Rebranding, restyling and rewriting - the transformation of Jehovah's Witnesses

by Gorbatchov 27 Replies latest jw friends

  • Gorbatchov
    Gorbatchov

    Dear friends,

    A few weeks I am thinking about what's going on with the religion we are focust on, Jehovah's witnesses.

    What I see is:

    - a rebranding of the religion's organization: just like Rutherford rebranded the Bible students into Jehovah's Witnesses,

    there is now a rebranding of Jehovah's Witness into Jehovah's Witness 2.0: JW.ORG

    Reading about why your company should rebrand, one reason is on top: financial. When a market declines there is the need to rebrand.

    - a restyling of the corporation's look-and-feel: a transformation just like the marketing professionals should advise: from push to pull.

    No more flooding the world with magazines mostly thrown away directly after recieving it, unread.

    Rebranding professionals would advise the way it has to be done: the world wide web. Open a new, fresh and transparant website for your custommers.

    - a rewriting of the religions history: it was announced at de 2012 District Convention here in The Netherlands, prior to the release of part 1 of the witness history DVD when the speaker told the remarkeble words "Jehovahs' witnesses are not readers of thick books like the Proclaimers book. That's why the Society announces a DVD serie with the highlights of our history".

    When rebranding and restyling, a corporation has to delete, to burn, their black pages in history. Because it is 'the momentum'. If you are chancing, you have to do it good and perfect. Don't let the black pages in history influence your new branding.

    So, reading a lot about rebranding, I think I have to congretulate the Watchtower managementteam. They did the right thing on the right time. From their point of view. From a company point of view.

    Gorby

  • Separation of Powers
    Separation of Powers

    Gorbatchov

    I agree completely. I must say, however, that many companies that decide to rebrand have experienced tremendous blowback and have paid dearly. Case in point, CocaCola and their desire to "update" the taste of Coke. It was a disaster plain and simple. I believe many of the changes the ORG is making and the many more to come as a result will be too much for a lot of people. We will soon see.

    SOP

  • wallsofjericho
    wallsofjericho

    good perspective

  • braincleaned
    braincleaned

    GREAT post! Yes!

  • EdenOne
    EdenOne

    I entirely agree. We're seeing a rebranding unfolding. But I bet there's more to come, doctrinally speaking. Wait until the rebranding is more or less ingrained...

    Eden

  • Vidiot
    Vidiot

    Gorbatchov - "...Open a new, fresh and transparant website for your customers..."

    You're right; JW.org is admittedly "new" and "fresh".

    It's even "transparent" inasmuch as the deafsterbation video transparently reveals just how embarassing many of the Org's views are.

    But don't make the mistake of thinking the WTS is embracing genuine, authentic transparency with regards to the functioning of the heirarchy, its finances, and internal policies - the truly important things.

    That sort of thing only comes with progressive reform, which has been off the table since the late 70s; if they truly implemented it, they would arguably no longer be Jehovah's Witnesses.

    The package looks shiny and new, but the product is still the same.

  • RayPublisher
    RayPublisher

    I agree Gorbie. Only a week ago I said something similar:

    ---

    I have decided to start using "JW.org" interchangeably with Watchtower Organization, Watchtower Society, etc. for the simple reason that the WT is currently re-branding itself and phasing out the word "Watchtower" more and more. They are even putting up stores with "JW.org" on the side of them now. Not JW, not WT, but that.

    Their letters are usually signed:

    I predict that in the next five years the word "Watchtower" will not appear anywhere in their new writings, magazines, books, Kingdom Halls, etc.

  • cofty
    cofty

    Great post Gorby, I totally agree with you.

    This is why internet archives of the real Watchtower history are preserved.

  • prologos
    prologos

    it will work if the lower managers aka elders are given enough incentives , rewards, power, prestige and if these

    swallow hard to become even more success- directed and

    less spiritual in the sense of the Jesus-teaching -ideal.

  • Vidiot
    Vidiot

    RayPublisher - "...the WT is currently re-branding itself and phasing out the word 'Watchtower' more and more."

    Well, considering that in the real world, watchtowers have often been associated with - not to put too fine a point on it - prison camps...

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