Does your parish advertise??

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dino
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Dino

Guest
Aside from the customary bulletin blurb or pulpit PR, how does your parish promote upcoming events, programs and news to the community at large? Is there a budget set aside for traditional communications and advertising (newspaper ads, fliers/posters, direct mail, radio)?

I’m considering embarking on a new career path, prompted by the Holy Spirit and John Paul II’s New Evangelization, to utilize my talent and creative advertising experience to help parishes and Catholic institutions proclaim their message to the Mass market (pun intended), via modern advertising means. I’ve had some great support in this endeavor from my family, friends and fellow parishioners, and am now gathering (name removed by moderator)ut from other sources – namely, you. If you’d like to see work I’ve done recently (local Knights of Columbus councils, Steve Ray and Catholic Charities are just a few of the people and organizations I’ve done work for), please visit my Web site at www.adsforcatholics.com.

I greatly appreciate your time and feedback!! God’s blessings,

Dino
The Word Out. An advertising apostolate for Catholics.
www.adsforcatholics.com
Finally … the TRUTH in advertising.
 
Yes, my parish, St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge, LA, regularly advertises in our local newspaper. We have a monthly advertisement for the blessing of the sick with the Blessed Fr. Seelos relic and any other special event is also advertised.
 
The “community at large” has no idea we even exist… :banghead:

Except for maybe the garage sale and the auction, and that’s because we put up signs near the parish grounds and word-of-mouth, I suppose.
 
A lot depends on whether the parish has a budget set aside for promoting events. I think every parish needs to earmark some funds for advertising – which is a modern way to evangelize, really. If a brings in a speaker, for instance, to conduct a talk, why not prepare and send a press release (which is free) to the local paper? Newspapers are always looking for stories. If it’s a well-written press release, and it’s an event that will benefit the community, the paper will print it.

The goal with my advertising apostolate, The WORD Out, is twofold: 1: educate parishes on the importance and necessity for advertising; and 2: to provide professional, affordable and creative means to promote and proclaim the greatest message known to man.

Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

Dino.
The Word Out. An advertising apostolate for Catholics.
www.adsforcatholics.com
Finally … the TRUTH in advertising.
 
The Diocese of Cleveland has been advertising on the radio to promote Catholic Schools and ANYONE who wants to enroll their children in Catholic Schools. Even to the point to say that 'you don’t have to be Catholic to attend." I find it rather ‘odd’ because it seems like a ‘pitch’ to bring in the $$$ from mon-Catholics. (Thus in the long run, become more ‘accepting and inclusive’).

The ad does promote the quality of the education a child will receive butthe commercial is PC because there is NO mention of GOD in the whole radio ad!

What’s your opinion of this?
 
The Diocese of Baton Rouge also advertises Catholic schools in the newspaper right about this time of year in the Back to School supplement. They are not, however, looking for $$$$ since the waiting list to get into the schools is fairly long. Same thing goes for Archdiocese of New Orleans. I know protestant and Jewish kids who went to Catholic school.
 
40.png
Dino:
Aside from the customary bulletin blurb or pulpit PR, how does your parish promote upcoming events, programs and news to the community at large? Is there a budget set aside for traditional communications and advertising (newspaper ads, fliers/posters, direct mail, radio)?
Click to expand...
The only time I remember our parish advertising was several years ago our former pastor took a half a page in the local paper to invite Catholics to come to Reconciliation Good Friday afternoon and Holy Saturday. I know he had been frustrated with the longstanding lack of attendance at regular Sat. Confession.

Anyway, the ad worked, several hundred people showed up.

Our new pastor has a regular show on cable access if that counts as advertising.
 
Protestants evangelize through advertising means all the time. When we moved to our home here in rural southeast Michigan a few years ago, I remember receiving numerous direct mailers and postcards from churches of all denomoninations. Plus, we received personal invitations to church services from our visiting Protestant neighbors.

The way we found out about the local Catholic parishes was to drive around all the small towns looking for them. No newspaper ads, postcards, fliers to help us out there. I wish more parishes and Catholic institutions would pay heed to what Pope Paul VI stated during World Social Communications Day in 1977:

“It is our wish that Catholic institutions, in their various kinds, will follow with constant attention the development of the modern techniques of advertising and will know how to make opportune use of them in order to spread the Gospel message in a manner which answers the needs and expectations of contemporary man.”

Dino
The Word Out. An Advertising Apostolate for Catholics.
www.adsforcatholics.com
Finally … the TRUTH in advertising.
 
