Category: Religious Merchandising

Catholics angry as celebrities hijack rosary beads as a fashion statement

Catholics are outraged after discovering rosary beads – sacred jewellery used in prayer – are being flaunted as a fashion statement.

The strings of beads with a cross are now as likely to be found in cheap jewellery stores as they are in a church, with fashion franchise Diva selling three styles of a rosary necklace with a silver cross pendant for $14.99 each.

The beads are a hit with teenagers, but national president for the Catholic Women’s League Australia, Madge Fahy, said it was inappropriate for people to wear them as jewellery.

Young, connected and Muslim

Muslims are predicted to account for 30% of the world’s population by 2025 — and marketers are taking note.

In a cover story Marketing Week writes: “Muslim consumers are a growing, influential and extremely loyal group, making them a desirable market for mainstream brands. But reaching them requires more than launching Sharia-compliant products. Making inroads to this sector takes deep understanding of the values of this community and building the brand from there.”

Chinese jeans bearing name of God anger Iranians

jeans A Chinese clothing manufacturer probably thought it was on to a winner by exporting jeans bearing the Islamic expression “In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful” to Iran.

But an otherwise sound marketing ploy was undone by one embarrassing flaw: the phrase (Bismillah-ir-Rahman-ir-Rahim in Arabic), which graces each of the Qur’an‘s 114 chapters, was prominently displayed on the pockets of the jeans’ backsides, something likely to be seen as disrespectful by devout Muslims.

Incidentally, Buddhists have been similarly unamused at the use of their religion by merchants. So have Hindus.

Atheists marketing their way into the mainstream

Atheism “If there were no religious advertising, there would be no atheist advertising,” said Ariane Sherine in a phone conversation from her home in London. Sherine is a journalist who spearheaded the idea for ads saying, “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”

From a marketing perspective, however, the problem with the atheist brand may be that it is essentially selling nothing; not God, but no God.

Buddhist group protests, symbolically seals Buddha Bar in Indonesia

Buddha Bar About 200 Buddhist students held a peaceful protest rally outside an outlet of the international franchise Buddha Bar in the Indonesian capital on Thursday, accusing it of defaming their religion.

Avoiding alcohol and other intoxicants is the fifth of the “Five Precepts” that form the basic moral code of Buddhism.

Meanwhile the secretary-general of the Indonesian Pandita Sabha Buddha Dharma Foundation, said sealing off the bar was not the Buddhist way of seeking a solution. “Our way is never to force anything. A dialogue is needed,” he said.