Advertising and PR, Part 2: Mormon Campaigns
Thought and
Reflection
For our preparation today, you are going to mostly be
watching advertisements. I have examples from a number of different advertising
series produced by the LDS Church. I think it is important to note how the
Church has used mass media in a wide variety of ways. Some of these you might
be familiar with, others you might not be. I’ve also included some ads from
other faiths and denominations.
Our goal today is to compare and contrast these ads. Focus
on the following issues: 1) production quality, 2) messages and themes, 3) the
audience take away, and 4) overall impressions. Once you’ve viewed the ads, I
want you to blog about these impressions. Compare and contrast the ads from the
different faiths. Finally, address what you think the role of advertising and
public relations is, and should be, in the modern Church and religious world.
Mormon Messages (LDS YouTube Channel)
The Homefront Series
Here’s some interesting background on the Homefront series,
an article from the New Yorker
magazine:
A Deseret News Response:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705397839/The-New-Yorker-remembers-the-Homefront-commercials.html
And here’s something officially from the Church:
Mormonads
Truth Restored
Here’s some background this campaign (note the involvement
of our department’s very own Kevin Kelly and the role he played in the
campaign):
I’m a Mormon
Here’s what the New
York Times had to say about this campaign:
Here’s some background from the Deseret News:
Catholic Come Home Campaign
Here’s the website for this campaign:
Another interesting article that compares the “I’m a Mormon”
campaign with the “Come Home” campaign:
Lutheran TV Commercials
United Church of Christ TV Commercials
United Methodist Church
Presbyterian Commercials
Southern Baptist Convention TV ads
Episcopal Church
Other Christian
Islam
Buddhism TV ad
Please read “Mormon Campaigns” (this document) and view the links to the ads
that are provided. Our goal today is to compare and contrast the ads produced
by a variety of different religious organizations. Focus on the following
issues: 1) production quality, 2) messages and themes, 3) the audience take
away, and 4) overall impressions. Once you’ve viewed the ads listed in the
reading assignment, I want you to blog about your impressions. Compare and
contrast the ads from the different faiths (using the criteria above). Finally,
address what you think the role of advertising and public relations is, and
should be, in the modern Church and religious world.
I really enjoyed most of the Mormon ads linked above. I remember watching the classic, "Family, isn't it about time?" commercials after every general conference and it started to become a joke in our family. Every time their was a argument or heated situation between siblings someone would always say, "Family, isn't it about time?" One of the commercials in particular that I enjoyed the most was the little girl asking her dad to read her a story. It related to the audience and toughed at the audience's heart strings. The "I'm a Mormon" ads were really well done and have been a huge impact in diffusing common stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteIn other faith's commercials, the primary message displayed regarded acceptance and invitations to join their church. In comparison, the LDS ads were more about our values, what we stand for, and who we really are. Some of the other faith's ads were very cheesy and didn't provided any emotional connection, like the Boxes TV commercial with the Presbyterian church. The role of public relations and advertising is a very important role in showing the world the truth about each religion and what they stand for. Just like the "I'm a Mormon" campaign, Ad's should be used for spreading the truth and happiness into peoples lives. They can promote goodness through simple and real messages that demonstrate real stories and real people.
I never realized there were so many religious ads out there, but it makes sense, everyone is trying to get people to believe what they do. I thought it was very interesting the different values or beliefs each religious ad focused on. The Mormon ads I watched were more focused on family and spending time with each other. The Catholics ads were focused on coming home, coming back to Christ and leaving your past behind. Other religions were more focused on coming together as a group to a bond and to feel good about life. The Islam ads focused on becoming the best person possible based on the strong values taught in their religion. Then I thought the Buddhism ad was very different, mainly focusing on coming to see this impressive, expensive jade Buddha and not so much on the beliefs of values of their religion. Since the ads are produced and published by the religion, I think it gives people a sense of what their main focuses are and what messages they are trying to tell people. Also, since the ads have to be short they have to be quite general and inviting to most audiences, so I did see a lot of overlap in the various religious ads which is a good thing I think because then the churches seem more familiar and more approachable to outsiders. Overall I really enjoyed the ads, I think they were a fun, easy way to explore other religions and see what they are all about.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I found interesting was that the production quality was very similar. When it came to Islam and Buddhism the quality was slightly lower, but as far as creative execution and production it was all pretty much the same. That leads me to believe that these ad campaigns aren't overly competitive with each other, with the exception of some similar branding tactics by the Jehova's witnesses and us.
