The Churches Advertising Network (CAN) have thrown down the gauntlet for their latest campaign, offering £500 for the best 30 second summary of the Christmas story. The competition will be promoted through radio ads which attempt to tell the story in a rapid, sports-commentary style.
The ads are the latest in a series of ad campaigns released to coincide with the major Christian festivals of Easter and Christmas, each designed to get people talking and thinking. Memorable past ideas include a billboard campaign portraying Jesus as Che Guevara, and another with the image of Christ appearing in an empty pint glass. This year’s theme was inspired by research from the Theos think tank that showed that many people do not know the details of the Christmas story.
“We wanted to carry on with this idea of retelling the Christmas story, but in a medium suitable for radio listeners” said CAN creative director Chas Bayfield. “The new radio ads take on the style of a sports commentary and hope to engage in a humorous way with the youth audiences and encourage them to go to church to hear the Christmas story in full.”
You can hear the ads here. You can also sponsor ads to run in your local area.