Ad campaign reawakens interest
in the Jesus film
EGYPT — Because the Bible
Society can only sell its products from explicitly Christian outlets,
the only way to reach the general public with news of new products or
offers is through advertising. A single television commercial or newspaper
advertisement can attract hundreds of people to its bookshops. The free
home delivery service also depends on the constant advertising of the
phone number.
Shortly after Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ
was released in Egypt, the Bible Society of Egypt (BSE), in conjunction
with the Jesus Film Project, began an advertising campaign for
the Jesus film – and were overwhelmed by the response.
Free copy
Over the previous 12 years, the Society had distributed 1.5 million
copies of the film. But when they repackaged it together with a free
copy of the New Testament at the highly subsidised price of less than
US$1.00, and announced the package with TV commercials and a front-page
newspaper advertisement, BSE staff were overwhelmed with the flood of
telephone calls indicating massive renewed interest.
On the first day they received more than 200 calls and within two
weeks they had made more than 500 home deliveries and sold more than
1,700 packages from their shops in Cairo alone. “More than 80 per
cent of the deliveries were to people with no church background,”
says the Society. “Most people had seen The Passion of the Christ
and were curious to know more.”
Through its home delivery service and bookshops the Society has made
contact with people from the ‘ordinary’ and needy to ‘high-ranking’
ministers and embassy staff, all of whom want to see the Jesus
film.
Many of the free home deliveries of the new package have been to Cairo’s
remoter suburbs – up to two hours away from the Society’s
premises. One delivery involved a ride on the city’s underground
system or ‘subway’, two journeys by minibus, and a 20-minute
walk “down a long street with a very confusing numbering system”!
Many mobile phone calls were needed along the way.
Six times
A particular woman came to the bookshop six times over two days; each
time she met or remembered a friend or relative to whom she wanted to
give the Jesus film and New Testament package.
Another enquirer wanted to know more about the Bible, yet was hesitant
to enter the shop. So a member of staff took him one Bible after another
to look at while he stood outside comparing their texts and layouts.
In the end, after much deliberation and without actually going into
the shop, he bought a Bible and went on his way.
In addition to the billboards, TV and newspapers used as its regular
advertising media, the Society continues to look for new and creative
ways to reach the public. Recent additions have included the video commercials
shown on Cairo’s underground system and the placing of ads in the
timetables of intercity buses.
“This is a time of unparalleled visibility for us through the
media,” says the Society. (WR 392/15 - 04/5.05) Story adapted from
the 2004 annual report of the Bible Society of Egypt
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