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Episcopal Church adds TV ads
By Jesse Noyes
The Boston Herald
August 18, 2005
The Episcopal Church is taking its message to the masses in an effort to woo the ever elusive Generation X crowd. The church has hired Boston advertising agency Partners and Simons to create two 30-second television spots.
The first ad is set to air in both English and Spanish on Aug. 28 on five major cable networks.
"Both of the spots simply position the Episcopal Church as a welcoming resource," said Tom Simons, president of Partners and Simons.
The first ad, filmed at St. John's Episcopal Church in Beverly Farms, bids viewers an open welcome to the church.
The second television spot, set to air in the spring, features a parish in York, Maine.
The ad campaign represents the church's attempt to court a young generation that has spurned organized religious groups, said Jim Casey, brand manager at Partners and Simons.
"It's a classic marketing problem," Casey said. "There is a need to get the word out."
The church will spend around $100,000 on the campaign. Individual parishes can voluntarily kick in extra cash to buy airtime on local networks.
With the advertising campaign, the Episcopalians join a growing list of churches - such as the United Church of Christ and even Catholic Church - that have turned to mainstream media to grab the Gen X crowd's attention.
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=98509
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