Father Cícero’s water: is it really for drinking?

Abstract

Purpose This teaching case aims to provide in-class discussions on the commercialization and consumption of goods in spiritual markets. This teaching case is a narrative based on facts with a fictitious plot reporting the journeys of the launch, commercialization and consumption of mineral water in bottles in the shape of Father Cícero – a religious leader in Northeast Brazil – produced by Blue Spring Mineral Water in Juazeiro do Norte’s pilgrimage spiritual market. Design/methodology/approach Primary and secondary data sources were gathered. Two focus groups with pilgrims and semi-structured interviews with Blue Spring leaders and a local Church representative were conducted as primary data. As secondary data, a dossier was created holding content from newspapers and blogs online on the focal product and data from the company’s official website and social networks. Findings Throughout the case, the strategies and challenges of the production and commercialization of this religiously appealing product and the consumer practices adopted by different consumer profiles are unfolded. Originality/value This case intends to be a useful pedagogical tool to discuss the creation, production, commercialization and consumption of goods in spiritual markets. The case allows students to experience Blue Spring’s managers’ point of view regarding the decisions of production and commercialization of the focal product. In a broad sense, this case intends to inform future marketers of the importance of balancing commercialization in religious contexts.