Understanding religious and cultural traditions can make or break an advertising campaign. Knowing how to appeal to an individual or community’s sense of tradition, symbolism and beliefs about how the world functions creates effective advertising and marketing. Not understanding themes found offensive in various faiths and cultures can make a campaign fail or create backlash in those communities.
Advertising is about understanding the psychology of the audience, understanding what people believe, why they believe it and what it means to them.
Understanding religious and cultural themes helps craft advertising, whether to a specific religious demographic or a mainstream audience.
Religious products, from Christian-themed movies and cartoons, to books and T-shirts, are a growing market. Also growing is designing campaigns for religious institutions, whether congregations, denominations or faiths, to establish a “brand,” as well as advertising agencies devoted to particular faiths and faith markets. Six in 10 Americans say religion is “very important” in their lives. Advertising specifically to and for religious communities will be a continued trend.