Through a Glass Darkly: IMC’s Applicability in Religious Organisations

The relation between religion and advertising/marketing/communication is a two-way street. Advertising may use religious symbols to be more effective, and just like any other organisation, a religious body needs marketing, advertising and communication to develop. What works for any business also has to work for religious organizations. The first three sections of this conceptual research describe the main concepts: religion, religions, and integrated marketing communications (IMC) and its four stages of development. We conclude by drawing these two strands – religion and advertising – together. On the one hand religion and advertising make uneasy bedfellows, yet on the other, pressing needs must inexorably lead to change, and in some cases, the world of business communications has been embraced wholeheartedly even by apparently spiritually-motivated organisations. Based on hard-nosed objective evidence from the world of business – of which all religions are part – we recommend the recommendation of marketing concept, with its current brand-driven communication process, i.e.that of integrated marketing communications always and irrevocably predicated upon a sound understanding of the dynamics of served markets.

Keywords: Religion, Advertising, Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC), Marketing Concept, Dynamics of Served Markets.