Thewhiteafrican blog presents:SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

REFLECTION

WHY & WHATPROCESSCHALLANGES & LIMITATIONS

IDEA GENERATION PROCESS

MIND MAP AND RESEARCH PLANPRIMARY AND SECONDARY DATACREATION PROCESS ADDITIONAL STATISTICS

ARTICLE

BACKROUND INFORMATIONUSING SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETINGHILLSONG CASE STUDY

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This report addresses the topics of social media, Hillsong, youth and marketing, using Hillsong as a case study the report addresses how today’s marketers and companies are using social media to attract the youth demographic. The report highlights some of the most popular trends that are emerging with the use of social media and the teenager market, as well as analysing on how important audience measurements is becoming an important tool for marketer but also addresses the danger of this new method. The report is a summary of the main themes found through primary and secondary data , and elaborates on insights created through the infographic that accompanies the report, creating a more qualitative project.

KEY FINDINGS

Research found that brands that are 110 percent honest, direct and responding instantly to new trends are more successful on social media.

Belonging is a strong driving force in humans, but is even more so in the youth demographic, so companies need to create a bond with their customers that want to be listened to, hear and understood. Tweens establish their identity via the media.

Marketing to tweens has developed to a well organised network campaigns known as ‘network marketing’. Teenagers around the world are becoming an integral part of sophisticated marketing campaigns for major products, and experts are calling it “reeling in the fish” or “becoming the fuel for an online fire.”

In order to be successful in any demographic marketers need to: Identify the community, map their behaviour, identify alternative distribution channels, identify community leaders, place tweens not brand in the centre, support community with unique initiatives, develop a viral marketing tools enabling the tweens to market for you, let the outside world know of the communities success, spread brand to those outside community.

Characteristics of teen demographic: identity seeking and community dependant, quick to adopt/reject, hate to be sold and love to be respected, broader in scope/ shallow in detail, have ‘been there done that’.

Hillsong looks like many other megachurches: contemporary worship, informal preaching, specific strategy for their vision, multiple locations, state-of-the-art technology, and a dynamic leader.

PG 1

“Hillsong has worked out that it’s difficult to sell something to anyone if they’re not listening. If you can enthral the audience with music and theatrics, then what you tell them after is on fertile ground,” says Crawford.

Hillsong markets events through email, social media, direct mail, online video (which has the production values of a music video), and word of mouth through services and connect groups. As well as ambient media, which ranges from floor stickers and flyers to writing ‘Jesus is love’ in text-speak in the sky on Easter Day, the same slogan that’s written on the side of Hillsong public shuttle buses.

Hillsong has packaged its beliefs better than anyone I can think of, it’s a smart Brand because it runs like any other competitive business would, remembering customer/people relationships matter the most.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Determine to what degree you believed your brand is dependent on the tween generation either directly or indirectly, establish the influence of this group in terms of financial revenue; and ask whether your profile, image and product offerings match the aspirations of this generation.

Get to know demographic on a qualitative and one on one basis, go into schools, listen to their conversations and get a general feel for how they operate. Focus on the key aspects of your brand that will strike a strong attraction to teens and highlight those.

Analyse other successful brands that target this demographic and evaluate their strengths and weaknesses, and implement competitor’s strategies that apply to your business. Tweens act as references for adults who are less savvy with certain categories, so use that influence to expand to adult brands.

Interact with demographics through appropriate communication channels which you have identified that they use, and for the teen demographic this is most Web 2.0 media such as blogging, social media, user generated content sites such as YouTube, Reddit and Tumbler; as well as mobile phones which is on the rise.

Ensure synergy across all social media but do not simply reproduce, and use each platforms characteristics (YouTube is for video’s Instagram for photos and Facebook for post) to interact more qualitatively and create longer lasting presence on these platforms.

Gather more insights by purchasing commercial industry reports, if applicable.

