Religions as Brands

During the twentieth century, religion has gone on the market place. Churches and religious groups are forced to 'sell god' in order to be attractive to 'religious consumers'. More and more, religions are seen as 'brands' that have to be recognizable to their members and the general public. What does this do to religion? How do religious groups and believers react? What is the consequence for society as a whole? This book brings together some of the best international specialists from marketing, sociology and economics in order to answer these and similar questions. The interdisciplinary book treats new developments in three fields that have hitherto evolved rather independently: the commoditization of religion, the link between religion and consumer behavior, and the economics of religion. By combining and cross-fertilizing these three fields, the book shows just what happens when religions become brands.

PART I: Introduction 1 Religions as Brands: New Perspectives on the Marketization of Religion and Spirituality
Jörg Stolz and Jean-Claude Usunier 2 "9591": The Global Commoditization of Religions through GATS, WTO, and Marketing Practices Jean-Claude Usunier PART II: Marketing and Branding Religion and Spirituality 3 The International Christian Fellowship (ICF): A Sociological Analysis of Religious Event Management Olivier Favre 4 Branding, Music, and Religion: Standardization and Adaptation in the Experience of the "Hillsong Sound" Thomas Wagner 5 The Marketing of Spiritual Services and the Role of the Religious Entrepreneur Markus Hero 6 Non-fortuitous Limits to the Concept of Branding in the Popularizing of "Justly Balanced Islam" in France Jason Dean 7 Healing by Islam: Adoption of a Prophetic Rite-roqya-by Salafists in France and Belgium Hanifa Touag PART III: Religious and Spiritual Consuming 8 Adding Imaginative Value: Religion, Marketing, and the Commodification of Social Action Jochen Hirschle 9 Is There Such a Thing as Religious Brand Loyalty? Haytham Siala 10 How Religious Affiliation Grouping Influences Sustainable Consumer Behavior Findings Elizabeth Stickel-Minton PART IV: Economic Analyses of Religious Phenomena 11 Sources of Religious Pluralism: Revisiting the Relationship between Pluralism and Participation Roger Finke and Christopher P. Scheitle 12 Authority and Freedom: Economics and Secularization Steve Bruce 13 The "Business Model" of the Temple of Jerusalem: Jewish Monotheism as a Unique Selling Proposition Philippe Simonnot