ONE OF THE MOST effective tools for communicating many salient points of the Adventist message can be the thirty-second and one-minute television spot ministries. Faith for Today program planners have discovered in a pilot study beamed at the Phoenix area that as a contact or interest-generating device these can open up a wide area of possibilities for soul winning.
The short, rapid-fire TV spots, with their reinforcing power, can move into the persuasive segment of life between the football halves, the station breaks, and the prime-time programs. Brief TV spots can either augment the regular half-hour program or be used when thirty-minute slots are not avail able. The spot-ministry concept provides the church the potential to reach the masses, particularly the unchurched, under controlled conditions and tailored to available funds. Primarily they can prove valuable in providing a largely untapped source of interests for follow-up.
The three-week study of the effectiveness of the TV spot mes sages was conducted by Faith's Department of Syndication, under Eric Graham. Aired were three thirty- and sixty-second versions of Faith's spot ads offering the "Bible's Answer" and "Living for Real." Subjects covered were the nature of man, marriage, and heart-attack prevention. The pilot effort drew 685 responses that were deemed a good random sampling. These individuals were followed up with a telephone survey.
In analyzing the responses, both the literature offers and the follow-up survey must be viewed within the context of the religious cross section of the Phoenix market. Statistics indicate the city has a high concentration of Mormons and Catholics, providing a conservative area in which to test the spots.
Of primary significance was the percentage of interest in the subjects requested and the break down of the respondents' religious backgrounds. This information is as follows:
Response by Brochure
| Percent of Total | |
| Marriage Can Be Fun | 45% |
| Questions About Life and Death | 35% |
| Stop That Heart Attack | 20% |
However, the heart attack ad was aired less frequently than the two Biblical brochures. Therefore, the relative appeal of the two is:
|
Percent of Total |
|
| Marriage Can Be Fun | 57% |
| Questions About Life and Death | 43% |
An analysis of the typical profile of the respondents to the Faith for Today TV spots revealed them to be nonreligious (or Protestant), fairly well educated, with a median age of 25 years, and probably Caucasian. The spectrum of contacts included a variety of people, including students, a Ph.D., house wives, and even a Buddhist priest.
A number of interesting conclusions were drawn from the pilot study in Phoenix, according to Eric Graham. The spots reached the precise age group that one would design spots to reach if one had a choice. Costs of making the contact are comparatively less than expenses for other media programs that generate interest ($6,000 to buy air time a per response cost of $8.75).
The age level of the respondents was young adult, with the appeal controlled to bring male or female responses. One exciting fact that emerged is that the spots appeal to the masses regardless of religious affiliation.
"The results of the survey contrast starkly with the whole gamut of traditional religious broadcasting," says Mr. Graham. "Most religious programming appeals primarily to the senior citizen age group with a strong emphasis on the female side. It is particularly exciting to discover within our grasp a medium for evangelistic contact that reaches the moderately well-educated masses at an age in life when they are prone to make decisions."