ReplyDeleteMessages and themes were similar as well. Values seemed very broad, but all tried to convey a "welcome" message. I wonder if highlighting the actual differences between the faiths, or what sets them apart could help make one campaign more successful than another.
As an audience member, I enjoyed and felt positive about the ads. Yes, they were a bit cheesy, but it's all in good fun, and it was uplifting. My overall impression was that religious advertising has a long way to go before it's perceived the same way other ads are, but it's on the right track. I am happy with how our advertising is progressing.
If I was surprised by all of the ads that use religion to promote their products, I was more surprised by the myriad of religions that use advertising to promote their faiths. Even though there are many religions that use video to advertise, I can definitely see the superiority of LDS ads in production quality. Although other religions’ ads contained good messages, many of the ads seemed unprofessional. Some of the transitions, fonts, and the video quality itself were outdated, and in some cases, cheesy. However, I was really impressed with the quality of the Catholic ads. They inspired me and caused introspection in the same way a Mormon Message would.
ReplyDeleteAnother part of the Mormon and Catholic ads that outshone other religions’ ads were the messages themselves. Other religions simply wanted individuals to attend their church (or buy lunch at the church’s café as was the case with the Lifepointe Church), while Mormon and Catholic ads wanted individuals to become better people. The Mormon and Catholic ads focused on common values like family and invited viewers to act. I think that this was much more effective messaging.
Overall, I think it’s very interesting how much churches use advertising and public relations in the modern age. Obviously churches want more members but I think that it’s important to not be too pushy about getting people to attend with their advertising and PR initiatives. If churches, like the Mormon and Catholic churches, concentrate on inspiring people to change than they will naturally be drawn to those religious institutions.
I really was blown away by the production value for the runaway state coach Mormon home-front ad. I think, generally speaking, the LDS church as a very solid advertising. While not all ads are equal, the LDS church has been steadily improving. As far as message goes (and I understand where my bias is) I would have to agree with Calvin Peterson in the previous comment. The LDS and Catholic church were real highlights for more than their production value. They offered engagement and the idea of a lifestyle choice. The stagecoach ad made me suddenly want to be a super involved dad, which is kind of weird considering I have no children. But there the LDS and Catholic ads were. They seem to have the same effect that Professor Thompson has had in buying a 4x4 pickup truck. We get those messages and we can easily brand ourselves with them, because they give the appearance of an outlook and personality we want to emulate, even if we have no need for 4-wheel drive capabilities, or we have no children. It allows us to project ourselves into something we want. On the flip side, the other ads asking people to come to church or try the food are about as effective as a coupon for a restaurant or a grocery store item. They might get me to want to buy into something one time because it is being offered at a convenient price, but they don't get me thinking about my involvement towards these things, as it applies to the long run.
ReplyDeleteI think all religion ads should be honest. Today there’s a lot of mockery and tricking people into buying a product but if we’re trying to show people our religion it’s fair to show them what it’s really all about. I like the I am a Mormon ads best because that’s what they do. They show the real lives of members of the church. They’re interesting because they tell a story that gets people’s attention. It shows that these people are passionate about lots of things but they’re still true to their faith.
ReplyDeleteThe Truth Restored campaign was definitely more serious and focused on what we really believe. I think this is effective in getting people to understand what we know and learn about in our church.
Ads from the other religions didn’t help me understand what they were. Most of them were just invitations to attend the church, that everyone’s included and needs to find Jesus. I didn’t feel like I could relate to the people in the ads. They were all just plain religious ads. If they hadn’t said which church they belonged to, I would never have known or remembered the ad.
I appreciate the Muslim neighbor ads because they talk a little bit about what they believe. Similar to the I am a Mormon ads, they show Muslims who do are doctors and athletes but still hold to their religion to guide their life.
It’s not often we see a lot of ads for religion anymore, rather we use religion as a joke in ads for products (as we’ve discussed before).
I really liked these reading and comparing the different religions methods at advertising. Starting with production quality, it was incredible to think how much money these church’s—including our own—put into their commercials. The difference in production I saw between the LDS and other faiths, was that I felt our ads were more of a production than an ad. It had a specific story they were trying to tell—more of a TV show or movie—rather than an ad trying to sell something. Its interesting to see the catholic faith begin to follow our lead and do the same in their come home campaign.
