Digital Cinema Media has refused to screen an advert featuring the Lord's Prayer. The reason given was that DCM thought it has the potential to upset some cinemagoers of a different faith, or no faith at all, and because of that they have a blanket policy of showing no religious adverts. In that way they are treating all faiths the same and not discriminating. The Church is a bit upset.
- The advert was to be shown before the new Star Wars film, which itself is a film about the Jedi religion! Double standards?
- The advert in question is for prayer - surely that would bring the church into conflict with the Advertising Standards Authority? Imagine if everyone started advertising woo-woo!
- Had the advert been on behalf of Islam, then I'm certain there would have been uproar (probably from the Christian element).
- It could set off an advertising war between faiths with the result that we are all bombarded with proselytising religious adverts before watching a film at the cinema or even while watching TV. With the amount of Christian, quasi-religious advertising blatantly masquerading as consumerism on TV at the moment, you'd be forgiven for thinking it was Christmas or something!
- I think the Church has basically misunderstands the power of advertising. The purpose of an advert is to keep your product to the forefront of the mind of the target, who is already in a frame of mind to purchase a product you're advertising. The advert merely guides them to you product, rather than that of a competitor. Somehow I don't think people shop for religions in the way they do for cereal. There again, perhaps they do.
May the Force be with you...
4 comments:
Apparently Yahweh, creator of our Universe and bearer of mankind's most important message, is so bad at communicating that he needs a bunch of hipsters from Soho to pitch for him - irony or what? (personally I think it's just a clever ploy to get people to watch it on YouTube!)
It's been so long since I've been to a cinema, DCM ? Didn't have anything to do with the Bombay Curry House just round the corner from this cinema did they?
BTW, Steve, the bunch of hipsters are from Lambeth Palace.
Whatever happened to Pearl and Dean? Or those wonderful static adverts at the end of films recommending that you stop off at the local Berni Inn or Curry House on your way home. I suspect it was a plot hatched by the cinema advertising people to focus our attention on cinemas (what in my day were called Picture Houses) and getting us to go there again at other times than weddings and Christmas Day.
Weren't they called 'The Silents' in your day, Alan?
;o)
Post a Comment