Can you market God? A case study of the ‘God Speaks’ social marketing campaign

Abstract

Public service campaigns, spanning more than 60 years and thousands of mass media advertisements, have asked individuals to take actions such as “Say No to Drugs” and “Keep America Beautiful,” as well as to support various nonprofit organizations. A case study of the “God Speaks” religious social marketing campaign is offered as an example of a non‐traditional campaign that provides insights for future endeavors. Although the campaign, which began as a local paid media effort, appeared to have little measurable impact on attitudes and behavior, it was able to generate extensive non‐paid media coverage that greatly increased its reach. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.