Integration of Faith and Learning Character Assignment
Dave Banks
Department of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 520: Strategic Marketing Management
Dr. Devin Robinson
October 27, 2024
Auntie Anne’s Christian Character in Marketing
Auntie Anne’s is a company that ells soft baked pretzels in small quick service locations
around the globe. This company was founded in 1988 in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area by
Anne Beiler. Anne grew up in the Amish-Mennonite communities and was a devout believer in
Christ. She had a vision to start a pretzel company at a small farmers market stand. Beiler and
her family left the Amish religion and joined the less conservative and more modern Mennonite
church. They now enjoyed the conveniences of moder living like electricity and running water as
well as automobiles. Anne eventually married Jonas Beiler, and they left the Mennonite church
to join an Evangelical Christian church. This religious background and her close relationship
with Jesus, formed the principles by which she would create her company.
The original mission statement for Auntie Anne’s advised workers to, “Go LIGHT your
world: Lead by example, Invest in employees, Give freely, Honor God, and Treat all business
contacts with respect (Lindeman, 2013). Matthew 25:40 says, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it
to one of the least of these?my brothers, you did it to me.” (English Standard Version Bible,
2001, Matt. 25:40). Auntie Anne’s founders lived out this verse in the management style and
their marketing strategies. Anne Beiler did not have a high school or a college degree, so she
used the book of Proverbs as her business manual (Lindeman, 2013). Her goal was to use profits
from the sale of pretzels to support her husband Jonas’ mission to support women victims of
sexual abuse (Dallas, 2024). Later she aligned her company to Alex’s Lemonade Stand a charity
that fights childhood cancer (Lindeman, 2013). These charitable partnerships were front and
center in the Auntie Anne’s marketing seeking partnerships from their customers to join them in
support of these causes.
Anne is even quoted as saying, “Purchasing one of our pretzels is giving back to the work
of God” (Lindeman, 2013). Her organization has tried to keep faith-based character as the central
guiding point for all they do. In 1999 they started the C.A.R.E.S. (Community Action Requires
Employee Support) committee to provide community resource through the donation of time,
money, and resources (Lindeman, 2013). They now raise $150,000 annually for charitable causes
and have also supported many local initiates around the globe. Auntie Anne’s has also been very
intentional with their international expansion seeking communities to not just profit from but to
provide support in both employment, and charitable contributions.
This corporation has fully embodied their founder Anne Beiler and her Christian faith.
The brand is recognized as a Christian brand and their attempt to live out Christian values is
evident. In recent years the use of social media continues to drive brand awareness. The intent is
to, “Make the pretzel the center of everything” (Tippett, 2024). Viral videos on TikTok
embracing the beauty of marriage and the pretzel making an appearance at the reception are
some examples of new marketing trends. The pretzel wears a halo in brand imaging as well
giving a nod to the faith-based founding of the brand. This organization throughout the years has
masterfully marketed its products and its Christian character and values to millions around the
globe. It is amazing to see the impact a lady from a small village in Pennsylvania and her pretzel
can have on the Kingdom.
References:
Dallas, K. (2024, January 31). The religious roots of Auntie Anne’s pretzels. Deseret News.
https://www.deseret.com/faith/2024/1/29/24054796/real-auntie-anne-beiler-religion/
Lindeman, L. (2013, October). Pretzels with a purpose: The role of Christianity in the auntie
anne’s brand. New Errands: The Undergraduate Journal of American Studies.
https://journals.psu.edu/ne/article/view/59131#:~:text=This%20business%20performs%2
0as%20an,significance%20in%20their%20pretzel%20product.
Tippett, B. R. (2024, February 15). The art of making pretzels part of every conversation. Behind
the Scenes of Auntie Anne’s Social Content Strategy. https://www.adweek.com/social-
marketing/the-art-of-making-pretzels-part-of-every-conversation/
English Standard Version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. https://esv.literalword.com/
