ELCA NEWS SERVICE
April 1, 2008
ELCA Ad Campaign Pilot Showed Positive Results
08-035-FI
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Denver motorists saw billboards
in September 2007 that displayed tools in the shape of
a cross and conveyed a fact -- "8,400 homes repaired
after Hurricane Katrina" -- and a message -- "God's
Work. Our Hands." The Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (ELCA) Rocky Mountain Synod took the lead in a
pilot advertising campaign about the ELCA and what
Lutherans are about in the world.
The campaign involved 61 ELCA congregations in the
Boulder, Colo., and Denver vicinities. The congregations
incorporated the ad's message into banners, bookmarks,
church bulletins, postcards and posters to raise awareness
of the churches and inspire their members to invite others
to church.
ELCA Communication Services developed the ad campaign,
and funding help from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
made the one-month pilot possible. The ads ran in local
newspapers, online, and on billboards, buses and bus
shelters.
"Research before and after the pilot project confirmed
that we had the right message and affirmed our choice of
target audience," said Kristi S. Bangert, executive director,
ELCA Communication Services.
"As a result of this initiative we hoped that members
of the ELCA would be better equipped to own and tell this
church's story, the story of what God is doing in us and
through us for the sake of the world. We also hoped to see
an increase in recognition of this church's name and its
graphic identity. In just one short month we saw positive
gains in both instances," Bangert said.
Using a sample of area ELCA members, Leo J. Shapiro and
Associates conducted 400 interviews Aug. 20-27, 2007, to
establish a "benchmark" of awareness, perceptions and
behaviors before the campaign. It conducted 400 interviews
Oct. 1-8, 2007, and another 150 interviews Nov. 6-11, 2007,
to measure the impact of the advertising after the campaign.
Respondents participated in only one part of the study.
Responses were measured by "unaided awareness" -- asking
open-ended questions -- and "aided awareness" -- asking
specific questions about the advertising.
The research indicated an increase in awareness of ELCA
advertising. Unaided awareness rose from 9 percent to 20
percent, with billboards and church banners mentioned more
than any other media.
Respondents were more likely after the campaign to
identify themselves as ELCA members unaided, from 6 percent
to 10 percent, rather than simply "Lutheran."
The proportion of respondents who said they were
"extremely familiar" with the ELCA increased from 5 percent
to 12 percent. The research said that increase was largely
a shift of respondents from "very familiar" to "extremely
familiar."
Respondents were asked how strongly they agreed or
disagreed with the statement: "It is important to be a
member of a congregation affiliated with the ELCA."
Using a scale from 1 (least agree) to 9 (most agree), the
average rating rose from 5.80 before the ad campaign to
6.06 afterward.
Questions rating the ELCA's and the congregation's
roles in spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ showed slight
drops from before to after the campaign.
The research indicated an increase in church attendance,
from 35 percent to 45 percent the previous month, but the
shift could not be attributed to the advertising campaign.
The proportion of respondents who visited the ELCA Web
site increased from 7 percent to 12 percent after the
advertising campaign.
Six print ads, four outdoor ads and supporting materials
were at http://www.ELCA.org/love/ on the ELCA Web site.
"How do we ever measure the exact impact of seeds that
are sown?" asked the Rev. Kent A. Mueller, director for
administration and communication, ELCA Rocky Mountain Synod,
Denver. "I have no doubt that more people in metro Denver
have heard of the ELCA than before the campaign started, but
I did not expect any kind of change in church attendance as
a result," he said.
Mueller said the campaign's themes and tagline were well
received by ELCA members. "The congregations that benefited
the most were the ones that invested themselves in the
campaign and brought it home into their local context. In
other words, the messages of the broader campaign were the
catalyst for the local congregations to take a close look at
their own hospitality, welcoming and witness," he said.
"Next steps for the ad initiative include development
of promotional television spots to reinforce the print and
billboard messages, and vigorous fund raising efforts to help
make the ad program available throughout the ELCA," Bangert
said.
"We know it will take a considerable investment to make
this ad initiative truly effective, whether working in small
well-defined market areas or mounting a nationwide campaign.
Whatever the case, we know that collaborative work among
congregations, synods and the churchwide organization is
critical to the ad initiative's success," Bangert said.
-- -- --
A video report on the ELCA ad campaign is at
http://www.ELCA.org/news/video.html on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
