Login
Login

I'm a Mormon

{{Short description|2010 educational outreach campaign by the LDS Church}}

{{italic title}}

I'm a Mormon was an educational, advertising and outreach campaign by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2010{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/-i-m-a-mormon-campaign|title = 'I'm a Mormon' Campaign Provide Glimpse into Lives of Latter-day Saints}} 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

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.{{citation|title=Latter-day Saints launch "I'm a Mormon" ad campaign|author=Keith Coffman|publisher=Reuters|date=October 2, 2011|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mormons-media-idUSTRE7911CM20111002}}{{citation|title="I'm a Mormon" campaign expands in U.S., Australia|publisher=KSL-TV|location=Salt Lake City| date=October 7, 2011|url=https://www.ksl.com/?nid=1016&sid=17568112}}{{citation|date=November 22, 2011|title=Mormons come knocking loudest in Brisbane|author=Katherine Feeney|newspaper=Brisbane Times|url=http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/mormons-come-knocking-loudest-in-brisbane-20111121-1nqrf.html|quote=[T]he southeast Queensland campaign, set to run on television, billboards and online until the New Year, stood as a national test case...}} The executive director of the campaign was Stephen B. Allen.{{citation|title=With 'I'm a Mormon' campaign, church counters lily-white image|author=Eric Marrapodi|publisher=CNN|date=November 2, 2011|url=http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/02/with-im-a-mormon-campaign-church-counters-lily-white-image/comment-page-2/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104202554/http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/11/02/with-im-a-mormon-campaign-church-counters-lily-white-image/comment-page-2/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 4, 2011}} In 2013, the campaign was extended to Ireland and the UK with ads on double-decker buses and the internet,{{citation|title=LDS Church launches 'I'm a Mormon' campaign in UK, Ireland|author=Lindsay Maxfield | date=April 10, 2013|publisher=KSL-TV|location=Salt Lake City|url=https://www.ksl.com/?nid=1016&sid=24728584}} said to be in response to the opening of The Book of Mormon musical in London.{{citation|publisher=Public Radio International|location=Minneapolis|title='I am a Mormon' campaign launches in London, in response to play's debut|work=The World|date=April 29, 2013|url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2013-04-29/i-am-mormon-campaign-launches-london-response-plays-debut}} In Melbourne during the 2017 run, the church advertised at Southern Cross railway station and elsewhere in the city, as well as on television.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/religion/articles/2017/01/24/4608384.htm|title=The Book of Mormon: An Opportunity to Set the Record Straight|date=2017-01-24|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU|access-date=2017-05-22}}

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. 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.{{cn|date=January 2023}} The campaign has been subject of scholarly articles concerning its relationship with Mormonism and women.{{citation|title=Diverse Yet Hegemonic: Expressions of Motherhood in "I'm a Mormon" Ads|first=Chiung Hwang |last=Chen|pages =31–47 | date=20 Feb 2014|journal=Journal of Media and Religion|volume=13 |publisher=Taylor & Francis|doi=10.1080/15348423.2014.871973|s2cid=143774315 }}

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.

In October 2018, church president Russell M. Nelson said that the use of nicknames such as Mormon was "a major victory for Satan."{{cite web |author1=Peggy Fletcher Stack |author2=Scott D. Pierce |author3=David Noyce |title=Members 'offend' Jesus and please the devil when they use the term 'Mormon,' President Nelson says |url=https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2018/10/07/members-offend-jesus/ |website=SLTrib.com |publisher=The Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=9 October 2018 |date=7 October 2018}}{{cite web |title=General Conference, October 2018, Russell M. Nelson |url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/general-conference/2018/10/media/session_5_talk_11/5845686705001?lang=eng |website=churchofjesuschrist.org |publisher=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints |access-date=9 October 2018}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/10/the-correct-name-of-the-church?lang=eng|title=The Correct Name of the Church|last=Nelson|first=President Russell M.|website=www.churchofjesuschrist.org|access-date=2020-03-10}} As a result, the campaign was discontinued and the mormon.org website was shut down, removing the user generated content and stories.

Notable participants

The following people have appeared as spokespeople in the campaign.

  • Alex Boye, musician{{citation|title=23 interesting Latter-day Saints who have profiles on Mormon.org|author=Trent Toone|newspaper=Deseret News|location=Salt Lake City|date=October 31, 2012|url=http://www.deseretnews.com/top/1057/6/Jane-Clayson-Johnson-23-interesting-Latter-day-Saints-who-have-profiles-on-Mormonorg.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204230626/http://www.deseretnews.com/top/1057/6/Jane-Clayson-Johnson-23-interesting-Latter-day-Saints-who-have-profiles-on-Mormonorg.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 4, 2013}}
  • Elaine Bradley, musician{{citation|title=Neon Trees shine on their best album yet|author=Brian Passey | date=May 1, 2014|location =Palm Springs, California|newspaper=The Desert Sun|url=http://www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/2014/05/02/neon-trees-shine-on-their-best-album-yet/8596359/}}
  • Rose Datoc Dall, Filipina-American painterSchmuhl, Emily. [https://www.deseret.com/2010/9/16/20141117/lds-artist-surprised-at-huge-response-to-ad-campaign "LDS artist surprised at huge response to ad campaign"], Deseret News, 16 September 2010. Retrieved on 15 March 2020.
  • Ron Dittemore, former NASA flight director; president of ATK Launch Systems{{citation|title=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?|date=May 10, 2011|publisher=Seeker|url=https://www.seeker.com/space-religion-mormonism-and-the-final-frontier-1765241314.html}}
  • Brandon Flowers, musician{{citation |first= David |last= Haglund |url= http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2011/10/17/brandon_flowers_of_the_killers_i_m_a_mormon.html |quote= I'm a Father, a Husband, and a Rock Star. And I'm a Mormon. |title= Brow Beat: Slates Culture Blog |journal= Slate |date= October 17, 2011 }}
  • Larry Gelwix, rugby coach
  • William Hopoate, athlete
  • Jane Clayson Johnson, television anchor
  • Gladys Knight, singer and actress
  • Chad Lewis, athlete
  • Mia Love, former member of U.S. Congress{{cite web | last=Goodstein | first=Laurie | title=Mormon Ad Campaign Seeks to Improve Perceptions | website=The New York Times | date=2011-11-18 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/18/us/mormon-ad-campaign-seeks-to-improve-perceptions.html | access-date=2017-08-25}}

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{citation

|title="Julie Through the Glass": The Rise and Fall of the Mormon TV Commercial

|author= Rollo Romig

|date=January 20, 2012

|magazine=The New Yorker

|url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/julie-through-the-glass-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-mormon-tv-commerical}}

  • {{citation

|title=Why are we meeting the Mormons?

|date=November 5, 2014

|work=The Conversation

|location=Melbourne, Victoria

|url=http://theconversation.com/why-are-we-meeting-the-mormons-33167}}

External links

  • [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-library/video/categories/im-a-mormon?lang=eng Official website] (churchofjesuschrist.org)

{{Latter-day Saints}}

Category:2011 in American television

Category:Advertising campaigns

Category:Media of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Category:American advertising slogans

Category:2011 introductions