Introduction
Luther sought to reform the Catholic Church and bring light to its wrongdoings. The Catholic Church’s practice of selling indulgences incensed and repulsed him. The beginning of Pettegree’s book depicts biography details of Luther, the origins of the Reformation, and the development of Luther’s unshakable faith in God’s ultimate purpose (Pettegree, 2016). This article will analyze Luther’s use of mass media and communication strategies by focusing on the printing press, the Protestant Reformation, and the gospel. It was Luther who laid the way for future media moguls.
Discussion
Luther would eventually get engaged in every facet of the printing industry. He published pamphlets with his essays in German and distributed them. He planned to make the books as accessible as possible (Pettegree, 2016). He was determined to make his point heard and understood by everyone. To further the cause of the Reformation, he relied on heavy criticism of the church’s ingenuity and the tools of the printing press. The Protestant Reformation was sparked by the advent of printing, which made Wittenberg the epicenter of book production and distribution in Europe.
The Catholic Church in the 16th century was plagued by rampant corruption and avarice. Taking money for sins has become commonplace. For a fee, one may pray for a loved one’s release from hell. Martin Luther, a pious monk, stood up to the papacy because he believed selling indulgences was a direct affront to God. During the 1500s, a religious reform movement known as the Protestant Reformation spread over Europe (Pettegree, 2016). The various Christian denominations that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church over theological disputes eventually formed a new religious movement known as Protestantism. After Luther publicized his 95 Theses or Disputation on the Power of Indulgences, this occurred. There were 95 different points of view on Christianity in the text, and he encouraged discussion (Pettegree, 2016). Luther’s words posed a problem for the Catholic Church’s duty as a mediator between humans and God, especially concerning the indulgence system, which enabled sinners to buy a certificate of forgiveness from God.
It was Luther who took active steps to restore common access to religious practice. For this reason, Luther labored to get the Bible translated into German so that laypeople and clergy may have access to God’s Word (Pettegree, 2016). Several pamphlets of his sermons were published and distributed to the general public (Pettegree, 2016)c. He thought the idea that the church could provide forgiveness from God was unbiblical. Many others followed Luther’s lead in Catholic church reform, and a new Lutheranism spread throughout Europe.
The church did not like his leaflets and rejected his views. As a rebuke to their avarice, he wanted his comments to be read by everyone. It was because of Luther that injustice and greed were exposed for everyone to see in ink. He was reliable with his facts and meticulously prepared each edition to surpass the last. His meticulousness distinguishes him and puts the Reformation back on the course God intended. After making waves with his pamphlets, he gained prominence as a middle-aged change agent who effected reform using print media.
Martin Luther was one of the first widely-read authors and publishers, thanks to the advent of the printing press. Luther hoped that the gospel would reach more than simply the learned elite. He hoped to convey his reaction to the church in a short and concise manner. It had to be promptly and easily printed while keeping the expenditures low to target a wider audience. His quick turnaround times were exceptionally popular with customers, and his affordable prices made it possible for other printers to enter the market (Pettegree, 2016). With the aid of Gutenberg’s printing machine, Martin Luther gained followers throughout Europe, sparking a new movement that spread across the continent. For instance, between 1502 and 1516, five different printers put out an average of eight volumes each year, for a grand total of one hundred twenty-three (Pettegree, 2016, p.23). The future of this sector of the economy was in a poor balance (Pettegree, 2016, p.23). Thus, before Luther’s Reformation, the printed media sector and its standards needed to be revised. Luther opted for the pamphlet format since it was quicker and cheaper to manufacture several copies than books.
Nevertheless, since so many copies were printed and distributed, Luther’s argument reached a considerable number of people, and he became the most well-known name in Europe at the time. There was no part of the written matter that Luther did not touch. The Word of God, he felt, deserved both excellence and aesthetic appeal. The genesis of his brand occurred when he commissioned German artist Lucas Cranach to design the pamphlet’s cover and inside illustrations. Cranach was an art expert with an eye for visual appeal; he also controlled the market for ornamental woodcuts, which fundamentally altered Luther’s reputation and made him stand out from the competition (Pettegree, 2016, p. 158). Cranach proposed a novel approach, a title page frame composed of individual panels carved from a single woodcut (Pettegree, 2016, p. 158). His pamphlets were easily identifiable as being written by Luther due to their distinctive design. Since no copyright rules existed in those days, it was crucial to have a feature that no one else had that would distinguish Luther among common academics and establish his influence as a solid brand.
The book is an ode to doggedness and calculated strategy. In retrospect, it is clear how crucial it is to have a strategy in place before attempting to launch a brand. In the field of public relations, there are four strategies that must be used while developing a brand; Luther employed them all. They need a head start, stand out, be bold, draw on tradition, and develop a unique identity. Martin Luther used these strategies while building his name recognition. In his booklets, he pioneered the use of aesthetically pleasing artwork reminiscent of the Renaissance. The fact that no one else accomplished this for regular people made his writing stand out. When Luther was checking the quality of his work, he was quite direct with the printer about his dissatisfaction. He wanted nothing less than absolute excellence since he was essentially putting God’s name on something.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the book by Pettegree, which focused on such an exceptional figure in public relations history, is inevitably engaging and very interesting. However, minor details that might interest the reader are missing, such as the industry scale and income. The majority of facts are provided, such as data on the printing houses, their states, and the development of Luther’s Reformation coupled with his biography.
Reference
Pettegree, A. (2016). Brand Luther: How an unheralded monk turned his small town into a center of publishing, made himself the most famous man in Europe and started the protestant reformation. Penguin Books