I think that one of the things which makes it easier for some Protestant groups to advertize is that there is among some of them more of an open door, anybody come and participate envirornment. Catholics, OTOH, are more usually expected to already be an incorporated part of a community, and drawing in newcomers could create for an awkward experience when they get quickly confused by the liturgy or don’t realize that they ought not immediately come forward for communion. The process of bringing people into the faith, then, is often more complicated and involved. Given, some parishes could benefit well by noting that they have certain services, Sacraments, and such available. But then you also get into the difficulty of what certain pastors might see as “flock stealing” by drawing some people from one parish to another. Obviously, there would be a hope that some fallen away Catholics might return if they see these things. I don’t think enough thought is put into that or that lots of parishes are ready to deal with it, even if they did advertize better. Too often, there merely seems to be a maintenance mentality in parishes which cripples effective evangelization.
 
Chicago, you bring out some great points. However, when I talk about evangelizing via advertising, I mean we need to go after Catholics – those in your parish, in your community, in your diocese. The goal of my advertising apostolate is to reach out to lapsed/complacent Catholics – not proselytize to our Protestant brothers and sisters and invite them to Mass. I was merely pointing out that Protestants use marketing far better and more frequent than we Catholics.

I appreciate your time and feedback!!!

Dino
The Word Out. An Advertising Apostolate for Catholics.
www.adsforcatholics.com
Finally … the TRUTH in advertising.
 
40.png
Dino:
Chicago, you bring out some great points. However, when I talk about evangelizing via advertising, I mean we need to go after Catholics – those in your parish, in your community, in your diocese. The goal of my advertising apostolate is to reach out to lapsed/complacent Catholics – not proselytize to our Protestant brothers and sisters and invite them to Mass. I was merely pointing out that Protestants use marketing far better and more frequent than we Catholics.

I appreciate your time and feedback!!!

Dino
The Word Out. An Advertising Apostolate for Catholics.
www.adsforcatholics.com
Finally … the TRUTH in advertising.
Click to expand...
Dino,
First let me say good luck and God Bless. Now, after having said that; I really checked our your website (I am in the computer industry) so I mean I really checked it out…very nice job! I agree we have to start from within and get our lapsed Catholic brethern back into the fold first…
 
40.png
Dino:
Chicago, you bring out some great points. However, when I talk about evangelizing via advertising, I mean we need to go after Catholics – those in your parish, in your community, in your diocese. The goal of my advertising apostolate is to reach out to lapsed/complacent Catholics – not proselytize to our Protestant brothers and sisters and invite them to Mass. I was merely pointing out that Protestants use marketing far better and more frequent than we Catholics.
Click to expand...
Fair enough. And I agree that MUCH more creativity and dedication is needed in this area. However, I also think that there is a different mindset in the Catholic experience which may make this more difficult. A Protestant parish can basically just say, “Hey, come on in, the water’s fine!” If one is trying to reach out to a lapsed Catholic, however, there is likely an entirely unique set of difficulties, background, and support which is needed.

Can you provide some examples of how you would suggest an average parish might go about using the media, then, to bring people back?
 
Blest One: Thanks for your critique of my Web site and company. It means a lot – especially coming from someone in the computer biz!!!

Chicago: Thanks, also, for your (name removed by moderator)ut and insight. Of course, there’s no sure-fire, simple way to bring back lapsed Catholics. However, one thing parishes need to do is familiarize themselves with the benefits of marketing. Any Marketing or Advertising 101 textbook will do. In my business, I use fundamental marketing practices that any secular business would use. One technique I always suggest to parish priests is to contact the local newspaper and ask if he could write a weekly column in the paper’s religious section. This brings a positive exposure to the parish, and if the column is well written and relevant, it just may pique a reader’s curiosity to find out more about the the author’s “place of business.”

I also suggest that parishes perform a survey study (hand out questionaires after Mass, at parish organization meetings, etc.) in order to find out current parishioners’ wants and needs. The data culled from this task could then be used to develop events that most efficiently and effectively satisfies their desires. When you have happy, excited parishioners, they will definitely begin inviting others in the outside community whenever your parish sponsors a special event. I’ve seen it happen at my parish. We held a Theology on Tap series and asked parishioners to ask a friend or family member to the series. When several lapsed parishioners saw how dynamic our priest’s talk was, they started coming back to Mass. We’re often told to invite and welcome people back to Mass – and that’s definitely something we should do – but I suggest inviting them to a talk or presentation, or invite them to read an article by the local priest as well.

A news release to the papers is another simple, affordable means to get the word out about what’s going on at the parish. In fact, every single event should be promoted. Have staff members contact the diocese newspaper or magazine, local tv and radio stations, area Catholic churches, schools and hospitals – even the businesses that advertise in your bulletin – and ask them to help promote the event. Most of the big media will tell you no, but you won’t know until you try.

There’s so much a parish a can do. But they need to set aside some funds (hold a fundraiser to build up a “promotional budget”?) so they can begin promotional efforts. Remember: more parishioners = more weekly contributions = more events = more exposure = more parishioners, etc., etc. You get the picture.

Dino
The Word Out. An Advertising Apostolate for Catholics.
www.adsforcatholics.com
Finally … the TRUTH in advertising.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top