What's new

Building a religious brand: Exploring the foundations of the Church of Scientology

CommunicatorIC

@IndieScieNews on Twitter
Building a religious brand: Exploring the foundations of the Church of Scientology through public relations.

Taylor & Francis Online: Journal of Public Relations Research - Building a religious brand: Exploring the foundations of the Church of Scientology through public relations

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1062726X.2017.1281137

* * * * * BEGIN ABSTRACT * * * * *

q8JBSWX.jpg


Journal of Public Relations Research

Volume 29, 2017 - Issue 1: History of Public Relations

Building a religious brand: Exploring the foundations of the Church of Scientology through public relations

Cylor Spaulding & Melanie Formentin

Pages 38-50 | Received 15 Oct 2016, Accepted 25 Dec 2016, Published online: 13 Mar 2017

Download citation http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1062726X.2017.1281137

ABSTRACT

Although L. Ron Hubbard is known for founding the Church of Scientology, he is not generally considered a public relations practitioner. However, his efforts to practice the discipline to advance Scientology are documented in Church publications. Unlike examinations of older religions, which require reinterpretations of activities through a public relations lens, existing Church documents allow for an evaluation of the role public relations played in building a religious movement. This article explores how Hubbard used public relations to establish Scientology, finding he embraced practices such as celebrity endorsement and image management but eschewed common media relations and crisis communication practices.

* * * * * END ABSTRACT * * * * *

Cylor Spaulding, Ph.D., is the faculty director and an assistant professor of the practice for the Georgetown University Public Relations and Corporate Communication program.

Melanie Formentin is an assistant professor in the public relations and advertising unit of the Towson University Mass Communications and Communication Studies department.
 
Top