So guess what denomination was a sponsor for Doctor Who tonight, the geek-affirming Unitarian Universalists? No. The United Methodists, with one of their well-made and gently affecting spots.
Instead, the new Unitarian Universalist national campaign — the first in decades (hat tip: Philocrites) picks up Time magazine. Time, really? That just seems so, well let me be plain, dull. And expensive. Of course, the proof will be in the ad, but that’s a place where I’m particularly unsettled by Unitarian Universalist practice. It just gets too precious . . . . Advertorial?
I shall wait and see.
Yes, I’ve seen that UMC ad a couple of times. I find it rather precious in its own way–and utterly unconvincing because of the UMC’s official stance towards gays. (Going to a Methodist seminary helped introduce me to Methodism, appreciate Wesley and the Wesleyan heritage, and see the sufferings of gays and lesbians in the UMC.)
I saw the article at Philocrites which you mention, and my first fear was that it was going to be another stellar youtube ad…
You have a point about the UMC; indeed, I’m not keen on Ariminianism because of its tendency to morph into its own kind of Pelagianism or Holiness. Hubby and I never even considered the local liberal United Methodist church as a worship option.
I just like the ads.
Time Magazine is an interesting choice. I suppose the “widely read” part of Time is the draw.
Yeah, Time magazine is pretty sketchy. I never read it myself. But I can’t think of another nation-wide print publication of similar reach that I would find any more palatable than Time. Presumably, the UUA looked at the demographic data and thought it would be a good bet. And if you think about it, Time probably reaches the flyover and Left Coast states far better than New Yorker or Atlantic magazines.
When I was doing local marketing, I discovered that the best place to reach customers was not the local newspaper (which was a pretty good weekly paper), but the little freebie shopper filled with ads. Marketing is often counter-intuitive that way. At the same time, it’s always best to measure the results of marketing. I wish the UUA would ask congregations to count/estimate the number of visitors each year, along with asking for average worship attendance and membership (which last is usually a meaningless fantasy number) — then we might be able to get a rough idea of the direct impact of any marketing effort.
I’m going to stand up for the decision to run the marketing campaign in Time. Time reaches a cross-section of the country and has a strong website. Other than Newsweek or U.S. News and World Report, what other broad-based mag is out there that one could choose from? I’m more concerned about the cost of this than anything else.
Granted……I think it would be a good idea to do something in Maxim or some other mag that is completely out of the ordinary, but I know that’s not going to happen.
Why does it have to be a single magazine?
I’m not concerned that they picked Time so much as that they picked a magazine. A curious choice.
I don’t think it has to be one mag. In fact, I think if the UUA had looked to more unusual choices this marketing campaign would have a bigger impact.
Scott–
The UUs in the SF Bay area have put together their own ad campaign. They’re placing spots on Comedy Central (The Daily Show and the Colbert Report). You can see the spot at: http://swardlick.com/client_review/1056uua/.
Personally, I’d like to see more of this sort of marketing.