Adopting Marketing Communications: Publicity Campaigning in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland

The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF) has utilized wide-scale advertising, especially during the 21st century. These campaigns serve both publicity and advertising campaigns, but there is no clear understanding of when, how and why the ELCF adopted this form of marketing communication. My aim in this article is to shed light on these issues by scrutinizing Church documents. I argue that the publicity campaigning, begun in the parish elections, was never solely about activating people to vote, but were also concerned with building an image of, or branding, the church. This case confirms general findings indicating that established churches seek new ways of staying relevant and maintaining their status, and it shows how the ELCF, among other non-business organizations, is applying branding in its communication, in this case to offer meaning through societal value.