ReplyDeleteThe messages and themes, audience take away, and overall impressions of these methods follow suit. When you feel as if someone is simply telling you a story—even with positive morals packed into it—you believe it more. I can see that the LDS faith is trying ot be much subtler in our persuasion efforts than other faiths. In most ever other ad I watch, each was packed with the message of “come to our church this Sunday!” and ended with specific details of how to get in contact with them. While LDS post their name and website at the end of their messages, I feel that it comes across a lot more convincing and less like they are trying to sell you on something. Maybe this is the line that the New Yorker blog felt we crossed when we started the I’m a Mormon campaign (although I don’t agree).
I don’t think that advertising a religion is a bad thing—it is the modern medium people use to access information—however, I do think that it becomes more effect the more subtle it is. Let the viewer decide their beliefs based on the message you promote in your ad, rather than trying to get in their face and be heard. Viewers can be like teens when dealing with parents at times—if they tell you to do something flat out, you’re more likely to rebel—but if they come up with the answer on their own, then they are truly convinced (or converted if you may).
I remember watching the Homefront Mormon commercial series all growing up and loving them. When I was little, around 8 years old, my dream was to become an actress and I remember booking a job as an extra for one of these Homefront commercials. I was ecstatic to be able to be apart of it. I felt like these commercials came across as relatable, comical, fun-loving, and heartfelt. In the Universe article we were assigned, Allen stated that these Homefront commercials, “broke down some of the barriers and misunderstandings about the church,” and I completely agree with that.
ReplyDeleteAs I read in The New Yorker article, Stephen Colber said that the “I’m a Mormon ads” give of a vibe of insecurity where as the Homefront ads did not. He also said he these “I’m a Mormon” ads leave people wondering why a religion requires such a large P. R. campaign. Personally, I agree with the Deseret News article from Lane Williams. Noting that Lane Williams teaches at BYU-I and is a writer for church endorsed Deseret News, it is no wonder we have a similar perspective. Although I am an insider, a member of the church viewing the “I’m A Mormon,” maybe I have a different perspective than those who are non-members viewing these commercials.
Although I might be biased, I felt really turned off when watching some ads from other churches, specifically the Presbyterian commercials. These seemed SO gimmicky and made me feel like I was watching an infomercial where they were trying to sell me product. I did like the United Church of Christ’s commercials a bit more because they were much higher quality and produced with special effects and more of a story line, more similar to Mormon ads. Because Presbyterian and other Christian religions are more of what the western world is familiar with, I think Islamic commercials are much different than christian commercials. Islamic commercials try to inform, and give the opportunity for the viewer to learn more, all three of the examples providing a hotline for more information. These again feel more like an infomercial to me because the production quality is lacking and the audience takeaway is less inspiring and more informational.
I enjoyed reading about the Homefront ads that ran in the 70’s and 80’s because I didn’t know they had such a big impact on people. The author made a point to emphasize the effectiveness of the ads and the personal impact it had in their lives. I enjoyed this quote from the article: “Another producer notes, ‘Before Homefront began airing, when we did surveys asking people, when you hear the word ‘Mormon,’ what comes to mind, the answers were Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Osmonds, polygamists, racists. Those were the top four answers. After seven, eight, nine years of Homefront airing, when you asked the same question, the No. 1 answer was always family.’
ReplyDeleteIt’s fascinating to me that running ads can change the entire perception of a church. I think it was wise of the LDS church to hire very well-known and successful filmmakers that were not Mormon to create the Homefront ads so that would be both effective and non-biased. Some of the other ads featured were less professional and biased because you could tell it was made by them and for them. The videos that were least professional and had the worst impression were the ones with the pastor endorsing and inviting you to come to his church because they used an obvious greenscreen in the background and were also very biased one way. There was no emotional connection because the script was read by a pastor that I do not know, and who could say just about anything. The most powerful ads featured the use of stories, pictures, and real life examples. I think it was the Methodist church that featured a very powerful ad about the humanitarian work that they have done and their plans to move forward in service and acceptance. It was powerful because the music and images came together to create an emotional buy in on my part.
