Copycat Branding: Is it Ever Okay?

brand messaging marketing strategy
Braden East

Advertisers are always looking for a way to get you to buy a product.

To do that, sometimes they’ll parody or copy each other to make their message more memorable.

It’s amazing how well this strategy works, but does it have a place in church branding?

No.

Copying another church’s messaging, branding, or marketing might look nice.

It might even get more traction at first.

In the long run, this approach is deadly.

The first reason is that you could open yourself up to legal action. Many churches trademark their branding, which means you can easily break the law if you’re directly copying their image.

Even if you don’t get sued, there’s a second and even worse outcome. Many people already think of churches (especially in heavily churched areas) like desperate credit card companies: always offering new incentives for people to switch churches.

I’ve heard it called “sheep stealing,” “member trading,” and “transfer growth.”

While it’s not always the intention of the leaders at one church to steal sheep, it would be wrong to encourage “church hopping” for such superficial reasons as slick branding.

The solution

Build your church brand around your unique story and vision.

It’s that simple.

But wait, is it ever okay to copy? Where is the line between taking inspiration and being a copycat?

That’s what I’ll cover tomorrow.


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