Has anyone heard about this?

[PaleBlueDot]

There is a church in AZ that held a drawing to win 2 free tickets to a U2 show, as a marketing scheme to attract new parishoners.

A link to the article:
http://www.churchmarketingsucks.com/archives/2005/04/free_u2_ticket.html#trackbacks

The church's website: http://www.ccvonline.com/

A marketing report on the promotion:
http://www.ccvonline.com/u2/U2_Deconstructed.pdf

...Where the crap did they get the "statistic" that the "average U2 fan" is male, and between the ages of 28 and 40?

Someone posted something on that website (churchmarketingsucks.com) that pretty much sums up how I feel about all this:

"I'd love the U2 tickets as well, but somehow I just don't see Jesus handing out gladiator tickets at the sermon on the mount. I too received a couple of "interesting" postcards from a local church. The first was offering a chance to win a cruise for two, but you had to attend the 1:30 service to be entered. The same church just sent out a card featuring a Motocross exhibition after church. I don't have a problem with Motocross, but do we really need this sort of thing to attract people to church? Perhaps we've lost focus on what it takes to attract people to Christ—striving to live as Christ did and building relationships."

I have 2 other major problems with this:

1.) THEY DID NOT ASK U2'S PERMISSION.

2.) The misconception that SO many people have about U2 -- which is that they're a "Christian band." They're not a Christian band! They're a ROCK band, who happens to have 3 members who are Christian...and even that part doesn't mean much; just because someone is Christian doesn't mean they agree with these people selling the tickets. The only similarity between U2 and any other Christians is that they believe in Jesus. How they go about that belief is WAAYY different.

THIS is why U2 does not subscribe to organized religion, and why the whole idea of Christianity has been given a bad name. So-called Christians all over the country are running around, giving themselves a bad name, digging themselves a deeper and deeper hole.


What is everyone else's take on this?

 

[Rachel D.]

This is very discusting. The church that's doing this obviously has more than a few problems. