Religion and Marketing

Abstract

The purpose of the chapter is to explore how people react to religion marketing in the context of the Philippines, which is largely a Christion country except for the South. This study is also important for both profit and nonprofit organizations that indeed use religion as a vehicle to emphasize moral standards to appeal to the religious segments and stakeholders in order to capitalize on people. For example, people should feel a sense of duty to be good to people or travel for pilgrim or standout by using religious symbols, among others. This chapter contributes to literature in that it examines how religion affects development of religion- and symbol-based marketing strategies that lead to desirable consumer behavior and purchases. Therefore, the purpose of the chapter is to explore how consumers react to religion marketing in the context of the Philippines whose majority of the population is Christian. Marketing managers can use the findings of the chapter to position their products and services to target the religion-based segment to increase the sales.

Appendices

Dalubhasaan ng Lungsod ng San Pablo (DLSP)

DLSP (translation: Colleges of the City of Saint Paul) was conceptualized on March 19, 1997 by City Education Committee Chair, then Hon. Pablo O. Ticzon, during committee report in a regular session. He said that one of the cherished dreams of Hon. Mayor Vicente B. Amante was the establishment of a school for deserving but indigent children. Twenty-seven days later, on April 16, 1997, Ordinance No. 97-15 was enacted unanimously to approve in principle the establishment of a college in the City of San Pablo. On June 15, 1997, the permit to operate the college was granted by the Commission on Higher Education, which gave DLSP the authority to start holding classes on July 2, 1997. Now in its 23rd year, DLSP has more than 4000 students, more than 190 faculty members, offers different undergraduate degrees and technical courses, and hopes to achieve university status soon (Pasco 2018).

San Pablo Colleges (SPC)

To meet the needs of the growing school-age population of the City of San Pablo in the Philippines and its neighboring towns, a group of pioneering men—among them were Major Ricardo Bonilla, Dr. Antonio Azores, Mr. Ambrosio Alcantara and many others—founded and established the San Pablo Colleges in 1947. However, it was in the mid 1950s that the San Pablo Colleges began to build its prestige in becoming one of the notable institutions in the country. This time a comprehensive building program was undertaken. Judge Paulo de Gala Macasaet was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and later College President. It was also during his time that the Graduate Institute was recognized and much later the Nursing Course. The objective then was to establish a school that would be second to none. Now in its 73rd year, SPC has more than 3000 students and offers grade school, high school, Sr. high school, undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate degrees. SPC also aspires to become a recognized university (San Pablo Colleges 2020).

San Pablo City

San Pablo City is a component city in the province of Laguna, Philippines and has 80 barangays. The city has a land area of about 198 square kilometers or 77 square miles that constitutes 10% of Laguna’s total area. Its population in 2015 was 266,000. The population density is 1400 inhabitants per square kilometer or 3500 inhabitants per square mile. The annual regular revenue of San Pablo for the fiscal year of 2016 was ₱934 m. Out of 1634 cities and municipalities, San Pablo City is ranked 38th in total population in 2015, 296th in terms of land area with 77 square kilometers, 55th in terms of population density in 2007, and 176th in population growth rate of about 1.3% in 2015 from 2010 (Philatlas 2020).