I think that advertising and PR play a crucial role in the church. When Jesus Christ chose the twelve apostles he chose those that would best represent Him and His church. Just as their role was to preach and invite others to come unto Christ in a positive way, modern day advertising and PR inform and invite in a very similar way. I enjoy when any church - not just the LDS church - advertises and promotes their beliefs in the proper setting because it gives people the opportunity to learn more and choose for themselves what they would like to believe.
Most of the ads done by other religions had more of a common theme of inviting and trying to “sell” their religion. While the LDS ads tend to define what a Mormon is and who our members are. I would say that most other religions have low production quality, but at the same time, most of these ads are from years ago. The filming style and quality has greatly improved in just the past few years. But I think that it’s a common thought that religious advertisements tend to be cheesy. I think what sets the LDS church apart, is that they have really embraced social media and advertising. It’s something that I have really admired about the church from a business point of view. They understand the power and importance of media and so instead of letting it control us, the church in a way preemptively controls it. The church is very aware of social issues and things going on in the world and tend to have an applicable ad to go along. I remember a couple years ago, there was a lot of ridicule going around about garments, so the church released a short video about them to dispel some myths.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely fun to see how different churches use the media to advertise. I am definitely biased but I think the Mormon ones were far superior. We just seem to have better teams working on them too (shout out to Kevin Kelly). I think our emphasis on proselyting and using the media to do good have encouraged us as a church to get very good at using the media and that's why ours our better.
ReplyDeleteThe Catholic come home ads are really pretty good as well, and I think the rest were definitely sub-par, but the point is that advertising is used to send a message, to persuade people to do something, and we are not the only church who needs to send a message to people. Advertising for churches is probably pretty effective, I know the mormon messages are really useful tools to start gospel conversations and share uplifting messages.
I hope the church keeps using this kind of stuff, because I love watching them and sharing them.
I really enjoyed watching different ads from different religions. I thought that a lot of different churches made advertisements the same way, they were uplifting and showing people what they are missing out on not being apart of their church. I thought that the LDS and Catholic commercials were very similar. They were very family based and persuasive to come back to the church. I have always loved the "I am a Mormon" campaign. I think that it is very effective because it can relate to anyone. It shows many different people in their normal lives doing extraordinary things and they are mormon. I love that. I also loved the Catholic commercial about the "Come Home Movie." I thought this was a very well done commercial. It hits people hard and makes the realize that even though they have made mistakes, they can come back to the church. And even though I am a Mormon and not a Catholic, I really enjoyed that commercial. All of the churches have uplifting messages though, for instance, the southern baptists. They had a commercial where their church was doing humanity work and helping those in need. I thought this was very inspirational to get up and make a difference. I thought that all of these churches had similarities in this aspect. They all want to make you be a better person.
ReplyDeleteI’ve got a lot of thoughts on the ads that I watched! Going backwards on the list, I wanted to talk about what the role of PR is and advertising. In one of the articles, the author references Nibley. He said, "Only the gospel can offer us (a fulness of life). Today only the gospel even pretends to. It is a Shulkhan Arukh, a table spread for a banquet, a full-course dinner, and we are sent out to invite the world to a feast. Are we holding back? Are we telling them what they are missing?" To me, this belief and desire to share the gospel of LDS faith and other religions is the reason why the roles of advertising and public relations must and will increase in religion. Today, it’s the only way to “flood” the world with doctrinal message.
ReplyDeleteNow, back to the first point of product quality. Although more and more religions are adopting more PR and advertising to increase awareness, some are less effective. There was a theme to those that were better—it was genuine. Maybe I’m biased, but the LDS church has been doing a terrific job of producing video that is genuine and high quality in the past 5 years! People can tell when someone is just trying to sell them something. I liked messages that were just real—not glitzy, just honest. Overall, I think these commercials are pretty effective. The more I viewed the messages, the more I realized how effective they really can be. I think we underestimate the power ads have.
I noticed many of the ads outside of the LDS ads were older, or at least the production quality was lower, except maybe in the Catholics Come Home ones. I think a big part of this is the fact that the idea of the Mormon Campaign really is a worldwide campaign. Catholics have latched onto that same idea, yet their religion is still not as unified worldwide as our church. We have jumped on the idea of branding our religion in a way that is across all cultures. Where some of the other Christian ads (Espiscopal, Southern Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist) are very centered on white, Christian characters and ideals, the Mormon campaign has shifted from that to a more inclusive campaign for all cultures and types of people all over the world. Yes, the older videos are very stereotypical white, middle class, Christian families, but the evolution is broadening that cultural mold.
