THE Roman Catholic Church is the greatest thing since 5,000 loaves of QSUBHEAD:

The Roman Catholic Church is the greatest thing since 5,000 loaves of sliced bread - or something like that, according to the advertising agency J Walter Thompson, writes Andrew Brown.

The agency was commissioned by the Catholic Herald to do a 'brand makeover' on the church, which, the agency claims, has lost a quarter of its British membership since 1975. To counter this, it submitted a marketing proposal, reprinted in this week's issue.

Advertising would 're-establish the social and intellectual acceptability of conventional Christianity, with Roman Catholicism as the natural premium brand, in the face of a simpler secularist alternative'.

The agency added: 'The task facing the Roman Catholic Church is similar to that facing Swan Vestas as a brand. But it shares the same ground for optimism: it has the heritage, gravitas and personality of a brand leader. The market first needs to be persuaded of the desirability of branded goods in this category.'