PG 2

REFLCETION: WHAT & WHY

I think that this project was brought into existence during the audience measurement week, which tied in closely to my major in marketing and advertising, in which the teacher discussed how knowing the latest trends and understanding your target audience (through marketing research which incorporates audience measurement) is crucial to a brand’s success; while we glanced over this topic briefly for both subjects, it was something that stuck and I wanted to know more.

During a lecture in marketing we explored how the latest trends and research create insight into the market, and were informed that this knowledge is often used by companies for insights on how to target their customers in an effective way, or what is known as a ‘direct marketing or a targeting approach’; which seeks to build stronger and more focused relationships with customers. This got me thinking about my own media consumption (a frequent occurrence in this course), and I found that the brand that I felt most directly connected to wasn’t a brand as such but an organisation, my local but globe wide church, Hillsong.

The church used social media to target teenagers and young adults within the church (posting about regular group meetings of church events), but also aimed to entice non- church goers to join in on the fun. The church member’s use their private lives and social gatherings to communicate a sense a community in the public mediascape through posting on social media sites, in the hopes to draw in new followers; something in marketing which is referred to as a psychological product positioning (brand communicates psychological benefits such as belonging, youth, fun ect) .

While this gathering of teenagers outside the home, reflects traditional church activities, this being coupled by the continuous interaction and connection of member inside or outside the community via online medias, has changed the way churches connect their members in the 21st century. As members from the NYC, Stockholm and Cape Town campuses can belong to their local ‘connect group’ of friends, within their larger local campus, but still feel connected to the larger global church body through social media; a three layered but interconnected relationship only made possible by technological advances, globalisation and social media.

I found myself talking to my family and cousins in the Cape Town campus about church events , and finding common ground despite them being (such as Summer camp which is held in each country but similar in format) 16000 kilometres away on the other side of the world.

PG 3

This got me thinking how was Hillsong achieving this unison around the globe, I consulted my team leader of the Events team at Hillsong and she insisted that is was due a focus on presenting the same experience with a local twist, adhering to a company statement and consistently bridging the gap by having consistent merchandise and event formats throughout all campuses.

The biggest factor she stated was the ability to be a global community that instantaneously and creatively can interact with like minded people, via social media, the number one strategy of this connected mediascape. Once again I sat down and pondered my own identification with the church and found that social media was my number one resource for being connected, up to date and contributing to the church, thus I started exploring this issue with some interviews with my friends and meetings with the church body.

PG 4

James Leggott @jmleggott

The web Designer and Digital Content Strategist for Hillsong Church.

Jose Huergo@josehuergo

The Social Media Coordinator for Hillsong Church.

THE PROCESSThe process started with planning the topic, this is where the mind map was created and proved very useful, after this I completed a mock up research plan in order to keep my research focused and in line with what I had outlined in the plan.

Now the the nitty and gritty started as I organised several semi-structured interviews with my target audience (13 – 18 year old Hillsong attendants, known as Wildlife and the social media coordinators at Hillsong for this demographic) as well as organising initial meetings with members of Hillsong staff and organising my interview questions.

Followed by a week of conducting secondary research of journals, databases and books; during which I took the time to cover any gaps with my primary research that my secondary research provided, in order to give my project a more holistic approach.

The following two weeks consisted of several formal meetings and emails with the members of the Church, as well as group discussions with my target audience, which was guided by open- semi-structured interview questions, in an informal setting.

The third week consisted of gathering more secondary data as well as synthesising all social media statistics and summarising the secondary and primary data into dot point and quote formats.

The final week was all about putting everything together and was arguably the most intense and fun process, as I spend hours analysing and synthesising primary and secondary data, but also spend time creating and designing the look of theinfographic and report.

A special thanks to these two contributors for all

their help and support throughout this

assessment, I am very thankful for all their time and effort to

help me throughout this jouney.

