COP 03 / Primary Research / Tom Outing & York Minster

During my visit to York, I spoke to members of the Minster and enquired whether anyone affiliated with the church would be available to answer some questions after outlining who I was and the topic of my dissertation. I was directed to the administrative office in which I was put in contact with Tom Outing who deals with the marketing side of the York Minster. Unfortunately he was not available to talk on this day, and so I sent him over an email containing several questions.

1. Do you think religion (christianity in particular) is becoming branded?


2. If so, do you think this is preserving or eradicating the meaning of faith?


3. If so, why do you think this is happening?

Tom replied promptly with a very helpful and articulated reply:

"Dear Lo,

Thank you for getting in touch and for choosing us as a point of interest to refer to – I hope my brief answer can go some way in to reply about branding in religion.

Throughout the ages it would be fair to say that religion has always been branded, whether through design & iconography, wording or actions, just as modern branding is through all these elements.

Even in ages gone there has been much time spent within religion on how to market itself visually. The Cathedral itself stands here because it drew people in to worship God and the design work all around from gargoyles & grotesques, stained glass, manuscripts, all tell that story in visual way. This is something that was seen repeated up and down the country and as such as brand is already created. You think of stained glass, you think of a church, for example.

Many of these practises are still in place at York Minster and many other religious places, but naturally we have to be forward thinking, just like the original creators were back in the day. We still use stone masons to build and design elements of the cathedral, glaziers still make and preserve stained glass and groups such as the embroiders still produce altar clothes for us.
This work will forever continue but the ways we celebrate this and encourage people to visit or worship has of course changed with the latest technologies. What used to be a mark of the minster on a letter wax or stone, is now a digital logo we put on leaflets, websites, and social media.
The Minster still has a type-face which we use on all materials, but again, it’s a cleaner font which is adaptable to collateral which face us in modern times and is typed using a computer and not chiselled. We still do readings and inform the masses of our story in church, but we’ll also use digital platforms such as videos and audio to spread the message.

We live in a noisy world and so we need to keep abreast of latest trends to be heard, so in reply to the second and third question, what we do can only be seen as preserving the meaning of faith as we are doing our best in the modern world to rely God’s message of faith and use different ways to bring people together.

If you have any further questions or need something clarifying please do get in touch J

Kind regards
Tom"

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Tom's reply differs from the other religious individuals I have talked to, in that he openly states that religion is branded. This is probably due to him being involved within direct marketing in relation to the Minster, in that he realises that to generate attraction to the establishment, there needs to be an image there - just like with any tourist attraction. It was refreshing to see his response as he seemed to understand my topic, and coming from someone who works with a holy establishment, it was extremely interesting! 

Tom mentions the various outlets that are used to inform masses, including readings but also how digital platforms (video & audio) are utilised. It could be said to be a positive choice, as Tom states, the meaning of faith is preserved, but adapting to modern day media is something York Minster has seemed to grasp and use well.

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York Minster

York Minster had a selection of print media available at the reception, alongside signage advertising guided tours of the building. Although all these things connect to the building and the meaning, in order to generate a professional environment and promote this, design must be made and the Minster must be branded. Essentially, it becomes a product that the consumer buys into to enjoy it, a means of exchange i.e a commodity. But this is not necessarily negative, it is more an adaptation to tourism and consumerism.