Christian churches claim success in first united advertising push
Australia’s major churches have deemed their first big ad campaign uniting 15 Christian denominations as a success, last year attracting over $2m worth of media exposure.
Led by the Bible Society, the “Jesus. All About Life” saw 1,760 churches in New South Wales and West Australia come together in a bid to bring Jesus into everyday conversation in a modern way.
Created by ad agency 303 and Taurus Marketing, the push kicked off online, followed by ads on Adhsel panels, radio and print advertising.
The creative executions drove people to a microsite where they were invited to join in the “thank you” campaign, find out more about Jesus and how to connect with churches in their local communities.
The site had over 12,000 visits in the first week and attracted widespread media coverage, gaining air time on Ten’s Rove and 7Pm Project, Seven’s Sunrise, The Australian and other newspapers and blogs around the world.
By the end of the campaign the Bible Society said that over 152,000 people had visited the website, attracting media exposure estimated to be worth around $2m.
The campaign also attracted over 21,000 Facebook fans and over 1,000 Twitter followers.
The final phase saw the launch of a TV ad. Over 28,500 gospels were distributed throughout the campaign which also saw over 2,000 events held in support of the cause.
Meanwhile, the controversial Church of Scientology is gearing up to launch its first above-the-line advertising push in a bid to turn around its public image.
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
Linkedin
Interesting how the two TV segments with Audio are Rove and the 7PM project who probably ripped into the campaign later on in the segment, and how many facebook friends and Twitter followers were already converts?
User ID not verified.
We’ve found that visiting tourist attractions to pray for the launch of all of campaigns to be a very successful strategy over the years.
User ID not verified.
Hey now, don’t knock it too hard kids. Regardless of your views on the ‘product’ this was a succesful camapign that achieved cut through in a variety of key media. I’m no bible basher, but it’s clear that this job well done. If this was my showreel, I’d be sleeping easy at night, knowing I’d done a stellar job. Credit where it’s due.
User ID not verified.
Tough client to flog, certainly one we’d think twice about. Top marks to 303 and Taurus.
User ID not verified.
I heard prompted awareness of Jesus rose 13%…
User ID not verified.
Dear Darwin
the aim wasnt to convert people, it was to start the conversation on a topic involving nothing new
the fact that christianity is a soft target for derision was probably what made it newsworthy, and plenty of negative things would have been said
but the executions were cute, awareness was raised, people started talking, and the unified campaign was a great internal communication
Love,
Sven the atheist
User ID not verified.
Really simple question for any campaign. What was the ROI?
How many incremental people are now attending church?
So what if the awareness of the campaign was good, it’s all about purchase!!
User ID not verified.
I never understood the video ad campaign as none of the examples remotely applied to me, and i struggled to picture anyone i know relating to them. The result seems to have been a campaign that preaches to the choir. I saw no new people come to church during the campaign peak and only a minor increase in the regular patronage. We need to do better. I hope and pray next year we find success. God Bless
User ID not verified.
I actually really loved the retro font of the brand.
I bought a t-shirt and Christians think I’m one of them and Non-Christians think I’m taking the piss.
User ID not verified.