I'm a Mormon was an educational, advertising and outreach campaign by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2010[1] to 2018 that aimed to address stereotypes and misconceptions, attempting to educate non-members about the church, by featuring short profiles from church members (also known by the nickname Mormons).
Campaign[edit]
Short video clips began airing on American television in January 2011, expanding by October to a television, bus and billboard campaign in 12 US cities and Brisbane, Australia.[2][3][4][5] The executive director of the campaign was Stephen B. Allen.[2] In 2013, the campaign was extended to Ireland and the UK with ads on double-decker buses and the internet,[6] said to be in response to the opening of The Book of Mormon musical in London.[7] In Melbourne during the 2017 run, the church advertised at Southern Cross railway station and elsewhere in the city, as well as on television.[8]
The campaign emphasized facts about LDS Church membership through cultural and racial diversity of individuals profiled, representing (in 2011) more than a million claimed church members in Mexico and Brazil each, and nearly as many in Asia.[2] The campaign included cooperation from lay members who were encouraged to create a profile on the church website to tell about their faith and answer common questions.[citation needed] The campaign has been subject of scholarly articles concerning its relationship with Mormonism and women.[9]
The campaign did not air in Iowa, South Carolina or Florida during the 2011 Republican presidential primary season to avoid causing controversy around Latter-day Saint candidates Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman.[2]
In October 2018, church president Russell M. Nelson said that the use of nicknames such as Mormon was "a major victory for Satan."[10][11][12] As a result, the campaign was discontinued.
Notable participants[edit]
The following people have appeared as spokespeople in the campaign.
- Alex Boye, musician[13]
- Elaine Bradley, musician[14]
- Rose Datoc Dall, Filipina-American painter[15]
- Ron Dittemore, former NASA flight director; president of ATK Launch Systems[16]
- Brandon Flowers, musician[2][13][17]
- Larry Gelwix, rugby coach[13]
- William Hopoate, athlete[13][8]
- Jane Clayson Johnson, television anchor[13]
- Gladys Knight, singer and actress[2]
- Chad Lewis, athlete[13]
- Mia Love, former member of U.S. Congress[18]
- Rob Morris, athlete[13]
- Lacey Nymeyer, athlete[13]
- Alan Osmond, musician[13]
- Gabe Reid, athlete[13]
- Jon Schmidt, musician[13]
- Mitch Smith, athlete[13]
- Lindsey Stirling, musician[19]
- Bruce Summerhays, pro golfer[13]
- Patrice Tipoki, musician and actor[13][8]
- Paora Winitana, athlete[13]
- Jason F. Wright, author and commentator[13]
- Norman Tolk, physicist[citation needed]
Further reading[edit]
- Rollo Romig (January 20, 2012), ""Julie Through the Glass": The Rise and Fall of the Mormon TV Commercial", The New Yorker
- "Why are we meeting the Mormons?", The Conversation, Melbourne, Victoria, November 5, 2014
References[edit]
- ^ "'I'm a Mormon' Campaign Provide Glimpse into Lives of Latter-day Saints".
- ^ a b c d e f Eric Marrapodi (November 2, 2011), With 'I'm a Mormon' campaign, church counters lily-white image, CNN
- ^ Keith Coffman (October 2, 2011), Latter-day Saints launch "I'm a Mormon" ad campaign, Reuters
- ^ "I'm a Mormon" campaign expands in U.S., Australia, Salt Lake City: KSL-TV, October 7, 2011
- ^ Katherine Feeney (November 22, 2011), "Mormons come knocking loudest in Brisbane", Brisbane Times,
[T]he southeast Queensland campaign, set to run on television, billboards and online until the New Year, stood as a national test case...
- ^ Lindsay Maxfield (April 10, 2013), LDS Church launches 'I'm a Mormon' campaign in UK, Ireland, Salt Lake City: KSL-TV
- ^ "'I am a Mormon' campaign launches in London, in response to play's debut", The World, Minneapolis: Public Radio International, April 29, 2013
- ^ a b c "The Book of Mormon: An Opportunity to Set the Record Straight". www.abc.net.au. 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
- ^ Chen, Chiung Hwang (20 Feb 2014), "Diverse Yet Hegemonic: Expressions of Motherhood in "I'm a Mormon" Ads", Journal of Media and Religion, 13, Taylor & Francis: 31–47, doi:10.1080/15348423.2014.871973, S2CID 143774315
- ^ Peggy Fletcher Stack; Scott D. Pierce; David Noyce (7 October 2018). "Members 'offend' Jesus and please the devil when they use the term 'Mormon,' President Nelson says". SLTrib.com. The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- ^ "General Conference, October 2018, Russell M. Nelson". churchofjesuschrist.org. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- ^ Nelson, President Russell M. "The Correct Name of the Church". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Trent Toone (October 31, 2012), "23 interesting Latter-day Saints who have profiles on Mormon.org", Deseret News, Salt Lake City
- ^ Brian Passey (May 1, 2014), "Neon Trees shine on their best album yet", The Desert Sun, Palm Springs, California
- ^ Schmuhl, Emily. "LDS artist surprised at huge response to ad campaign", Deseret News, 16 September 2010. Retrieved on 15 March 2020.
- ^ Space Religion: Mormonism and the Final Frontier – Former NASA administrator James C. Fletcher played a crucial role in the first three decades of human space exploration. To what extent did his Mormon faith fuel his enthusiasm?, Seeker, May 10, 2011
- ^ Haglund, David (October 17, 2011), "Brow Beat: Slates Culture Blog", Slate,
I'm a Father, a Husband, and a Rock Star. And I'm a Mormon.
- ^ Goodstein, Laurie (2011-11-18). "Mormon Ad Campaign Seeks to Improve Perceptions". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
- ^ Michael Deeds (May 16, 2015), "Lindsey Stirling is a dancing, violin-shredding Mormon sensation", Idaho Statesman, Boise, Idaho
External links[edit]
- Official website (churchofjesuschrist.org)
