Advertising joins the journey of the soul - advertisers' use of spirituality in their messages - includes related article on mainstream culture's increasing acceptance of fringe groups

American Demographics, June, 1997 by Jennifer Harrison, Rebecca Piirto Heath

While connecting with the spiritual values of a market may make sense for some companies and products, it may also desecrate a bond of trust with the consumer. The lesson may well be--advertiser be wary.

A twenty-something woman sits in church contritely "confessing" her miserly ways. The pretty penny-pincher just bought a new car. Before she can even finish her tale, the preacher proclaims, "It's not a sin to be frugal!" She rejoices in her prudence, released from guilt to enjoy the performance and sporty looks of her Chevy Cavalier. No, it's not a religious message. It's an advertising message that's joined the journey of the soul.

"Spirituality is in," says Sam Keen, author of Hymns to an Unknown God. Is it any wonder that advertising reflects this cultural reality? More and more ads are drawing on the rich possibilities of religious and spiritual themas and schemas. From cars to beverages, and health care to sports teams, we see signs and portents that Madison Avenue has jumped on the spiritual bandwagon.

IBM's Solutions for a Small Planet campaign features several ads using religious themes. Catholic nuns walk to vespers while speaking of OS/2 networks and surfing the Net. Eastern monks "meditate" telepathically about Lotus Notes on a rocky hillside. Gatorade has Michael Jordan running through Tibetan mountains where he meets an Eastern holy man who imparts this stirring wisdom: "Life is a sport; drink it up."

The new Nissan campaign, designed to reclaim the automotive manufacturer's heritage and redefine its image, is a study in advertising as entertainment. The common thread of the campaign is the Zen-like wisdom provided by an aging Asian hero, and the ethereal, other-worldly feeling evoked by symphonic bells, harmonics, and Eastern mysticism. Two seemingly unconnected phrases repeat themselves: "Life Is a Journey, Enjoy the Ride," and "Dogs Like Trucks." Profound or silly, you decide.

In the celebrated "Got Milk?" campaign from the American Dairy Association, a nasty businessman dies when he steps in front of a truck. He finds himself in a light-filled world with giant chocolate-chip cookies on a table. When he opens the fridge to wash one down with some cold milk, all the cartons are empty. Maybe he's not in heaven after all.

Great Awakening or Cultural Renaissance?

Religious pundits tell us we're experiencing a "great awakening"--a prolonged period of religious interest that occurs periodically in American history. But this awakening is different. In the past, great awakenings were largely spurred by religious revivals. The current one reflects an increasing separation of spiritual values from the constraints of dogma and denomination. "We are experiencing a rise of spiritual individualism and uncorseted spiritual experimentation," says Keen. The institutions of religion are becoming less important, while the spiritual values, disciplines, and ethics they represent have grown in significance.

Watts Wacker, futurist with SRI International of Menlo Park, California, goes a step further. "It's more than just a neo-awakening, or a reawakening. We're at the point in history of the fifth renaissance. About every 500 years, there's a change in the perspective of truth. The last time this happened was when Columbus came here in 1492."

"A culture is composed of five components," says Wacker. "One is a belief system. The second component is day-to-day existence and lifestyle. The third is how we communicate. The fourth component is how we treat other members of our species. The fifth is our orientation to spirituality. Belief systems are usually exclusionary, but orientations to spirituality are inclusionary. The founding fathers saw God as a clockmaker who made the clock, wound it up, brought it down here, and left. I would argue we may be moving to something more akin to God as co-conspirator, which would be a fundamental change in orientation to spirituality," says Wacker. And just who is this God as co-conspirator? "It's the God within you. It's turning your life over to a higher power, but recognizing that higher power lives within you," he says.

"The pendulum of human nature is that you either move toward consensus into the middle, or you pull in opposite directions at the same time. Right now, we have people who are on the edge of making religion what it will become in the future, like Unitarianism, and we also have incredible strength in Fundamentalism. They both happen at the same time."

A recent Snickers commercial plays on this cultural diversity. A football team is in the locker room getting ready for the big game. The coach tells them: "This year, we've got to be more politically correct in the team prayer." Turning to a Catholic priest he quips: "Hit it, Padre." The priest says a short prayer. He's followed by a rabbi, who's followed by a Native American, who's followed by a Buddhist. As the camera pans the room, we see a whole lineup of spiritual leaders waiting to bless the team. The tag line says, "Not going anywhere for awhile? Grab a Snickers."