One of the slides we always use in presentations on corporate reputation has to do with the many target audiences who have a “stake” in how a company is perceived. Every year it seems that the list grows longer and every year it seems that they are all equally influential. Although it was once possible to neglect some for others, it no longer seems the case. The top tier is now the all-tier. Everyone is important when it comes to corporate reputation.
One of the stakeholder groups that often does not get written into many reputation stakeholder lists is the clergy. And yet, they influence congregations and disseminate talking points like no one else. After all, they have a captive audience. Therefore it was good to see a recent release from the PewResearchCenter that reports that 64% of those attending religious services have heard clergy speak about one of six social issues (religious liberty, homosexuality, abortion, immigration, environmental issues or economic inequality). Exposure to these topics is not infrequent either — 40% of Americans attended religious services at least once or twice in the past few months.
Just saying, this is an important stakeholder group to think about if you are trying to change opinion on an issue, trying to get people to act or to think about an industry or sector more positively. I doubt the clergy is easily influenceable but it is notable that these issues are making it to the pulpit.
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