Pope Francis Preaching Valuable Rebranding Lessons: MBA News

Pope Francis could become something of a rebranding icon for the way in which he has been transforming perceptions of the Catholic Church since his papacy began in March 2013.

In fact, according to an editorial in The Economist, his efforts in turning around his organization’s fortunes, effectively as its CEO, would make Pope Francis an excellent case study in rebranding, and one that business school students could learn much from.

When Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aires since 1998 and a Cardinal since 2001, became Pope, the Catholic Church’s finances were in disarray and accusations of corruption saw it struggling to prevent members of its flock from reconsidering the level of their association with it. Some, particularly in Bergoglio’s home region of Latin America, were opting to join the Catholic Church’s ‘competitors’.

Fast-forward one year and people are talking about the transformational ‘Francis effect’ and specifically, how Pope Francis’ brand management is allowing The Economist to compare him with ‘turnaround CEOs’ such as Apple’s Steve Jobs and Fiat’s Sergio Marchionne.

Brand Management in the Catholic Church

The turnaround is, according to the Economist, down to Pope Francis’ savvy use of brand management principles which has repositioned the Catholic Church’s strategic direction and improved its reputation.

Firstly, Pope Francis has realigned the Catholic Church’s guiding aims onto the plight of the poor, something that has resonated particularly well with its audiences in emerging markets where, sadly, poverty persists.

Pope Francis’ character has played a large part in this mission rebranding. No matter your religious background or interest in ecumenical matters, it is hard not to notice key decisions he has made along this line, most notably in refusing to reside in the official Apostolic palace and taking his papal name from a saint known for his care for animals and the poor, Saint Francis of Assisi.

His comments on controversial subjects, such as gay marriage and abortion, also give a nod to brand management techniques. The Economist reasons that, while he clearly supports traditional Catholic teaching on these subjects, this stance is much more tactfully displayed than it was previously, lessening the attention and potential reputational damage that outspokenness can bring.

Lastly, Pope Francis’ restructuring of the Catholic Church also contains an element of brand management within it, in terms of its visibility. Not only has he appointed a team of eight Cardinals to oversee the Church’s organization, but KPMG and McKinsey have been brought in to assess its administration and the Vatican Bank.

Of course, Pope Francis hasn’t been totally without negative attention – his alleged acquiescence in Argentina’s military dictatorship and ‘Dirty War’ has been the subject of scrutiny. However, his actions since becoming the head of the Catholic Church have generated a great number of positive media headlines and gone a long way towards rebranding the organization for the 21st century, with 85% of US Catholics giving Pope Francis their seal of approval.