PG 1

PG 5

CHALLENGES & LIMITATIONS

The journey started relatively earlier than others, as I had a clear idea of what I wanted to do a few weeks before we started exploring project topics in class, thus I used my time more efficiently and started the time consuming process of contacting the departments for the confidential information, and commence basic research around the topic.

I also made good use of my time by using this moment to hone in on the projects focus, by choosing a specific demographic, formulating the questions that I wanted answered and outlining my main objectives and hypothesis.

I found myself conducting interviews with industry experts and negotiating the release of confidential information with several departments, something that I hadn’t previously undertaken; and this was without a doubt the most nerve-wracking aspect of this project. Once interviews commenced I found my time management skills and confidence in conducting primary research being challenged, but one I eagerly welcomed.

The overall process has been both challenging and rewarding, for one I had the opportunity to create an info graphic based on my own research which is something I have wanted to accomplish; and secondly the project will actually be implemented by a real stakeholder, making the hard work worth it and puts my work to good use.

The only limitations that I can think of is the fact that I was only given access to basic information by Hillsong, thus the infographic isn’t as qualitative and insightful as I had hoped; furthermore industry commercial reports would have allowed me to gain more insights and come to more accurate conclusion, but attaining this information, financially isn’t something that I can undertake but was mentioned to the company in the recommendations.

Time was definitely another limitation, as I felt that I could have created a more qualitative project given a larger time frame, but considering the length of the project I think that I created something that is insightful and professional and suited the given criteria.

I thoroughly enjoyed the process and look forward to see how my research will be implemented, not only that I am grateful for my teachers to be given the opportunity to test my knowledge and research skills, something that will come in handy when I undertake my planned masters and thesis in the near future.

PG 6

IDEA GENERATION: MIND MAPS

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PG 7

THE PROBLEM

With so much data available these days marketers are finding it hard to know who to target and how, and while there is a plethora of information available, there is a lack in analysis and synthesis of this information available that doesn’t cost a fortune. Furthermore, most audience research doesn’t apply to a company individually, and most companies have neither the time nor funds to gather and analyse their own gathered data.

IDENTIFY STAKEHOLDERS

This is where my research comes into view, I have organized with a local business that I am acquainted with to gather their data, synthesise the information and do more market research. Followed by summarising all this information and provide the company with a market overview of their company, which in turn will allow me to make suggestions on how to move further, and create new avenues for their brand. Not only is this information useful for the company directly but also others who are aiming to increase their sales with the youth demographic, as Hillsong, is known for its globally successful market plan for this target market specifically.

WHAT DOES YOUR STAKEHOLDER ALREADY KNOW? WHAT SOURCES ARE READILY AVAILABLE?

WHAT OPINION IS ALREADY BEING SAID ABOUT THESE?

There are hundreds of thousands of reports that summarise each sector or industry, as well as a multitude of companies that for a price can conduct a larger and more professional service. Research knows that social media is used by today’s youth and that it has become a crucial tool in any company seeking to build strong bonds with this demographic. These sources explain on one side how using these platforms can great growth thus not engaging with social media is seen as a company’s downfall and a certain decline in sales. There are plenty of sources that show statistics of youth’s engagement with social media, and plenty of marketing strategies that suggest that their approach guarantees growth and success.

WHAT GAP CAN YOU IDENTIFY? WHAT HAS BEEN OVERLOOKED OR UNDERESTIMATED AND HOW CAN IT BE

RESEARCHED? HOW IS THE PROPOSED RESEARCH LIKELY TO BE USEFUL?

However my research took a more direct and qualitative approach to this as I sifted through thousands of marketing reports and only analysed the sources that were useful to the company I was completing the research for, this personal and qualitative approach could cost a non-for profit church like Hillsong thousands of dollars from members savings. Plus with their primary data in hand I was able to analyse and synthesise data that was available but wasn’t being used, in the hopes to give them insights that previously was unavailable.

