Does Religion Have A Place In Marketing?

Do religion and marketing mix? Does the question itself shock you

? If you're like many people, you've never given any thought to the concept of companies adding to their marketing message with a religious one and have never seen an advertising campaign of the sort. However, if you have across one of these ads before you may have loved it or hated it, but chances are that you had some kind of reaction. While it's not as common of a theme in advertising or marketing as say, youth or status, mixing the religious with the commercial is something which does happen - and everyone seems to have their own take on the concept.

A Stroke Of Genius Or An Act Of Sacrilege?

Regardless of what you may think about the idea of incorporating religious symbolism or messages into marketing campaigns, there is certainly a small demographic who will respond positively to these campaigns. Surveys indicate that there are some consumers who appreciate the inclusion of religious themes in advertising campaigns, seeing them as an attempt to reach out to religious people by the advertiser. Of course, this begs the question of whether or not such inclusion is appropriate, which many people, whether or not they count themselves as religious would answer no to.

According to these surveys, the majority of people who describe themselves as very religious actually find these sorts of campaigns offensive - and so do many people who either describe themselves as moderately religious to not religious. Clearly, a majority of consumers find the use of religious messages or imagery in advertising to be a turn-off; so why do so many companies persist in mixing the spiritual with the commercial?

WWJS?

There is a growing trend among companies to reach out to people of faith and obviously, regardless of their religious affiliation or lack of same, all of us are consumers - and some businesses see reaching out to the faithful as a growth opportunity. However, the vast majority of these attempts have fallen flat thus far. Take, for instance, the auto dealership in Minnesota which used a billboard referencing the crucifixion and resurrection to promote their business. In bad taste? Undoubtedly. While this billboard managed to get the attention of passing motorists, it didn't do a lot for the company in terms of actually driving sales - and though on some level, there is no such thing as bad publicity, this particular advertisement managed to leave a bad taste in the mouths of many who saw it.

Can Religious Imagery Ever Be Used Successfully In Advertising?

There have indeed been some successful campaigns which have used religious imagery. For example, you probably remember the Xerox "Monk" campaign of the 1970s. Why was this campaign a success while the aforementioned auto dealership's use of the crucifixion in its billboard a failure? In this case, it was a matter of using religious themes in a tasteful way which did not promote (or defame) any particular religion or denomination. One print ad from this campaign featured a monk along with the slogan "The duplicators for those who appreciate the virtues of simplicity". The ads were tasteful, lighthearted in tone and most importantly, they communicated the virtues of the product rather than attempting to get a religious message across. It's an important distinction which businesses would do well to remember.

The real issue here is that consumers are interested in the product or service you're selling, not your religious faith. Unless you're advertising for a house of worship or religious organization, there's really no place for promoting religion while trying to make a sale - and as many who have tried to do this have found out the hard way, it's not an effective means of closing the deal. Personally, I see these marketing campaigns as proselytizing, not advertising; and even though a religious-themed campaign can indeed get attention, you shouldn't expect it to increase sales or for that matter, leave a positive impression of your business. Religion is a matter for the private, not public sphere - and it definitely doesn't belong in the world of business.

by: Duncan Wierman

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