Consumer Responses to Christian Religious Symbols in Advertising

This research explores consumer reactions to the use of a Christian religious symbol in advertising. Findings from a preliminary study suggested that consumers have varied reactions to Christian messages in the secular marketplace and that responses depend on their religiosity levels. Study 1 was a follow-up field experiment conducted with adult consumers, while Study 2 was a lab experiment conducted with young adults. Results of Study 1 indicated a significant Christian symbol by evangelical religiosity interaction on perceived quality and purchase intentions such that the Christian symbol enhanced consumer evaluations, and the effects were stronger as evangelical religiosity increased. Consumers' source perceptions of the marketer in terms of attitude similarity, trustworthiness, expertise, and skepticism mediated these interaction effects. Results of Study 2 revealed an unusual backlash effect of the Christian symbol on purchase intentions for some consumers and contrasting mediation results. The results of the two studies are discussed and future research is proposed.