RESEARCH PLAN

PG 8

FOCUS WITHIN THE BROAD QUESTION, CAPACITY OF YOUR PROPOSED

RESEARCH TO GENERATE NEW THINKING.

Being classified as a teenager, and having access to several of this demographic I am a rich source of information, as we have done in this subject I reflect on my own media use and that of friends and family, coupled with secondary research and theory I come to new insights that those in the industry may have overlooked. Drawing on all this research my project aims to provoke deeper thought and aims to encourage innovative thinking about the topic, by taking a look at the broader question through the Hillsong case study.

RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU EXPECT YOUR RESEARCH TO SUPPORT.

Marketers are relying on preconised knowledge about the teenager demographic and social media platforms, as well as a bountiful collection of numbers and statistics, instead I argue that while there are similarities in today’s tweens such as the natural need to belong, the 21st century tween has evolved and this seeks more qualitative research instead of relying on num-bers and facts, as behind each number there are people. I encourage marketers and companies to step away from the computer screens and take a moment to talk to their customer, not only to gain insights into their company, but to gain a deeper relationship with customers, after all like teenagers, all human beings want to feel important and want to be listened to.

PICK A DIGITAL PLATFORM THAT REPRESENTS THE RESEARCH CONVINCINGLY. HOW YOUR RESEARCH

STRATEGY WILL ENGAGE TARGET AUDIENCE?

Infographics are the newest and most successful way to represent a multitude of information in an engaging, fun and easily readable way, thus their popularity in the last five years, being a visual learner, this method is helpful and easily consumed by viewers. Studying graphic design I am confident with the software used to create this infographic but I am not too familiar with the medium and thus required practise and research before commencing this project. I hope that my individual style and design decisions, much like my blog reflect a more ‘whiteafrican’ pizzazz, plus it allows my creative rather than academic side to be used, which is always a bonus.

PG 9

CREATION PROCESS

The creative process for the infographic starts first with a colour scheme, choosing a colour that evokes the right emotion and suits the purpose is very important; I choose blue as the most known social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Tumbler all incorporate blue into their icons, thus it was an easy fix, choosing the right blue was a different story but in the end I think I made the right decision.

Type was also a crucial choice as it had to be legible but be something that would draw the viewers eyes in, this infographic contained three typefaces, one for the heading and numbers, body and one for the left over information.

LANGDON

EXAMPLE:

GOTHAM LIGHT

EXAMPLE:

MINION PRO

Additionally I created two ‘teen’ characters to be placed in the heading, giving the infographic just a little bit more quirky and cartoon look and make the infographic appeal not only to stakeholders but to the youth demographic who the infographic concerns.

The use of the main social media Icons is also used but in a monotone blue instead of their designed colour, this is done to blend the infographic visually and ensures no colours clash and makes the overall infographic visually more appealing.

The icons used are modern or minimalist versions of each image, in design the saying, less is more is a virtue, plus it makes the infographic more skimmable increases legibility.WEEKLY

ATTENDEES

PG 10

DATA GATHERING

Primary data was collected by through several methods, but was gathered after secondary research in order to confirm or disprove secondary findings; as well as fill any gaps left by secondary research.

Primary research included several informal- semi structured interviews with youth members within and outside the in order to address ‘youth’ demographic objectively, and gather a more general overview or consensus about teenager’s interaction with the brand and use of social media.

Additionally primary research was gathered through working closely with members of the Hillsong organisation, who supplied me with primary social media statistics, after achieving the necessary clearance of course.

I was also supplied with a social media etiquette handbook, which addressed how all social media used should adhere to a organisational standard, an expectation of a certain level of quality and addressed Hillsong’s individual style which should be communicated throughout all platforms globally to ensure consistency.

However this documentation, is copyrighted and will not be release or addressed in this report, but is a marketing technique used by the church to ensure brand consistency through social media and all online, or related merchandise, a continual representation of the organisation’s values and vision.

Secondary data was gathered using local and state library and used a wide variety of sources such as databases, journals, books as well as a range of online sources including blogs, websites, and YouTube.

