I'm a Mormon
I'm a Mormon is an advertising campaign produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and aired on American television beginning January 2011, expanding by October to a television, bus and billboard campaign in 12 US cities and Brisbane, Australia.[1][2][3][4] The executive director of the campaign was Stephen B. Allen.[1] In 2013 the campaign was extended to Ireland and the UK with ads on double-decker buses and the World Wide Web,[5] said to be in response to the opening of the musical The Book of Mormon in London.[6] In Melbourne during the 2017 run, the Church advertised at Southern Cross railway station and elsewhere in the city, as well as on television.[7]
The campaign emphasized facts about LDS Church membership through cultural and racial diversity of individuals profiled, representing (in 2011) more than a million claimed LDS members in Mexico and Brazil each, and nearly as many in Asia.[1] The campaign has been subject of scholarly articles concerning its relationship with Mormonism and women.[8]
The campaign did not air in Iowa, South Carolina or Florida during the 2011 Republican presidential primary season to avoid causing controversy around LDS candidates Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman.[1]
Notable people
The following people have appeared as spokespeople in the campaign.
- Alex Boye, musician[9]
- Elaine Bradley, musician[10]
- Ron Dittemore, former NASA flight director; president of ATK Launch Systems[11]
- Brandon Flowers, musician[1][9][12]
- Larry Gelwix, rugby coach[9]
- William Hopoate, athlete[9][7]
- Jane Clayson Johnson, television anchor[9]
- Gladys Knight, singer and actress[1]
- Chad Lewis, athlete[9]
- Mia Love, member of U.S. Congress[13]
- Rob Morris, athlete[9]
- Lacey Nymeyer, athlete[9]
- Alan Osmond, musician[9]
- Gabe Reid, athlete[9]
- Jon Schmidt, musician[9]
- Mitch Smith, athlete[9]
- Lindsey Stirling, musician[14]
- Bruce Summerhays, pro golfer[9]
- Patrice Tipoki, musician and actor[9][7]
- Paora Winitana, athlete[9]
- Jason F. Wright, author and commentator[9]
Further reading
- Rollo Romig (January 20, 2012), ""Julie Through the Glass": The Rise and Fall of the Mormon TV Commercial", The New Yorker
- "Why are we meeting the Mormons?", The Conversation, Melbourne, Victoria, November 5, 2014
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Eric Marrapodi (November 2, 2011), With 'I'm a Mormon' campaign, church counters lily-white image, CNN
- ↑ Keith Coffman (October 2, 2011), Latter-day Saints launch "I'm a Mormon" ad campaign, Reuters
- ↑ "I'm a Mormon" campaign expands in U.S., Australia, Salt Lake City: KSL-TV, October 7, 2011
- ↑ Katherine Feeney (November 22, 2011), "Mormons come knocking loudest in Brisbane", Brisbane Times,
[T]he southeast Queensland campaign, set to run on television, billboards and online until the New Year, stood as a national test case...
- ↑ Lindsay Maxfield (April 10, 2013), LDS Church launches 'I'm a Mormon' campaign in UK, Ireland, Salt Lake City: KSL-TV
- ↑ "'I am a Mormon' campaign launches in London, in response to play's debut", The World, Minneapolis: Public Radio International, April 29, 2013
- 1 2 3 "The Book of Mormon: An Opportunity to Set the Record Straight". www.abc.net.au. 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
- ↑ Chen, Chiung Hwang (20 Feb 2014), "Diverse Yet Hegemonic: Expressions of Motherhood in "I'm a Mormon" Ads", Journal of Media and Religion, Taylor & Francis: 31–47, doi:10.1080/15348423.2014.871973
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Trent Toone (October 31, 2012), "23 interesting Latter-day Saints who have profiles on Mormon.org", Deseret News, Salt Lake City
- ↑ Brian Passey (May 1, 2014), "Neon Trees shine on their best album yet", The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, California
- ↑ Space Religion: Mormonism and the Final Frontier – Former NASA administrator James C. Fletcher played a crucial role in the first three decades of human space exploration. To what extent did his Mormon faith fuel his enthusiasm?, Seeker, May 10, 2011
- ↑ Haglund, David (October 17, 2011), "Brow Beat: Slates Culture Blog", Slate,
I'm a Father, a Husband, and a Rock Star. And I'm a Mormon.
- ↑ Goodstein, Laurie (2011-11-18). "Mormon Ad Campaign Seeks to Improve Perceptions". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
- ↑ Michael Deeds (May 16, 2015), "Lindsey Stirling is a dancing, violin-shredding Mormon sensation", Idaho Statesman, Boise, Idaho
External links
- Official website (lds.org)