
08

More than just a birthday card

by Michael Buckingham

Yep. It’s my birthday. [cue music] Along with that came one of the best compliments, a birthday card from someone whom most would call a client. Joe and I have worked together for a bit over a year and one…

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Jan
21/
08

Is there such a thing as going to far?

by Michael Buckingham
Is there such a thing as going to far?

I love originality. Sadly we have a severe lack of creativity in the church today. We copy the church down the street, rip off the latest TV show and we even are even preaching the same exact stock messages.…

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Jan
15/
08

Apple doesn’t steal ideas, they take inspiration

by Michael Buckingham
Apple doesn’t steal ideas, they take inspiration

We who serve the creator should be the most creative.

We serve a creative God and I believe He pours creativity into us. And yet instead of setting the pace, the church chases other people’s ideas. They steal the title…

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Jan
11/
08

The billboard formula (hint: less is more)

by Michael Buckingham
The billboard formula (hint: less is more)

It doesn’t get bigger than a billboard in church marketing…well, unless you make the unfortunate choice of a giant Jesus statue…so what do you put on such a thing?

It’s the size that gets many in trouble…more size, more…

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Jan
08/
08

Should you copy Xerox?

by Michael Buckingham
Should you copy Xerox?

Interesting topic of conversation over at the lab sparked by the Xerox rebrand. Here’s my take:

Xerox decided to launch the rebranding effort to change their image. Good start. The real test though…

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Jan
04/
08

Ever had a Meatball Sundae?

by Michael Buckingham
Ever had a Meatball Sundae?

A meatball sundae is the unfortunate result of mixing two good ideas, and Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing out of Sync? is Seth Godin’s latest book.

I haven’t dug into it deeply yet, but I will be on January 23rd…

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