Findings were correlated and gathered in one secure location, after which analysis and synthesis of findings commenced.

The results were then used to formulate the main article which addressed main themes which emerged in during the research; statistics were also gathered and used in the infographic.

PG 11

ADDITIONAL STATS

HILLSONG UNITED (YOUTH)

SOCIAL MEDIA STATS

ADDITIONAL STATS

880, 018FOLLOWERS2,493TWEETS

5,366, 884 FANS

47, 579MONTHLYGROWHT

8,000, 000VISIITORS TO HILLSONG.COM EACH YEAR

290, 383FOLLOWERS AND MORE THAN 300 PHOTOS

2, 472, 822POSTS WITH #HILLSONGUNITED

SOCIALITE STYLE

6 YEARS OLD

78,094,930VIEWS

15,026 FANS

23.6 IMPACT COMPARED TOBEYONCE WHO HAS 27.2 IMPACT

#11,139WEEKLYGROWHT

1, 462DAILYGROWHT

375DAILYGROWHT

200th ON THE AUSTRALASIAN SOCIAL MEDIA CHART AND 4958th ON THE GLOBAL CHART

10,000,000 HILLSONG TV VIEWERS EVERY WEEK IN 180 COUNTRIES

THE CCOLLECTED BLOG HAS 1, 333,134 VIEWS AND 487,215 VISITORS

PG 12

ARTICLE

YOUTH & THE NEED TO BELONG

Today’s teenagers or ‘Generation Like’, have more personal power, more money, and more attention focused on them than any other generation before, influencing spending of up to US $600 billion in 2007 alone, and research suggest that this demographic affects close to 60% of all brand decisions taken by their parents, so it is not surprising that they are exposed to 40,000 commercials a year (Lindstrom, M & Seybold P.B 2003, p. 22). The current tween generation is the first to be born “with a mouse in their hands, computer screen as their window on the world, are as comfortable being online as offline, and are a truly interactive generation, that has only known instant gratification” (Lindstrom, M & Seybold P.B 2003, p. 23).

However the average teenager don’t differ from the generations before that much, as they also seek a sense of purpose and belonging, and relevance in a cold, apathetic world; providing these missing elements is something which our case study brand Hillsong has tapped into with great success, just how did they do it, well that will be explored throughout this article. This need to belong is shared by the teenager population who believe that it’s important for them to feel part of a group, this natural need to belong and find connection is a foundational need of humankind and is seen by psychologist Abraham Maslow in his hierarchy of needs pyramid as the third level of human needs, which he explore in his 1943 paper ‘A Theory of Human Motivation’.

In the 21st century brands have become an integral part in the way teenagers belong and has become a way that this demographic defines themselves, at home, school, out in the modern world and even online; with 70 percent of the urban teen population stating that their clothes and brands directly define their social status (Lindstrom, M & Seybold P.B 2003, p.24). Successful brands are using this demographics’ fantasy to belong and need for status and acceptance, as means to creates and build a one-on-one relationship with each customer (direct marketing) in order to increase brand loyalty and drive sales.

With the emergence of Web 2.0 teens have flocked to user generated content sites such as blogging and social media which are seen as venues for social interaction, where they can share creations, tell stories, and interact with others. Thanks to social media, today’s teenagers are able to interact directly with their culture and their heroes, dispensing approval to music, videos, food and clothes, as well as each other, some finding it empowering because they can deliver a verdict instantly. These sites are seen as a lifeline for teen social life and brands have come to the realisation that it doubles as a tool to connect directly with their target market, thus social media marketing has been key for any successful company and brand, who seeks to connect with this digitally dependant demographic.

