Abstract
The issue of the use of marketing tools by religious organisations is a research problem because for moral reasons, churches declare that they do not use marketing communication explicitly. In religious circles, marketing tends to be associated with unethical practices, especially public relations, which in practice can be associated with propaganda. A careful analysis of the activities carried out by churches shows that many marketing communication methods and tools are used by religious organisations. To be successful, companies must identify the basic elements determining customer satisfaction and meet them more effectively than their competitors. At the same time, it is not about one-off transactions, but about building long-term relationships. This model is also slowly finding acceptance in religious circles, despite arguments that satisfying individual needs will be at the expense of church doctrine or will result in long-standing church traditions being abandoned and replaced by pop-cultural attitudes. The article discusses the specificity of building the brand image of the Catholic Church in Poland and the use of modern marketing tools in this process. It also presents the results of the authors’ research, which leads to the final conclusions verifying the research hypotheses set out in the research methodology. The article aims to initiate a wider discussion on the controversial topic of implementing commercial marketing tools into the image management processes of the Catholic Church. The conducted research results indicate the need for a change in the perception of the Catholic Church in Poland of the communication processes leading to the building and strengthening of its image. A major challenge for the Catholic Church in Poland seems to be changing the attitudes of non-believers towards the Catholic Church.
Highlights
IntroductionNo well organised company that wants to remain in a demanding and competitive market can afford not to have marketing and public relations specialists within its structures
Accepted: 18 January 2022No well organised company that wants to remain in a demanding and competitive market can afford not to have marketing and public relations specialists within its structures.Today, they help companies and a wide range of institutions and social organisations, such as trade unions, government agencies, charities, foundations, hospitals, educational and religious institutions
In view of the numerous issues currently faced by religious organisations, including churches and religious associations, the question arises whether specialised public relations groups should not be an essential element, well embedded in their structures
Summary
No well organised company that wants to remain in a demanding and competitive market can afford not to have marketing and public relations specialists within its structures. Churches must constantly be concerned about retaining current members or be concerned about attracting new ones It was already proven many years ago that using the tools necessary to build an organisation’s brand or using the means the most commonly used in public relations serve religious organisations in a positive way. The highly regarded definition of marketing used by churches is “the analysis, planning and management of voluntary exchange between a church or religious organisation and its constituents for the purpose of satisfying the needs of both parties It concentrates on the analysis of constituents’ needs, developing programs to meet these needs, providing these programs at the right time and place, communicating effectively with constituents, and attracting the resources needed to underwrite the activities of the organization” (Stevens et al 2005). Hayes 2007; Conrad 2008; Anghelutǎ et al 2009; Okae-Anti 2011; Tilson 2011; Sundstrom 2012; Mathew and Ogedebe 2012; Appiah et al 2013; Nwosu and Uffoh 2016; Okon 2017; Junianto 2018; Wiesenberg 2020)
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