| Igniting Ministry campaign to start Sept. 1 BY JOHN COLEMAN JR.UMCONNECTION STAFF 
Both national and local Igniting Ministry television ads will run on broadcast and cable stations throughout the Baltimore-Washington Conference region again this fall to promote awareness and encourage attendance at United Methodist churches. The national ad campaign will run on 18 cable networks and during two NBC-TV programs from Sept. 1 through Sept. 22. The locally sponsored ads, with a tagline identifying the conference, will run from Sept. 24 to Oct. 4 on Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Hagerstown stations. In addition, the conference will advertise during four Baltimore Ravens football games on WJZ-TV, Sept. 28, Nov. 2, Dec. 21 and Dec. 28, and during either post-game or pre-game shows on those dates. United Methodist Communications (UMCom) produced the 30-second spots for its Igniting Ministry media evangelism campaign and expects the ads to reach more than 6 million viewers. National ads are placed annually during three flight periods when research shows viewers are more receptive to religious advertising: in September when students return to school and during the Christian seasons of Advent and Lent. The commercials run during selected day and evening time periods, with a focus on news and family programs. According to UMCom, Igniting Ministry ads are designed to reach and appeal primarily to viewers who do not regularly attend church but may be seeking spiritual meaning in their lives and answers to spiritual questions. The simple goal is to foster a positive awareness of United Methodist beliefs and a willingness to visit United Methodist churches. Independent research conducted in Baltimore and other test markets in 2001-2002 attributed increases in church visitors and overall church attendance on Sundays to ads on TV and in other media, when coupled with training and strategic efforts among churches to become more inviting and welcoming to visitors. The total cost for the conferences purchase of local TV ads, including the spots to be aired during Ravens games, is more than $112,000. UMCom has contributed half of the funding for these spots via matching grants. | 
Login/Register to leave comment