PG 13

“Teenagers use each network with for different people, Twitter the wider friends. Instagram can include strangers and is used a little

differently. Facebook, on the other hand, has become the link with older family, or even older siblings who have gone to university.” ( 16 Year old

female interviewed)

ATTENTION AND TRENDS

Merely having a profile on one of these site creating content is not enough to ensure success thus marketers are constantly having to find new and innovative ways to connect with a generation that has ‘been there done that’ and has a short attention span. With media being everywhere and consuming our attention, we have grown a custom to ‘selective viewing’ or known in the academic world as ‘attention economics’ , an approach to the management of information, by which human attention is considered a scarce commodity (Beller 2006, p. 301). Thus companies now have to find new ways to get in front of what people are already paying attention to, if only for a moment or long enough to make impact with the viewer; instead of trying to get people to shift their attention towards them.

“…in an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes.

What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it” (Simon Anderson quoted in

Cronin, p. 268 ).

One way marketers stay in the loop is by being up to date with the latest trends which provide invaluable insight into a target market. However herein lies the problem, with the internet continually gathering data, one researcher estimating it will grow 300 times by 2020 (Childress, S 2014),

It becomes difficult for marketers to figure out who to target with which ads and when; so companies are turning to computer models to analyse these massive pools of information, and using these conclusions about a demographics’ moods and personality, marketers can predict and influence your next purchase. Theorist suggests that in this economy, “You are what you like, so endorsing a product or person says something about yourself, as well as enhance your social status, build your self-esteem and with enough likes and followers start a business”, as a result corporations add social media into their marketing plan (PBS Frontline, 2014), and many lucrative career opportunities being created in this media saturated time.

PG 14

THE POWER OF AUDIENCE MEASUREMENTS

That being said companies these days who have access to and control of these platforms have the “largest most powerful source of information about human behaviour that anyone has ever had in human history,” said Mark Andrejevic, deputy director for the University of Queensland’s Centre for Critical and Cultural Studies in Australia (Childress, S 2014).

At the psychometrics centre at the University of Cambridge, deputy director Michal Kosinski is building a computer model that could tell him, with 60 percent accuracy — based only on a person’s Facebook “likes” — whether their parents divorced before they were 21, and with 88 percent accuracy, whether a man was gay (Childress, S 2014).

The model found that people who liked “science” and “Mozart” tended to have high IQs, which isn’t so surprising, but there was similar results in those who liked “curly fries” and “Morgan Freeman’s voice”(Childress, S 2014). While there is no scientific correlation between curly fries and your IQ, the model does find patterns that lead to fairly accurate predictions. Just imagine how this data could be used in the commercial sector which could collect , analyse and combine your online activity to not only market to you directly, but combined with a customer’s purchasing history, zip code, demographic and other data that can predict what the customer will buy next.

Last month Apple submitted a patent application for new technology that could make inferences about people’s mood in real time, and moderate content due to a customer’s mood and level of receptiveness at any given time. In other news research conducted at Redmond University, used Twitter to predict major depression with 70 percent accuracy in user by analysing the time, content and frequency of their tweets; while also predicting with 71 percent accuracy whether a woman would develop post-partum depression based on her online behaviour before she delivered her child (Childress, S 2014). A frightening idea to think of or a revolution in data analysis, the true effect is yet to be seen.

CASE STUDY: HILLSONG AND MARKETING

Brian and Bobbie Houston founded Hills Christian Life Centre in Sydney in 1983 as a congregation of 45 but changed its name to Hillsong in 1999 to be associated with their successful music brand, thirty years on and Hillsong has churches in Amsterdam; Barcelona, Spain; Berlin; Cape Town; Copenhagen; Kiev, Ukraine; London; New York; Paris; and Stockholm, as well as multiple campuses in Australia and, now, an emergent congregation in Los Angeles, which preach in multiple languages including Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish. With 100, 000 members globally the phenomenon warrants a discussion of what they’ve done to see such dramatic growth, and Robbie Goh suggest it is due to its ‘megachurch’ title.

