“I Will Make You Fishers of Men” – Matthew 4:19

By: Steve Mamanella

Senior Strategist, KP Consulting Group

In Honor of National Seafood Month:
“I Will Make You Fishers of Men” – Matthew 4:19

The first time I enjoyed fried fish as a child probably was at a Long John Silver’s. 

The ubiquitous quick-serve seafood restaurant and I share a birth year – 1969. And because I have always been a fast food brand nerd, I have followed the chain’s ups and downs with interest over the years.

Today I use Long John Silver’s as a case study in my KP Consulting Group (KPC) brand development and messaging workshops for Catholic parishes, schools and other ministries. 

Unfortunately, Long John Silver’s is a study on how NOT to develop one’s brand identity. The restaurant’s brand – its “charism,” so to speak – is a hot fried mess.

Have a Consistent Voice

Long John Silver’s branding got my attention in 2019 when I clicked on its website’s “Locations” tab and read the passive-aggressive exclamation in all capital letters: “YES, WE STILL EXIST!” 

I remember thinking this was odd messaging for a restaurant chain with nearly 500 U.S. locations.

The cheeky wording also was inconsistent with the rest of the content on the Long John Silver’s website, which otherwise did not take a self-deprecating tone. 

The lesson: Your ministry’s brand should have a distinct voice. Ensure that your voice is always consistent. Don’t send confusing, off-tone mixed messages.

Live Up to Your Brand Promise

My Long John Silver’s case study also notes the chain’s inability to live up to its own brand promise. 

In short, a brand promise articulates what’s distinctive about your brand, and it lays out what customers should expect to receive when they experience your brand’s products and services. In other words, through this and this and this and this that your ministry or apostolate offers or provides, then those you serve will get/feel/understand… what exactly?

The Long John Silver’s brand promise essentially is this: “Since our launch in 1969, Long John Silver’s mission has been to make the unique seafood experience from the coasts accessible to everyone. Your treasure awaits. Seas every moment!”

If you have eaten at Long John Silver’s, does that brand promise – a unique seafood experience like those on the coasts – resonate with your experience? Was it a “treasure”? I would wager that it probably was not. It may have not even come close.

The lesson: When you craft a brand promise, make certain it’s realistic. Think what you will of Walmart, but its brand promise is grounded in reality: “Save money. Live better.” That’s clear, relatable wording. Ministries of the Church should go and do likewise with relevant, faith-oriented language.

Lessons from the Ham-Handed Chicken Emphasis

Now, fast forward to October 2025.

Headlines on the web note that Long John Silver’s has changed its logo. The chain’s traditional fish logo is now… a chicken?

“This brand was built on making the coastal experience accessible to everyone, so seafood will always be a part of our DNA,” the marketing lead for Long John Silver’s was quoted as saying. “But chicken is also part of our heritage – and a big part of our future – so it deserves its rightful place on our logo, our menu, and our guests’ tables.”

Reporters noted the logo change likely was just a marketing gimmick, like in 2018 when IHOP – the International House of Pancakes – announced it was temporarily changing its name to IHOB (the International House of Burgers) to promote its lunch and dinner offerings. 

And yet, even if it is just a short-term gimmick, it seemed odd to me that Long John Silver’s didn’t go “all in” with the change. 

After the news stories broke, the website’s lengthy “About Us” page continued to make no mention of chicken. It led off with “Our Brand Philosophy,” which categorically expresses its unique and longstanding brand connection to fish: “We treat every moment as an opportunity to celebrate the food we love the most from the place we love most – the sea,” it stressed.  

When the webpage later brags (in very small type) “We’re no one trick sea pony,” I thought this would be where chicken would enter the conversation. Alas, no: “Sure, we’ve got the classic fried fish and chips you love,” the narrative continued, “but now we’ve got delicious new grilled seafood options to add to our menu of delica-seas.”

Surely, then, I imagined the “News” section of the Long John Silver’s website would stress the chain’s new affection for chicken. But there are zero mentions of chicken in the News section of the site as of this writing.

In fact, the site’s most recent news item highlights that October – the very month of the chain’s new-found chicken emphasis – happens to be National Seafood Month.

Could Long John Silver’s have chosen a worse month to cluck about its chicken identity? 

The lesson: When communicating about your ministry, stay aligned and coherent. Pay close attention to the many messages your ministry may be communicating simultaneously.

Casting the Nets

Communicating about your ministry’s charism – the ways in which it lives out the Gospel mandate – can seem a daunting challenge.

Sometimes it may feel like you have been fishing all night, and nothing is biting. At times, the apostles felt similarly. 

But with faith, forethought, commitment, perseverance and relentlessness, you will catch fish. Christ Himself has promised it!

KP Consulting Group is here to help give you the inspiration and the tools to mend your nets and get them back into the water pronto.

Don’t wait. After all, it’s National Seafood Month!