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The drama and legacy of Pope John Paul the second’s swift
decline and passing away holds some powerful marketing lessons for CEOs and PR folk – in whatever sphere of operation. An opening observation should be that the young,
talented and intellectually very bright Bishop Karol Wojtyla was prominent in the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II, 1962) as an innovator, reformist, and dare we
say, potential revolutionary. Many people now have difficulty reconciling that out-on-a-limb young Professor of Ethics – with the seemingly intractable, out of touch,
conservative image projected by Pope John Paul II on abortion, contraception, women priests, HIV/AIDS and gays.
Yet the contrast is not as startling as one
might think. It’s always easier lobbying for reform or transformation when you’re on the ‘outside’ than on the inside. In this case, the difference between floating
ideas at Vatican II and being the person directly responsible for maintenance of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) doctrine, dogma and traditions, is vast.
Another consideration is that today’s CEO, given performance-based trends, is unlikely to spend more than five years in the slot – if that. Shareholders and other
stakeholders are an intolerant and unforgiving lot. So Jack Welch and his ilk can go cut, slash and burn and quickly make the bottom line look better or even good. But
they’re typically not around in the same role in twenty or more years, for one to examine the sustainability, long-term, of their policies.
With the Pope of
course, there will be ample time for rumination, dissection and sniping. Some of it – at the time of writing this, two days before his funeral – has already started.
Even Cardinals who don’t have a hope in hell, if you’ll excuse the expression, of emerging from the Sistine Chapel conclave to the shout of ‘habemus papam’ (we have a
Pope!) – are already shooting off their mouths on a range of issues.
The reality is that when you’re the custodian of the brand – or faith – your utterances and
behaviour have to maintain an ‘orthodoxy’ and consistency – and you become responsible for defining or maintaining the brand image. What it is, or what it may
ever-so-slowly be morphing into, has to be clear, unambiguous and retain crucial brand ‘intrinsics’ (clearly definable qualities). Or at least boast a discrete
positioning uniqueness. Having a ‘customer base’ of one billion people (the estimated Roman Catholic base of adherents) equates to captaining a very old fashioned
ocean liner. It doesn’t have the reactivity of today’s Queen Mary II which has the ability - courtesy of hydro propulsion jets - to turn (from stationary anyhow) in
its own length, or on its own axis. It will need to be one of those graceful, twenty-five nautical mile turnabouts.
The challenge to the new marketer of the RCC
now will be: How to follow, with some degree of consistency, the course charted by Pope John Paul II? How to manage the equivalent of a gigantic spiritual ‘federal
deficit’ in the sense of societal and youth values and behaviour which are exponentially at odds or out of step with where the church may presently find itself? The
priesthood’s collective reputation, courtesy of a minority of bad apples, has I fear, been irretrievably sullied. Seminary enrolments have plummeted and it may well be
that the catalyst for more females in the RCC pastoral hierarchy will be the sheer lack of males, rather than a desire or the vision to have women play a more active
role.
The voting Cardinals will find themselves on the horns of an unprecedented global village dilemma. Do they go for a great ‘front guy’ as an American so
ineptly put it on TV a few nights ago? For a person most likely to live a life of priestly dedication? For a great theologian, or an innovative thinker? For a
tough-minded bureaucrat? This is not as straightforward as deciding on Lazarus Zim as CEO for Anglo American, or not deciding on a black CEO for Sasol. The complexity
facing the Cardinals of the RCC in the next few weeks, would, if the discussion could ever be shared, make for a fascinating exercise in brand architecture and a
marketing case study. It’ll be happening inside of a two thousand year old ‘company’ and since transparency (of the King II corporate governance sort) is some way away
for that ‘company’, we’ll never know how they decided what they do eventually decide. Unless of course, there’s a Vatican-style Cardinal deep throat!
The RCC
has learned not to put too young a man in the top slot. His imprimatur on the direction and policy of the church is too ingrained by the time he goes off for heavenly
dialogue. But this upcoming conclave will need more than politicking, nepotism, favouritism or cronyism based on ethnic or other considerations. It’s going to have to
deliver a man capable of marketing the Roman Catholic Church into the next century. According to church tradition, the Holy Spirit guides the ‘Princes of the Church’
as they’re called, in their deliberations. As a delightful saying goes, ‘from their lips to God’s ears!’ May it be so and may the chosen person deliver the marketing
evolution or revolution that is needed.
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