PG 15

Goh defines ‘megachurch’ as a congregation with at least 2000 weekly attendances, distinguished from older churches by their differing characteristics which include “a contemporary worship style prominently featuring electronic musical instruments and media, dynamic and charismatic speakers, services geared towards “seekers” rather than mature believers, international links and networks, informality in dress and atmosphere” (Goh, R.B.H 2006, pp. 287).

Goh goes on to state that megachurches like Hillsong also rely on particular semiotics and spatial practices that seeks to materialize some of the intangibles of the Christian experience, while foregrounding practices of size and presence; and is commonly dominated by relatively young and well- educated members (Goh, R.B.H 2006, pp. 290).

In 2011 nearly one out of every three Australian said their religious affiliation was either “no religion” or not stated, and 55,000 people indicated ‘Jedi’ as their religion in the 2006 census (Bailey, S.P 2013,) thus Hillsong’s continual growth was inconceivable. The church has become a phenomenon, capitalising on and in some cases shaping trends not only in evangelicalism but also in Christian youth culture, it success rare in a time when religion is struggling in a secular world , packing people into services in cities where faith seems out of fashion.

Ed Stetzer states that in “sensory stimulation, Hillsong’s productions rival any other contemporary form of entertainment”, Hillsong has become a magnet for young Christians looking for the ‘production values of a rock concert, the energy of a nightclub and the community of a megachurch’ (Paulson 2014). Hillsong’s brand also relied heavily on the success of their music, which makes Hillsong relevant and accessible to young people”; and is a key part in the global influence of Hillsong, as many of the people I spoke to said they were drawn by the music but have stayed because of the opportunity to stay with likeminded people, and be a part of the global community. One youth exclaiming to me that she wanted to “be part of something bigger than myself ”, bringing us back to the appeal of belonging to the youth demographic; a spokes person for Hillsong told me that the youth ministry contin-ues to grow everyday “ as more youth are looking for a place of worship to call home. Thats why there are no criteria’s for joining our church, it’s a ‘come as you are’ congregation, made up of people from all ages, cultures and backgrounds”.

Thus tying into their motto which states ‘Welcome home’, the company wanting to associate their church with the general association of home, being a place where you belong, a safe place with people that love you unconditionally, this psychological benefits is part of a mar-keting strategy in which a company creates values within a brand that a consumer wants to obtain or reflect, thus consumers buy into the brand for those exact reasons. These values are not only expressed in the central Australian campuses, but Hillsong ensures consistency throughout all global campuses, making sure each person has the same experience, as “each of them draws from the experience, branding, style, theology, and practices of the Australian churches, although indigenous pastors preach and teach their own unique style, keeping the brand experience consistent within a global network” (Stetzer, E 2014)

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Its marketing approach is simple, the Pentecostal church evangelise to the masses using the means and methods of corporate style marketing, with church leaders discussing growth strategy like any business consultants; the media savvy approach being the “nexus between theology and marketing” (Haynes, W & Wade, M 2014) which constantly needs to balance marketing with message. This is a battle many churches face today, ‘adapt of die out’, but Geoff Bentley of the Australian Christian Channel says that “If we’re (churches) not in the media, we’re not where the conversation is, so as Christians, if we’re not part of the picture, we’re missing out” (Hicks, R 2013). Head pastor Brian Houston say that the message “is the same, but our methods have to changed when referencing the way that we have approached the culture and style of our church services. We believe that the message of Jesus Christ is timeless – but our communication of it must change. Churches can no longer JUST preach to peoples’ Sundays. They must be relevant to their Mondays too” (Hicks, R 2013).