ReplyDeleteComparing messages and themes, I would say the Mormon ads and the Muslim ads are most focussed on bettering society and bettering families through togetherness, whereas the other Christian ads are focussed primarily on one's personal connection to Christ and personal salvation. Obviously, the audience take-away from the Christian ones is to inspire people to join them, and it is a very blatant invitation. With the I'm a Mormon campaign, it's more just inspiring and informative about who Mormons are instead of saying "hey, you should all come be Mormons too" even though that is the eventual key objective. I thinks it's more personable than the rest. It's more saying "we are all similar, we are all people" instead of "we are different and you need to change who you are to join us."
I think advertising and PR are huge in building and maintaining a brand for a religion. The Mormon campaigns have set us apart from many other religions. And I think that is in large part because we have consistency across the globe about what our church represents, and we actually have the funds to build a campaign. The Lord is not afraid to use modern media and technology to spread hope and light and truth and I'm stoked the church has listened to that counsel. I think it is a way to normalize our faith and make it accessible to all, while also making us stand out from other faiths.
I loved the Homefront series advertisements! They were just so feel-good, and made you happy. I remember watching them when I was little with my family. When I was in high school, I feel like the church shifted away from messages similar to those we watched in the Homefront series and more to Mormon Messages. I think a big part in doing so was because their audience changed. I think the Homefront series was directed toward members and their goal was to strengthen family relationships. I think that Mormon messages are directed at people not of the LDS faith and their goal is to make Mormons seem more “normal.” Although I liked the Homefront series more, I think that Morman Messages are more influential. When I was in young women’s we had so many meetings on how we could be apart of the “I’m a Mormon” campaign and how we could share the messages via social media and other outlets. Overall, I am pretty impressed with our churches advertising. I like that our religious advertisements and marketing focus on positive and uplifting messages, we never put another faith down or say another church is wrong. I think we have come a long way, the production and quality has definitely gotten better over time. Additionally, the church has included “Mormon celebrities” into its’ advertising which I think is interesting because that is what other commercials use to entice or persuade there audience to think something is cool.
ReplyDeleteI think the main difference from LDS commercials and other faiths is that other faiths try to persuade people to come to their church whereas Mormon commercials try to teach good values and morals. I definitely think that religious advertisements can be persuasive if they are uplifting!
My first comments deal with how the LDS church has done with advertising. Living in Utah, most of the religious advertisements we see come from the LDS church. I wasn't aware for a long time that much other religious advertising or campaigns actually existed, but I will talk about that later. For now, I want to focus on the Church's strategy. Growing up, I didn't see that the church put as much effort or time into "advertising." There was a few I remember seeing after Conference like the "Family, it's about time" commercials, and I remember getting the printed Mormonads inside of my Ensign as a youth, but that was about it. Then when I was in my freshman year of college they completely changed. I am not sure what happened but they must have finally hired a good PR team that started the "I'm a mormon" campaign. This took off and all of a sudden the church was everywhere. In my opinion, it was really effective. That then evolved into the Mormon Messages and the videos and things we have today. I think this is a really important thing because it's online and it's viral. People around the world can see how the Mormon church and the members of it are much more relatable than the world might think. It was always awesome, as a missionary, to talk with people about these videos and things and help explain them to the people. I, personally, have loved the Church's use of advertisement and media in the realm of missionary work.
ReplyDeleteAs for other religions in comparison. Like I said, before I moved away I hardly knew they existed. I moved away from Utah when I was in third grade and spent 4 years in Iowa and Texas. Both of these places had large populations of Catholics. At the time, the internet wasn't huge and I wasn't young enough to pay too much attention but I do remember seeing billboards for their churches and signs all over the towns which I always thought was odd. When I lived in Texas I was watching more TV and saw more commercials similar to the Catholic Baptist clips we watched. I remember seeing them and how they almost felt awkward. There was a sense of cheesiness to them that never appealed to me. But, then again, I have grown up Mormon so that could have impacted me too.
