Pope Clement VII Brand Identity Book

Prepared by Taylor Hoerr

1 December 2015

Background
Pope Clement VII was the second pope from the powerful and
wealthy Medici family. During his twelve-year reign, the pope had power
struggles with multiple kings and emperors throughout Europe, making his
reign a tumultuous one. The once powerful Roman Catholic Church became
more and more largely cultural and diminished by kings whose power
derived from their military (Pope Clement VII and Henry VIII of England,
n.d.). Both Spain and France were warring in Italy over the distribution of
lands. The pope was unable to stick with one alliance. On one hand, Charles
V was both the king of Spain as well as the Holy Roman Emperor, which
made him an extremely powerful ally for the pope. However, Pope Clement
began to believe that Charles had become too powerful in Italy, and switched
his alliance from Spain to France.
During the Sack of Rome in 1527, the French forces were driven back to
France, which left the pope stranded in Rome. He was held prisoner in the
Castle of Saint Angelo until he could escape six months later. On top of
military power struggle, Pope Clement also was struggling with King Henry
VIII of England. The king was loyal to Catholicism, and had been suppressing
Protestantism in his country in service to the pope. However, King Henrys
alliances to the pope began to turn when Clement refused to annul the kings
marriage to Queen Catherine. Furious at not being allowed his divorce or the
recognition of his marriage to Anne Boleyn, Henry responded by assuming
supremacy in his realm over religious matters and started the Church of
England (Pope Clement VII and Henry VIII of England, n.d.).

Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this brand identity book is to communicate the Catholic
churchs branding guidelines for Pope Clement VII and ensure that all internal
and external communication materials support t he churchs brand.

Values of the Church

The mission of Pope Clement VII is to keep Catholicism at the forefront of
Christianity, as well as protect Rome and the Catholic territory.

Forms of Outreach

Due to kings, emperors, and rulers being spread out across

Europe, the Catholic church communicated with letters and
formal decrees. Because the pope had power, though, he would
have had his letters formally written on scrolls with wax seals and delivered
via messenger. Formal decrees from other rulers would also have been sent
in a similar fashion to be delivered to the pope.
In order to communicate any of the churchs messages to the general public,
the most essential messages would be formerly transcribed by copyist
monks of Catholic abbeys and monasteries (de Vaujany, 2006). However,
since most citizens during the sixteenth century were unable to read, their
knowledge of Catholic messaging was delivered via mass. Therefore, during
this period, there existed a strong isomorphism between the output of the
religious orders and the system of knowledge distribution (de Vaujany,
2006).

Brand Personality is
Holy

Conservative

Self-absorbed

Powerful

Lecturing

Frivolous

Righteous

Old Fashioned

Conventional

Traditional

Elaborate

Timid

Brand Personality is not

Modern

Giving

Progressive

Divorce-friendly

Straightforward

Active

Humble

Collaborative

Relationship builder

Conceding

Problem-solver

Resourceful

Target Audiences
European Catholics
The pope is concerned about the Protestant Reformation. Therefore, he must
reach out to the European Catholics to stand as strong supporters of the
Catholic church. In order to do this, the pope must show strength in the
traditional values of the church and the Catholics passion for these
traditionalistic ways. This includes attending services to reaffirm ones faith
and donating money in order to expand the churchs power.

European Leaders
European leaders are currently battling for power and territory. In order to
maintain good relations throughout Europe, the pope should stay neutral,
since there are Catholic populations in both France and Spain: the two
warring nations. However, if a side must be chosen, the pope should consider
which side has a bigger Catholic following, and which side he foresees
winning these battles so that the Catholic church ends up being on the
winning side. The pope is considered an equal as rulers of European
countries, and therefore, his opinion and stance is valued.

Citizens of Rome
Citizens of Rome are all citizens in the Holy Roman Empire at this time. Since
the Papal States are located within Rome, the pope is a prominent influence
in the city. The power of the church can be directly seen by the citizens of
Rome, which is then communicated to the rest of the Holy Roman Empire.
This is crucial for the pope to make a good impression on the citizens in
Rome as an authority figure in order to uphold his convictions and power
throughout Europe.

Brand Positioning Statement

For European Catholics, Pope Clement VII is the moral compass and protector
of traditional and symbolic traditions. Unlike other religions, especially
Protestants, Pope Clement VII has a foundational background that is
supported by power and symbolic of strength and greatness.