New doors to spirituality through consumerism Of shower gels and mysticism

Abstract

While religious congregations dwindle in numbers across Europe and ever more people leave the church, consumer products imbued with religious meaning increasingly proliferate the shelves. This article investigates the mystic – and in a broader sense spiritual – messaging in shower gel marketing. The fact that advertisements for these products draw on mysticism and spirituality suggests that consumers respond to these messages. However, these references are not based in a European Christian context. An exemplary selection of shower gels for an Austrian target audience will be analysed for the spiritual content on the product packaging, as well as the needs consumers hope to fulfil with these products. This further raises questions as to the relationship between spirituality and consumerism in today’s society.