Toward a divine economic system: Understanding exchanges in a religious consumption field

Abstract

Marketing theory on exchanges is dominated by market/nonmarket exchanges and their hybrid versions. However, unlike these relatively more secular exchanges, little is known about religious exchanges or “gifts-to-gods” in marketing theory, in spite of evidence to indicate its overwhelming presence around the world. Using the context of a Pentecostal consumption field, this article examines three forms of religious exchanges—exchange with the church (institution), exchange among church members (communal pooling), and exchange with God (sacred) and how they influence the consumption of religion in this context. Instead of market/nonmarket economic systems, the article advances a divine economic system—a system of exchanges governed by divine agents (gods, spirits, saints), which centralizes and legitimizes these religious exchanges. This article extends marketing theory on exchanges, reciprocity, and the consumption and marketization of religion.

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.…”

Church advertising and the marketization of religious hegemony

“…In our context, however, we show that religious advertising re-appropriates that enchantment for its own hegemonic purposes-a double re-enchantment of sorts. To speak of the marketization of religion may be to conceptually privilege the market (Appau, 2021) but in this context, we use marketization to recognize the market of religion in a contemporary Christendom, which is advertised through, with, and as an alternative to the commercial market's enchantment.…”

“…Church advertising is a key example of the marketization of religion as modern advertisement is an important marketing tool (McAlexander et al, 2014; Percy, 2000). Although some prior studies tend to assume an antithetical relationship between the market and religion, we seek to contribute to research that examines the “symbiotic, conflictual, complementary and contested” relationship (Haddorff, 2000, 495) between religion (sacred) and the market (secular) (e.g., Appau, 2021; Belk et al, 1989; Izberk-Bilgin, 2012; Moufahim, 2013; Sandikci and Jafari, 2013; Sandikci and Ger, 2010).…”

Lived religiosity and consumption: Dilemma and meaning-making among practising Catholic consumers

“…Moreover, little marketing research explores Catholic lived religiosity, preferring other expressions of religiosity such as Wiccanism (Rinallo et al, 2016), Ghanaian Pentecostalism (Appau, 2021; Ozanne and Appau, 2019), traditionalist Islam (Rauf et al, 2019) or Nichiren Buddhism (Choudhury, 2014). Our field of study also aims to explore the religiosity experienced in a secularised society where religion plays a less important role in the social identity and socialisation of individuals (Pinelli and Einstein, 2019).…”