Church confronts adultery and drugs
in £2m ad campaign

by Sylvia Westall,, Brand Republic 22-Oct-01, 13:06

LONDON - A new Christian advertising campaign will focus on issues such as infidelity, cheating and drugs, in a bid to encourage debate and draw people back to church.

The £2m campaign, which launches in March next year, is being compiled by the London-based Redbox advertising agency for the Evangelical Alliance and is backed by many denominations, as well as the Archishop of Canterbury. The campaign will include posters, ads in newspapers and radio broadcasts.

The posters will present people with ethical dilemmas. One pictures a man and woman alone in a room and the question, "Your wife's out of town. What's your next move?" The text at the bottom of the poster reads, "We're keen to know where you draw the line."

Another poster reads, "Someone does work on your house. He will knock 20% off the bill if you pay in cash. Should you do it?"

The campaign also focuses on parental dilemmas -- one reads, "You overhear your daughter say to a friend that she took drugs at a party last night, and she admits that it is true. Do you tell the police?"

A follow-up campaign on the theme of forgiveness and reconciliation will be launched in September next year and will include a national survey of the public's answers to the questions.

Ian Taylor, head of media at the Evangelical Alliance, said that the campaign was necessary in 2002. "We think there is a moral deficit in the UK. There are people running around being selfish and materialistic -- it doesn't impress God very much," he said.

He hoped that the campaign would bring people back to church by combining age-old moral dilemmas with contemporary issues.

Redbox has worked on campaigns for Hewlett-Packard and Worldwide Technology. A spokesman for Redbox said that working with the church was no different to working with their business clients, saying, "We treat it like a brand and find a solution."

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