The Marketing of Alpha

April 22, 2005 by

This article explores the marketing of the Alpha Course, and while it intially seems to mock the “slick, contemporary marketing,” by the end you realize the effective story of Alpha wins the day. The real marketing of Alpha isn’t their slick brochures or bus ads, it’s the way they designed the program. They offer a meal to make it easier for people to attend and they foster an environment that welcomes questions.

Often real success doesn’t depend on a cleverly designed postcard or witty tagline—it comes down to all the forethought and planning.

Post By:

Kevin D. Hendricks


When Kevin isn't busy as the editor of Church Marketing Sucks, he runs his own writing and editing company, Monkey Outta Nowhere. Kevin has been blogging since 1998, runs the hyperlocal site West St. Paul Reader, and has published several books, including 137 Books in One Year: How to Fall in Love With Reading, The Stephanies and all of our church communication books.
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One Response to “The Marketing of Alpha”

  • Joel Parsons
    April 23, 2005

    Having been involved in four alpha courses, I totally agree. The marketting is slick until you get in the door, once you get in the door, it is all about the comfortable, welcoming environment and real warm relationships. The marketing simply serves to make it easier for Christians to ask their friends.
    On a tangential note, a complaint against the Alpha Course for religious vilification has just become public in Victoria. The reaction of Alpha Australia is very interesting, whereas other Christian groups to fall afoul of this law have hit the press in the big way, Alpha are keeping their mouths shut hoping to be vindicated in the court and waiting for the press to come to them.
    What do you think a Christian group under legal attack should do?


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