The Church as a Brand

This book shows how churches can discover and strengthen their distinctive identity—enabling them to present themselves as a strong brand both internally and externally. Instead of focusing on superficial advertising, it highlights what truly defines churches and how they can live and communicate these values credibly.

Combining insights from brand sociology with real-life examples, including a detailed case study from the Diocese of Feldkirch/Vorarlberg (Austria), the book offers practical guidance for authentic and collaborative church leadership. It is aimed at those who want not only to manage their church in challenging times, but to actively shape its development—preserving what is valuable while addressing necessary change.

The Contents

• The Church as a Brand: An Introduction
• Church and Advertising
• Brand Sociology in the Ecclesial Context
• Principles of Effective Church Brand Management
• Applying Brand Strategy and Shaping the Church’s Future

The Author

Prof. Dr. Oliver Errichiello is a professor of brand sociology and brand management at the University of Applied Sciences Mittweida (Germany) and a lecturer at universities and at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (including the Department of Theology), Switzerland and as well as in Hamburg, Germany. He is also the founder of the "Büro für Markenentwicklung“ (Office for Brand Development) and serves as Director of Innovation/Brand Development for a German hospitality holding. He has published more than 20 books on branding, brand philosophy, consumption, and “green brand management.”

The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence. A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content.

This book is a translation of an original German edition. The translation was done with the help of artificial intelligence (machine translation by the service DeepL.com). A subsequent human revision was done primarily in terms of content, so that the book will read stylistically differently from a conventional translation.