Brand baggage

A few weeks ago I wrote here that it can be tough to invite people to something if they have already had a poor nibble of it.

But there is another, unavoidable, obstacle which you may need to overcome.

Brand baggage.

Baggage that comes, not from a negative experience of the event you are actually putting on, but baggage from a previous event with the same (or similar) name.

Honestly, there are only so many names we use to call our activities (hopefully not including a z where there should be a s).

Some will inevitably overlap.

There is more than one church with a "KidsChurch," "Impact," "Life Group" or "Sundayatwhatever-time-the-service-is."

You hope it doesn't happen to you, but occasionally, someone will have a bitter taste from the name you share with an unconnected ministry elsewhere.

Often we consider how our actions will effect the "brand" in our local patch.

Perhaps we need to lift our eyes and recognise that the "brand" we can damage is beyond our own turf. If we mess up, the damage can draft well beyond the boundaries of our local suburb.