Holy Advertising
Holy Advertising

Summary/Abstract: This paper is focused on the transfer of signs and connotations from the sacred to the profane as it is explicit in the Romanian media and advertising industry. Advertising is considered a religion of the post-industrial capitalism, thus advertising and marketing practices are interpreted as means of substituting religious thinking. The central hypothesis is that advertising – by means of psychological pressure and social persuasion – has integrated Christianity as a cultural product within the commercial space. The author takes into consideration three levels: the impact of advertising on commodities industry, the expressions of popular culture, and its manifestations in the mass media. These levels are observed by interpreting advertising products from the top ten companies in Romania, ranging from personal hygiene and cosmetics, alcohol and soft drinks, chemical products from cleaning, household appliances and communication technologies. The paper describes how the secularization of sacred symbols has spread fast in Romanian media and in the advertising business, discusses the process of draining significations from Christian icons, and interprets the consequences of religious metaphors exploited for commercial ends. Starting from the mercantile rhetoric of contemporary advertising and the language of commercials, the paper criticizes the materialistic idolatry and the simulacrum of spirituality.

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