So, I'm getting ready to watch some Jon Stewart and some snark about heat waves and gay marriage in NY and debt talks and I have an advertisement before the show starts. Pretty normal for Hulu, who usually at least has decent placement for the demographics (though really, no one watching this much Comedy Central can afford a new car. Honestly. Most of us are unemployed and living at our parents' house). ANYWAY, if given the choice, I generally take the normal commercial breaks but I was struck by the advertiser of choice. The Church of Scientology. So I watched the full run... and you can too!
Does this ad tell us anything ABOUT the religion? Nope. Does it ask us to join? Well... not really, though it slyly tells us that doing so will make us nicer, more wealthy, more moral and overall just better. Does it look more like a Sprint smartphone than a church ad? Absolutely (though what IS a church ad anyway?). Perhaps they were inspired by the recent "I'm a Mormon" radio ads which only taught me I can be a red headed firefighter who does jujitsu and still be Mormon. Neat. But more importantly than the feel good, American as apple pie sentiments is the placement.
The Daily Show? Hulu? Who are you trying to convince? Young, college educated, mostly nonreligious pot smokers (not me... but let's go with the stereotype here). Is this who you want to convince of your educational volunteering and anti-drug benevolence? Shouldn't you be advertising on NBA nightly news to the old, white, powerful VPs and CEOs across the nation so they can give you more money to be enlightened? Or convincing those much more likely to lynch you, like right wing Christian extremists with access to explosive material thanks to their cousin's meth lab, a la Fox News?
Honestly, I'm just confused now. If you want to reach the youth, keep flaunting your famous members. If you want to get the hippies, stick with the fliers for 'Free Personality Tests!' you used to hand out in front of urban Trader Joe's locations. If you want to reach 20 & 30 something liberals unoffiliated with religion... please just logically explain to me why and I will notify them. I do go to policy school, so I know most of them.
If you would like to explain yourself... please do. I will be reading my comments frequently. Or feel free to tweet me @Lia_Bia if you only need 140 characters to render my confusion null.