I think, overall in my own experience, the LDS church has been the most effective in the world of advertisement and PR. There is always a Christmas message that goes viral and sparks unity around the world every year. There is always a positive message that can relate to people of multiple faiths- not just Mormons. I love it, and I hope the church continues to grow in their efforts. It might not "convert" people, but it leaves them feeling good, and responding more positively to the Church.
The Catholics come home movie was really interesting in their approach. It made me feel guilty and afraid. I feel like that it pretty accurate of how the teach though. This is very different from the Mormon videos which to me seem full of hope and love.
ReplyDeleteWatching these videos its clear to see that there are different audiences targeted. The Catholics come home ads are very specific to Catholics and getting them to be active in the church again. They use guilt, sense of family and tradition and hope in some of their ads. Whereas when we look at the videos released by the Mormon Church, they are tailored for everyone. The “I’m a Mormon” campaign is a little different in a sense that its supposed to normalize “Mormons”. But I think one of the biggest draws of the “I’m a Mormon” campaign is that is brings other LDS people together and unifies them.
I recognized most of the Mormon ad campaigns. It was fun to remember the "family, isn't it about time" campaign because I feel like we still use that quote among members of the church to be funny. We heard it all the time growing up and we still talk about it now.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to see other themes. Mormons focused on family, Catholics on bring lost sheep back home, Islam on breaking stereotypes. There were other themes too; like doom and gloom, taking away your guilt, and accepting all people. My favorite ad that wasn't a mormon ad was the Catholic ad that showed people watching themselves on TV so they were able to think about their past and futures.
One thing that I think Mormon ads do a really great job at is being able to relate and affect people outside of our religion. It focuses on family, not so much the LDS church and bringing more members to it. People see it and it doesn't come right out and say "Hey, join the LDS church." It is a subtle way of portraying our values, but other faiths can watch those ads as well and relate to them.
I have always thought that the LDS church does a really good job with their PR and advertising. When somethings is produced by the official church productions, it is always to seek to uplift and share a good message with others.
ReplyDeleteI think that there has been a significant shift in the kinds of content that is produced. In early church ads, there were those "Family. Isn't it about time?" ads that really tried to share the important of family and how the LDS church has a unique message to share about families. Now, Mormon ads or PR is focused more on highlighting actual individuals and families to help those who are not members of the church to know that they are normal people with a unique message to share. Instead of selling the church, they sell ideas. They sell how members of the church are all different, and they can always find a Mormon Message that they can relate to. On my mission, my leaders gave me the idea to show I'm a Mormon campaigns that resignated with different investigators. The purpose of these messages is to help those investigators feel more at home and more comfortable.
After looking over the advertising and PR efforts from the variety of different faiths -- it is clear to see that the LDS faith has gone above and beyond the others when it comes to quality of content and quantity as well. The Church has tried such a wide variety of media channels, addressing a wide variety of themes and topics. It is really quite remarkable.
ReplyDeleteReligion has been the guiding hand in today's culture in defining what is true, just and moral. I believe religion will continue to play that kind of role in the future of modern society. That being said, I feel like religion should do everything it can to promote morality and truth -- which includes using advertising, PR and other marketing efforts to promote itself and the truths it represents.
While the LDS church seems to be the leader in digital media/advertising, I don't believe it should be a competition to see which church is best at it. I feel like faiths should work together to create upworthy content for all to share -- being unified in communicating moral and up-worthy content.
Just seeing the “family, isn’t it about TIME” ad brought a smile to my face as I still hear that referenced in a joking manner today. As far as the overall quality, I definitely saw the LDS production being superior. The commercials are often shown as stories and almost TV show quality in nature. One of my favorite campaigns was the more recent “I’m a Mormon” series. It shows the LDS culture as real people, doing real things, with normal lives. This series specifically sets LDS programming apart from the other religions in that it’s aim seems to humanize the religion more than selling it.
ReplyDeleteWhat is so interesting is that after being in Utah for so long, I don’t remember seeing too many advertisements for other religions besides mormon. Some of the Catholic ads were relatively depressing. They focused on guilt and shame which would lead someone to realize their faults and come back to the church. That specific tactic seems like it would have less of an effect than one that focuses on the positive messages of family and Christ.
Although I mentioned earlier that the LDS advertisements seem to be selling less than the other religions, the goal of so much of the programming is to show why it’s a great place to be and invite to join with a congregation. Whether done subtly or directly, advertisements at their core are to help viewers understand differences and desire to come worship with them.