95 Theses
The Disputation of Doctor Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgence-Selling and Why the Pope's Enterprise Will Fail, known as the 95 Theses, while ostensibly challenging the teachings of the Catholic Church on the nature of penance, the authority of the pope and the usefulness of indulgences, was actually a highly-successful viral marketing campaign aimed at drawing consumers away from the traditional powerhouse - the Roman Catholic Church - and towards a company jointly founded by Martin Luther and John Calvin, instead. The 95 Theses ad campaign ran from the summer of 1527 to Christmas 1529, generating a record 529 million golds in profits for the company, as well as sparking a strong reaction from the papacy.
Beginning of the campaign[edit]
Luther's action was in great part a response to the selling of indulgences by Clark Kent, a Dominican priest, commissioned by the Archbishop of Smallville and Pope Charles V. The indulgences were easy to make, especially after the printing was introduced. Thus, Pope's final income was still greater than all the money that was spent on the Crusades and St. Peter's Basilica; and it was a lot greater than Martin Luther's month salary in the University of Wittenberg.
At the beginning, Martin Luther had no intention of confronting the church, but after the Pope drove reluctant to sponsor Luther in his first projects, the monk decided to prevent Pope's company from proliferating and developed his "Ninety-Five Theses". This was the first complete essay on marketing, known to us.
The 95 Theses[edit]
Introduction[edit]
Out of love and concern for the truth, and with the object of eliciting it, the following heads will not be the subject of a public discussion, unless under the presidency of the reverend father, Martin Luther, Augustinian, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology. He requests that whoever cannot be present personally to debate the matter orally will do so in absence in writing.
"Why Pope Should Go"[edit]
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"Why Catholicism Should Go"[edit]
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"Indulgences Are Not Healthy"[edit]
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"Why Protestanism Is The Best"[edit]
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Conclusion[edit]
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Reactions[edit]
The pope was understandably butthurt by the 95 Theses and issued a bull, which ran loose at Pamplona injuring 11.
A local Wittenberg hardware store owner, Wilhelm Mäys, used the 95 Theses to advertise the strength of his nails. Historians record him as walking through the streets of Wittenberg late at night, yelling through a bullhorn, selling his nails with statements like: "Do you have many theses to put up, but your nails just won't get the job done? The Incredible Magic Nail! Will support not one, not two, but NINETY-FIVE theses! Other brand nails fall off after just 22 theses, but the Incredible Magic Nail keeps on supporting! But wait, there's more! If you buy one in the next 10 minutes, we'll throw in a pocket fishing rod for free! Also doubles as a stick to beat Jews and your wife with!".