Marketing and the Catholic Church

Walking around Sydney this week, I have to say that, even as a non-Catholic of decidedly heathenish tendencies, I am impressed. The Catholic church wants to demonstrate its power and global reach? Well, I’m convinced.

The organisers of WYD 2008 have been clever in a number of ways. Pilgrims have been equipped with bright orange and yellow backpacks and jackets (organisers and officials wear bright blue and purple). They wear badges which include the flag of their country of origin. And they’ve been encouraged to wave the flags of their homelands. As a result, when I got to stand amongst a group of pilgrims in Martin Place while waiting to cross the road today, I knew they were from Papua New Guinea. (And since, to my knowledge, I have never stood amongst a group of Papua New Guineans before, I found the whole thing terribly exciting.)

What is the nett result of such apparently simple tactics? Well, for a start, you can spot a pilgrim from a mile away. This assists pilgrims with finding each other in a city which might otherwise seem huge and intimidatingly unfamiliar. And, for locals, the sheer number of pilgrims everywhere is startling.

Related Link: Is the Catholic Church any good at marketing? ~ The Times, Sarah Britten