FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: The Rev. J. Bennett Guess Director of Communications United Church of Christ Phone: (216) 736-2173 E-Mail: guessb@ucc.org
March 03, 2008
United Church of Christ launching gay-affirming radio campaign on Sirius OutQ
Effort part of larger, pre-Easter ad-buy on Sirius Satellite Network
Cleveland, OH- Utilizing its edgy and humorous approach to advertising, the UCC will launch a two-week, pre-Easter advertising blitz on <http://www.sirius.com/>Sirius Satellite Radio, beginning March 10.
During the two weeks before Easter, one of the UCC's newest radio ads - <http://uccfiles.com/mp3//telephone_tree_national.mp3>"Telephone Tree - National" - will air more than 165 times on Sirius. The 60-second spot can be heard on at least four channels: Sirius OutQ, CNN, Fox News, and Sirius Left. Sirius radio has 4.7 million subscribers.
The Rev. J. Bennett Guess, the UCC's director of communications, describes the UCC's new radio spots as "laugh-out-loud funny," something that, he hopes, will capture the attention and imagination of Sirius listeners. Like past TV and radio advertisements used by the UCC over the past five years, the message is tailored specifically to reach those who may have experienced alienation from institutional religion for a variety of reasons.
"Satellite radio is a new test for us. It will be the first time we've ever tried this advertising venue, so it will be interesting to see what the results will be," says the Rev. J. Bennett Guess, the UCC's director of communication. "Satellite radio allows the UCC to reach targeted audiences on a national scale and to do so in an affordable way."
The effort is part of the UCC's on-going "God is still speaking" marketing campaign. In addition to purchasing national air time on Sirius, the church is making grants to assist local churches to air customized versions of the ads in local markets. The 60-second spots that will air on Sirius Radio have been been adapted and shortened as 45-second versions for use in local markets, thus allowing individual churches to add their own 15-second informational tags.
The national radio campaign comes on the heels of a web-based, <http://www.ucc.org/not-mutually-exclusive/>science-themed blogad campaign in February. In an attempt to reach out to members of the scientific and technological communities with a pro-science, pro-faith message, the church purchased advertising on more than 30 top scientific blogs. The Stillspeaking-themed web ads intentionally sought to help define the UCC as a place where people of faith can authentically engage and affirm science.
Listen to the UCC's Radio Ad:
<http://uccfiles.com/mp3//telephone_tree_national.mp3>http://uccfiles.com/mp3//telephone_tree_national.mp3
Learn more at: <http://www.ucc.org>http://www.ucc.org
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