Brand inclusivity in religion-based marketing: roles of religiosity and diversity appreciation

Purpose – Connecting with consumers through religion risks alienating those without strong religious beliefs or those who view the affiliated religious group as discriminatory. This study aims to understand how marketing with religious cues influences religious and nonreligious consumers, why these effects occur and how appreciation for diversity modifies the effects. Design/methodology/approach – A field study conducted using Google Ads manipulates religious stimuli in ads and the target market. The second study manipulates the presence or absence of branding with a religious stimulus to test the mediating effect of elaboration on ad stimulus and consumer attitude. The third experiment primes diversity appreciation to test its boundary effect on the interaction between religious cues and religiosity in connection to consumer attitude. Findings – The results indicate that brands receive more favorable evaluations when religious cues are included, especially in states with high proportions of religious individuals. Religious consumers’ preference for brands with religious affiliations is enhanced through their elaboration of the message. The enhancement effect is evident when their diversity appreciation is low. Originality/value – These results contribute to resolving the inconsistent findings in the literature on the effect of religious affiliation on brands, while offering a nuanced perspective vis-à-vis brand inclusivity. Companies should aim to connect with religious consumers who may feel marginalized, while considering consumers who appreciate diversity and may be alienated by religious messaging.