Chantelle Benjamin
13 November 2009
Johannesburg — RESEARCH shows religion sells products , and companies should make sure they are not missing an important marketing opportunity by not taking advantage of this new trend, Rob van Rooyen, strategic planning director for McCann Erickson SA, said yesterday.
It used to be that politics and religion were the two subjects that were never discussed at polite dinner tables, but US President Barack Obama made the former attractive, and now trend analysts believe that religion and its growing popularity is something companies cannot afford to ignore.
A case in point in SA has been CellC's successful g ospel life starter pack campaign that allows consumers to download gospel music to their cellphones.
Van Rooyen was outlining the latest trends affecting marketing and brand communication, which include the fact that religion is no longer forbidden ground.
"Religion and the 'support' of various religious groups has often been a wary domain for commercial businesses, although what we are now starting to see it is an area businesses can't afford to ignore. Religion and its uptake is an increasing trend and by affiliating with various groups the rewards can be great," he said.
Van Rooyen said his company's research found that dating sites catering for particular religious affiliations were doing "remarkably well". Dating sites for Christians, Muslim and Jews are doing well in SA. Even religion-based travel sites, such as religioustraveldirectory.com , which offers everything from a trip to the Oberammergau passion play next year to religious timeshare to package tours to restaurants, were doing remarkably well.
Van Rooyen said one of the biggest searches on the travel directory site was people looking for Christian hotels to stay at during next year's Soccer World Cup.
"The numbers behind this would astound you," he told businesses yesterday at a briefing in Johannesburg. A good example of the useful and financially lucrative blend between religion and business is to be found in ZOK, one of only a handful of the Zion Christian Church's (ZCC's) commercial deals.
ZOK is an acronym derived from the first letters of the three partners in a joint venture, the ZCC, Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. Also involved are Absa Bank, Blue Label Investments and Vodacom .
ZOK offers products ranging from airtime to groceries, which are sold from ZOK containers that are placed in rural areas.
The potential for such a deal becomes obvious when one considers that the two congregations of the ZCC, led by grandsons of the founder, have several million followers between them.
"It's important when looking at pairing a brand with religion that there be transparency and authenticity or it won't succeed," Van Rooyen said.
Ironically, in light of the power of religious branding, another trend that has emerged is the move towards more risqué advertising. This suggests that society is becoming a lot more accepting of sex in advertising, with adverts by Diesel, Steers and overseas brand American Apparel using sex to sell.
However, Van Rooyen warned that, incorrectly applied, this advertising ploy can backfire.
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