Lastly, successful churches in the 21st century are using current methods to grow and be relevant to the youth demographic and no medium is more prevalent in the 21st century than the use of apps, and the Hillsong app creates a unique user experience, a virtual magazine comprised of content from the social media streams, images, tweets and video’s concerning Hillsong, even accessed without a social media account. This app is a collection of all relevant data, the medium a perfect match as many key pastors and leaders are actively engaged in so-cial media, and the app brings together the stories of what’s happening in the church around the globe in a real-time and dynamic way. Within the first 24 hours of its launch there were over 10, 000 downloads of the app, and James Leggot, Hillsong’s Lead Web Designer (which I spoke to directly for this task) stated that he “wanted to create an app that not only kept our own local church connected to the heartbeat of our vision, but to also encourage people who are serving in their own local churches by giving them a glimpse inside of ours”; Leggot also revealed that an Ipad and Android version will be available soon (Schraeder, T 2012).

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Armstrong, G, Stewart, A, Denize, S & Kotler, P 2012, Principles of Marketing. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Australia

Bailey, S.P 2013, Australia’s Hillsong Church Exports Its Influence Through Praise and Preaching, Religion News Service, accessed 11 October 2014, http://www.religionnews.com/2013/11/04/australias-hillsong-church-exports-influence-praise-preaching/

Barker, M & D.I , Bormann , N.F & Neher, K.E 2013, Social Media Marketing : A Strategic Approach, Cenage Learning , USA

Beller, J 2006 , Interfaces: Studies in Visual Culture : Cinematic Mode of Production, Attention Economy and the Society of the Spectacle, University Press of New England, Lebanon, NH, USA, pp. 300 – 315

Childress, S 2014, The Future of Digital Marketing Is You, Frontline, accessed 12 October 2014, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/media/generation-like/the-future-of-digital-marketing-is-you/

Coles, L 2011, Marketing with Social Media: 10 East Steps to Success for Business, John Wiley & Sons, QLD, Australia Maslow, A.H 2013[1943], A Theory of Human Motivation, Wilder Publications Inc, p. 1 – 40

Cronin, A.M 2013, Publics and Publicity: Outdoor Advertising and Urban Space, in Public Space, Media Space, Palgrave, pp.265 – 276

Gauthier, F & Tuomas M 2013, Commoditized Spiritualities, in Religion in Consumer Soci-ety: Brands, Consumers and Markets, Ashgate Publishing, pp. 127 – 142

Goh, R.B.H 2006, Hillsong and “Megachurch” Practice: Semiotics, Spatial Logic and the Embodiment of Contemporary Evangelical Protestantism, Material Religion vol 4, No 3, pp. 284-305

Haynes, W & Wade, M 2014, At Hillsong, Religious Expression Is A Global Corporate Brand, The Conversation, accessed 21 October 2014, http://theconversation.com/at-hillsong-reli-gious-expression-is-a-global-corporate-brand-28765

Hicks, R 2013, Hillsong – Australia’s Most Powerful Brand, Mumbrella, accessed 11 October 2014, http://mumbrella.com.au/hillsong-australias-most-powerful-brand-104506

Leggott, J 2014, Contributor: James Leggott, in Hillsong Collected, accessed 21 October 2014, http://new.hillsongcollected.com/contributor/james-leggott

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Lindstrom, M & Seybold P.B 2003, Brand Child: Remarkable Insights Into the Minds of Today’s Global Kids and their Relationship with Brands, Martin Lindstrom and Individual Contributors, USA

PAULSON, M 2014, Megachurch With a Beat Lures a Young Flock, New York Times, accessed 9 October 2014,mobile.nytimes.com/2014/09/10/us/hillsong-megachurch-with-a-beat-lures-a-young-flock.html?_r=0&referrer=

PBS Frontline, 2014, Generation Like, ABC: Four Corners, accessed 11 October 2014, http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/stories/2014/07/21/4048106.htm

Schraeder, T 2012, A New Approach to A Church App from Down Under, Church Marketing Sucks, accessed 22 October 2014, http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/2012/06/a-new-ap-proach-to-a-church-app-from-down-under/

Stetzer, E 2014, Hillsong At A Glance, Christianity Today: The Exchange, accessed 7 October, http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/june/closer-look-at-hillsong-church.html

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