What’s in A Name? Rebranding Campus Crusade for Christ Australia as A Means of Increasing Common Identity

This project will investigate reasons for Campus Crusade for Christ Australia (CCCA) changing its name. First, it will be shown that having multiple names within the same organization can negatively influence the organization’s impact, both currently and into the future. Its subsidiary ministries all have different names and being known by multiple names has been an issue for CCCA. Second, it will be shown that a name, if carrying negative connotations for a new generation, can also have negative impacts on ministry. An unpopular name is an issue for CCCA, primarily due to negative connotations of “crusade” within an Australian context. Third, it will be shown that while CCCA has exhibited unity until now, the entire process of forging a new name can produce even deeper cohesion. This last point is not a reason for change, in the absence of other factors. The combination of the three reasons becomes a very positive reason to explore change.

What’s in a name? A name can have either a positive or negative effect on branding and crossover, seriously reducing overall impact. It can have either a positive or negative effect in terms of cultural perceptions, which change over time. It can also have a positive effect (all other things being equal), in helping to forge a new sense of “self” with a common story, and this last point, in particular, will inform the way this project has been conducted. Since the process itself is important, significant attention has been paid to interventions, using a Qualitative Research Approach and utilizing an Appreciative Inquiry lens. The interventions were initiated in January 2014, with conclusions concerning their effectiveness being made in October and November of the same year. While, for legal reasons, a new name has yet to be implemented, the organization has begun to develop a common story and common identity. A process is underway for a new name and a new sense of cohesion within this organization.