Tuesday, July 10, 2012

78: USING SUGGESTIVE IMAGES TO PROMOTE LDS INVESTMENTS

THE NEW BILLBOARD ADVERTISING THE LDS CHURCH’S MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR INVESTMENT

“MAKE IT” A NIGHT
Ads containing images of romantic couples and promises of love and intimacy for those using the product, combined with headlines using double entendre are  used in advertising to draw interest to a particular product,  for purpose of sale.  The imagery used, (such as that of a pretty woman holding a glass of champagne with a dark, tall and handsome man), typically has no connection to the product being advertised. The purpose of the imagery is to attract the attention of the potential customer or user.


City Creek City is a investment product of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A magazine article published today in BusinessWeek, details more information about the City Creek Mall as well as other for profit companies of the Church. The article is entitled, “How Mormons Make Money”.  Here is the link to read the entire article.  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-07-10/how-the-mormons-make-money
I just want to share one quote in article from one of the interview answers given by Keith B. McMullin, who for 37 years served within the Mormon leadership, including in the Presiding Bishopric and now heads a church-owned holding company, Deseret Management Corporation (DMC), an umbrella organization for many of the church’s for-profit businesses.

“When asked for the purpose of City Creek, he explains that City Creek exists to combat urban blight, not to fill church coffers. “Will there be a return?” he asks rhetorically. “Yes, but so modest that you would never have made such an investment—the real return comes in folks moving back downtown and the revitalization of businesses.” Pausing briefly, he adds with deliberation: “It’s for furthering the aim of the church to make, if you will, bad men good, and good men better.”

However, in my opinion, with the advertising being used to promote City Creek Center..  I am not sure this is a place to make “bad men good, and good men better.”

Reading the 16th verse in the section one of the Doctrine and Covenants,  it makes you wonder if this could be referring to us today.

"They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness,
but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god,
whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol,
which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon,
even Babylon the great, which shall fall" (D&C 1:16).