Brands of Faith: Marketing Religion in a Commercial
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Brands of Faith In a society overrun by commercial clutter, religion has become yet another product sold in the consumer marketplace. Faiths of all kinds must compete not only with each other, but with a myriad of more entertaining and more convenient leisure activities. Brands of Faith argues that in order to compete effectively faiths have had to become brands – easily recognizable symbols and spokespeople with whom religious prospects can make immediate connections. Mara Einstein shows how religious branding has expanded over the past twenty years to create a blended world of commerce and faith where the sacred becomes secular and the secular sacred. In a series of fascinating case studies of faith brands, she explores the signifi cance of branded church courses, such as Alpha and 40 Days of Purpose, the growth of mega- churches, and the popularity of televangelists like Joel Osteen and their counterpart television talk-show host Oprah Winfrey, as well as the rise of Kabbalah. She asks what the consequences of this religious marketing will be, and outlines the possible results of religious commercialism – good and bad. Repackaging religion – updating music, creating teen-targeted bibles – is justifi able and necessary. However, when the content becomes obscured, religion may lose its unique selling proposition – the very ability to raise us above the market. Mara Einstein is Associate Professor of Media Studies at Queens College as well as a professor at the business school at New York University. Prior to teaching, she worked as a marketing executive at NBC and MTV Networks as well as at a number of major advertising agencies. Religion, Media and Culture series Edited by Stewart M. Hoover, Jolyon Mitchell and David Morgan Religion, Media and Culture is an exciting series which analyses the role of media in the history of contemporary practice of religious belief. Books in this series explore the importance of a variety of media in religious practice and highlight the signifi cance of the culture, social and religious setting of such media. Religion in the Media Age Stewart M. Hoover The Lure of Images David Morgan Brands of Faith Mara Einstein Brands of Faith Marketing religion in a commercial age Mara Einstein First published 2008 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library,2007. “To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge’s collection of thousands of eBooks please go to www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk.” © 2008 Mara Einstein All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Einstein, Mara. Brands of faith : marketing religion in a commercial age / Mara Einstein. p. cm. – (Religion, media, and culture) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Church marketing. 2. Religious institutions–Marketing. I. Title. BV652.23.E56 2007 306.6–dc22 2007012061 ISBN 0-203-93887-9 Mastere-bookISBN ISBN10: 0–415–40976–4 (hbk) ISBN10: 0–415–40977–2 (pbk) ISBN10: 0–203–93887–9 (ebk) ISBN13: 978–0–415–40976–6 (hbk) ISBN13: 978–0–415–40977–3 (pbk) ISBN13: 978–0–203–93887–4 (ebk) To my daughter, Cayla, in whom daily I see the wonders of the Universe Contents Series editors’ preface viii Preface ix 1 Introduction 1 2 The changing religious marketplace 16 3 The business of religion 37 4 Branding faith 67 5 The course to God 95 6 The new televangelists 120 7 Kabbalah: marketing designer spirituality 147 8 The politics of faith brands 173 9 Has religious marketing gone too far? 192 Notes 211 References 221 Index 236 Series editors’ preface Media, Religion and Culture is a series of interdisciplinary volumes which analyze the role of media in the history and contemporary practice of religious belief. Books in this series scrutinize the importance of a variety of media in religious practice: from lithographs and fi lm to television and the internet. Studies from all over the world highlight the signifi cance of the cultural, social and religious setting of such media. Rather than thinking of media purely as instruments for information delivery, volumes in this series contribute in various ways to a new paradigm of understanding media as an integral part of lived religion. Employing a variety of methods, authors investigate how practices of belief take shape in the production, distribution, and reception of mediated communication. Stewart M. Hoover, University of Colorado Jolyon Mitchell, University of Edinburgh David Morgan, Valparaiso University Preface The line in front of the Kabbalah Centre that cold winter day snaked far down the block and around the corner. People stood two and three deep trying to get to the registration tables, which were adorned with stands of blue and white balloons and oversized heaters—a futile attempt to ward off the bitter cold. Dozens of volunteers assisted people in fi lling out registration cards for the free open house. “Come, come, come,” they said, madly waving their hands in an attempt to move the lines along more quickly. Someone handed me a card that asked how I had learned about the event (should I say Madonna sent me?) and, more importantly, how I could be contacted in the future. (Naively, I thought the e-mail address was the key piece of information they were looking for. I would soon learn, however, that it was my phone number that would provide a source of never-ending sales opportunities.) Once the registration card was completed, a bright yellow band was attached to my wrist and I proceeded to walk through the Centre’s doors, which were guarded by two seriously oversized men—de rigueur post-September 11 New York City. Inside I was greeted by another volunteer who explained where the lectures would take place. However, before reaching the lecture halls, I had to pass through the bookstore—a marketing gauntlet fi lled with the latest tomes written by the Centre’s teachers. Hundreds of books, representing dozens of titles, were prominently displayed on three center tables. Along the periphery of the room was an array of ancillary products connected with Kabbalah. These included the ever-pervasive red string—now worn by the aforementioned Madonna, as well as Ashton Kutcher and even one of the Queer Eye guys—which, when tied onto the left wrist by a member of the Centre who says the appropriate blessing, is a means to ward off the evil eye. This string is available with an accompanying book for $26 or with a CD for $36. There were also candles, cards, mezuzahs, and even Kabbalah Water, claimed to be so charged with positive energy that it even changed the molecular structure of the water at Chernobyl, thus reducing the level of nuclear damage. I don’t know if this is true, but that’s what I was told again and again. This water could be mine for a mere $2 a bottle. x Preface Making my way up the two fl ights of stairs and into the lectures, I found the rooms fi lled to overfl owing with people of all ages and all levels of understanding. Some people were at the Centre for the fi rst time, trying to fi gure out what this Kabbalah thing was all about. Others came because they wanted the teachings but didn’t want to pay the steep prices for them. (The introductory course, a prerequisite for all subsequent classes, is the most expensive at $270 for a ten-week course or one all-day event.) Still others came because they thought there would be free food. “Last year, they had a nice buffet. This is very disappointing,” explained an elderly woman next to me. The lectures themselves, while informative, were only slightly veiled sales pitches for enrolling people in the spring catalog of classes. Beyond the basic coursework of Kabbalah 101 and 102, classes included Fears, Phobias & Anxiety, 12 Steps to Lasting Love, and Mastering Negativity. Each lecture began with a gushing introduction by a Centre member who described the lecturer/teacher’s qualifi cations, followed by an explanation of the subject to be discussed. Each session concluded with additional praise for the lecturer and an imperative to the audience to sign up right away, because a 15 percent discount was available “today only.” Volunteers (again!) waited patiently at tables throughout the Centre, eager to get you started on your path of kabbalistic learning, and equally eager to accept your cash, check, or MasterCard. As people waited to sign up for classes, I heard one woman say in a tentative voice barely above a whisper, “I’m not Jewish…is that okay?” The volunteer responded, “Sure. I’m not Jewish either.” From enlightenment to enterprise How did we get here? How did a once esoteric, Jewish tradition become a religious commodity? How did Kabbalah get to be a pop culture phenomenon instead of a serious religious practice? How did it turn into a product for enterprise and entertainment instead of enlightenment? It was these types of questions that led me to pursue a study of the interrelationship between religion and marketing.