Some advertising logos have become iconic. No matter where we are in the world or in what media we see that familiar shape, we know the product.
And chances are, we trust it simply because it is so familiar.
Take the undulating bottle Coca-Cola has trademarked. All we have to see is part of that outline, and we know what we're looking at beyond a shadow of a doubt. There is the Nike Swoosh. Whole television commercials have been produced with no mention of Nike’s name. Yet, at the end, we see the Swoosh, and we instantly connect the advertisement with the product.
That connection in our thoughts is what makes advertising logos so vital to business. It is the reason companies will spend millions of dollars to build product identity, and then maintain that iconic emblem for another fifty years. It has become them.
Take Mazda. A number of years ago they started a new ad campaign showing a fast car on a winding road, and a boy appeared, whispering, “Zoom, zoom.”
Those two words became iconic for Mazda. Mazda no longer uses that boy in its commercials, but listen carefully, and when we see a Mazda ad on television today, at the end, we hear those two familiar words, “Zoom, zoom.” That’s brand imagery, and it connects us to all those other commercials.
What is our advertising logo for Jesus? The obvious one is the cross.
A single cross placed in any location, no matter how unusual, clearly stands for Jesus. Across the world, the symbol is ubiquitous.
Those three crosses raised high on Golgotha's hill? When we see those symbolic cruciform images, no matter how basic the representation, a connection is instantly there. They have become the billboard for the church.
Yet, what are we really telling the unchurched with our billboard? What do they really see when that cross is raised high? Do they envision an event that occurred two thousand years ago? Or do they see the representation of Christ in us? When they see the cross, are they reminded of Shawn across the street offering to mow their lawn when they were down with the flu? Or maybe they think of the Fall Fun Festival we invited their children to. Perhaps it’s seeing the taillights of our car as we faithfully leave for church each Sunday morning.
Proverbs is a treasure trove of advertising ideas. If we remember the following four suggestions, those around us will see the hand of Christ in our lives:
Suggestion #1: Proverbs 21:20 reveals that the wise use of our resources is a godly example to those around us.
Suggestion #2: Proverbs 28:22 tells us that stinginess will create a bad reputation.
Suggestion #3: Proverbs 22:16 warns us against putting our desire for money above our concern for those we come into contact with every day.
Suggestion #4: Proverbs 16:33 reminds us that even when we think we have control of everything, it is really God that directs the fall of the dice.
The New Testament gives us two additional ways we can boldly advertise for Christ. Let’s look at these iconic ideals that every Christian should strive for:
Ideal #1: James 2:19 espouses that our professed belief in God is essential.
Ideal #2: Matthew 5:42 encourages us to be generous with those in need.
What brand imagery do we show to the world? We are all billboards for Christ, whether we like it or not, and every action we take, every interaction with another human, creates an image that will live on long past the moment we walk away from that situation. When people see an image of a cross on the hill, what they really see is us and how we presented Christ to them.
We need to make that advertising moment a positive one, and we can only do that by following the instructions we find in the Word of God.
When people see the cross, they are reminded of every time they have spoken to a Christian. We are Christ to them, for it is through us that Jesus shows his divine nature to the world.
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