How to Get Free Advertising

Media and marketing isn’t all bad, as some would have you believe. Ever since I started learning about media, advertisements and marketing, I feel like it has been full of messages like these:

Don’t believe anything the media tells you.

Everything in media is fake.

They just want you to buy their products.

Granted, there is some truth to all of these statements. Yes, some of the things portrayed in advertisements and media are false and should not be believed. An example of this would be the stereotypical mascara commercial with a model that has perfectly separated and ridiculously long lashes—come on now, who really has those? And yes, a lot of the time marketers do just want you to buy a product because it will bring them and the company they represent a whole lot of money.

Media can definitely be used in a positive light. Specifically regarding celebrities, I think we automatically assume that celebrities only endorse products or companies because they are getting paid for it. Some celebrities, however, promote causes or products without expecting any personal gain in return; they simply do it because it is a good thing.

In the world of Christian music, Francesca Battistelli is a decently well-known artist, although by no means on the same playing field as Brad Pitt or Ellen DeGeneres. I went to her concert a few nights ago and found myself listening to her give a “sales pitch” about an organization called World Vision. She talked for about ten minutes about how she and her family are involved in the organization, what is has done for them, and how it can affect our lives if we participate. The cool thing was, this pitch was in no way going to profit her. Even World Vision as a company would not get a whole lot out of this pitch.

You see, World Vision is a non-profit organization whose mission is to fight poverty worldwide and change children’s lives through sponsorship. Francesca Battistelli was using her “celebrity” status to promote this organization; who knows how many children’s lives are going to be changed as a result of her brief spiel that night?

Another thing World Vision does is recruit people to run marathons. People who run with World Vision are responsible for raising a certain amount of money, which then goes towards a project that World Vision does. The runners all wear bright orange jerseys which proudly advertise the organization. Celebrities, fundraisers, people running around with “Team World Vision” across their chest—World Vision has got their marketing down pat. Once people are hooked and excited about what World Vision is doing, that spreads to the people around them and makes others want to get involved.

 

The reason why people are so inclined to spread the word about organizations like World Vision is because through participating, they are helping others, not themselves. At the end of the day, it is a child in Haiti or Kenya or Thailand that will be impacted, not the CEO of a major company. The feeling that comes from beneficence is one of the best in the world, and World Vision has latched onto that.

Romans 1:16a says, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” As Christians, we should not be ashamed to “advertise” Christ. We are all celebrities to a certain point, as we all have a sphere of influence. We should be as determined to put Christ out there as Roger Federer is in promoting Rolex. When people see a good thing, they want to join, to be a part of it. Christ is a good thing. Although it may not have monetary value, sharing Christ with people is giving them more than they can imagine or hope for. How good would that feel?