Is atheism the ultimate challenger brand?
Recently, a London based atheist group called the British Humanist Association set out to raise funds for an ad campaign. The kind of ad campaign that goes on the side of bus to be exact. They had a modest goal, £5,500 for placement of the ad which was to read; “There probably is no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy life”.
What happened next was a challenger brands dream scenario. The campaign grabbed the attention of some prominent figures, most noticeably Professor Richard Dawkins. The original budget of £5,500 was reached in a matter of hours and by the 7th of Jan 2009 more than £140,000 had been raised.
What’s more, the campaign has received publicity from many major news sources and has generated a huge amount of internet chatter on social sites like Digg and Reddit. This article is adding to that noise of course.
Beliefs, and that includes atheism, are essentially brands. Christianity is to Coca-Cola what Islam is to Pepsi. The difference, of course, is that the pedlars of belief are not selling a temporary sugar and caffeine hit. They are asking for a lifetime of loyalty in exchange for happiness in this life and possibly beyond. Beliefs force you to take sides. To stand up and pledge allegiance to your chosen brand.
In the case of atheism the brand is the new kid on the block, the challenger. Like any good challenger brand it is positioning itself as standing up to the establishment and using a grass roots movement to gain notoriety. It has a much smaller budget than the market leaders but they have learned how to use clever, thought provoking, advertising to develop a campaign with a viral effect. Challengers, unlike their competition, have to be more creative with their messages. They need to create a compelling case.
The atheists have their work cut out for them. The customers in the the belief market are cautious. They are going to think through the options in great detail. They will weigh up all of the pros and cons, ask friends and family and probably try out a couple of options before making a final choice. As they should. After all, it is a high value purchase.
There's probably no god
Further reading:
‘Strategic Marketing Planning’ (Second Edition) by Peter Reed has a good reference in Chapter 4 on pg109
Posted 2 March 2009 in Advertising, Creativity, Direct Branding, Features, Internet, Market Trends, Marketing, Social Networking, by
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