Church advertising and the marketization of religious hegemony

Abstract

This paper contributes to the research on the symbiotic relationship between religion and the market by examining the nature and implications of the marketization of religion in a contemporary Christendom in which religion and the market are hegemonic. Based on our analysis of 3741 church advertisements in Ghana over a 6-year period, we conceptualize three symbiotic relationships that coexist between the market and religion—commensalism, mutualism, and competition. We argue that these symbiotic relationships mirror how religion hegemonizes popular imagination and members’ consumption through marketization in contemporary Christendom. This study extends our understanding of the dialectical relationship between religion and the market by showing that religion can use marketization to perpetuate its hegemony within and beyond the market.

Religion's influence on consumption: A life course paradigm perspective

“…A growing body of research shows the important influences of religion on consumer behavior (e.g., Arli et al, 2020; Choi et al, 2010; Hamelin et al, 2018; Lindridge, 2005; Minton, Bret, & Upadhyaya, 2018; Raggiotto et al, 2018; Souiden et al, 2018). However, this research almost exclusively examines a consumer's religious beliefs at one point in time and generalizes findings throughout a consumer's lifetime (for an exception, see Appau & Yang, 2023). This is a key issue with prior research because it does not accurately inform religion's influence on consumption overall, which makes it more challenging for marketers to find consistent effects of incorporating religion into segmentation practices or strategic decision making when considering product design, marketing communication development, or postpurchase support.…”

Navigating Religious Hegemony and Human Rights Based on KUHP: Al-Zaytun's Controversial Case

“…In line with this, Qurrat-Ul-ain (2023) shows that cultural elements such as regional cultural symbols also play an essential role in religious hegemony on a national scale that occurs in minority communities. In a different context, Appau and Yang (2023) show examples of the application of religious hegemony on a narrow scale, as occurs in Christianity. Appau and Yang explain that in the dynamics of Christianization, several Christian majority groups use the church as a place to support commercialism, mutualism, and competition in the market.…”