SoulWow – A New Low For Religion
It’s like a ShamWow, but for your SOUL. Get it?
One of the things about religion that’s always bothered me is the marketing. I know that some folks will say that it’s all about spreading the Good Word, but maybe rather than spending money making websites and dopey YouTube videos, “Father Vic” could, I don’t know, feed people or something.
Not to get all moral minority here. But really, is this what religion is all about? I’m not a very religious person but when I see shit like this I get frustrated. There are people who take their faith seriously and I want to be able to respect them for that. Nonsense like the “SoulWow” makes it much more difficult to do so.
At first I figured that this was a joke of some kind, but it appears that the SoulWow is sponsored by the Church. Specifically The Roman Catholic Church of Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. The video was created by ad agency Forza Migliozzi. Crain’s New York Business quoted their Managing Partner Michael Migliozzi as saying, “As opposed to having a chief marketing officer approve it, you have the bishop approve it. I can only imagine how Michelangelo felt.” A YouTube video, the Sistine Chapel. Same thing. Or to quote the Church Lady, well. We like ourselves, don’t we.
Times are tough, so I don’t blame the agency. (Although one would think that having a soul would be a requirement before working for the church. Rim shot.) And Crain’s says that, “Local media outlets were happy to have the ads at a time when revenues have gone straight to hell.” So that’s good. Sort of.
So who said this? “We cannot air spots that speak about a sacrament.” So sayeth an account manager a New York Christian radio station Star 99.1. Interesting.
I can’t claim that I’m offended by the ad, at least not in a religious way. It’s not my religion, and I believe that everything is fair game. The problem I have is that the Church wants to be taken seriously, right? And they want young people to take what they say seriously. Presumably because they think that what the Church teaches is important. Ads like this feel like nothing more than desperation and self-preservation. Which is lame. Even more lame than the Pope saying that condoms could help spread AIDS. OK, not that lame. But lame just the same.
I’ll probably go to Hell for writing this. Although I guess I could just pick up some SoulWow. Good for what ails ya.
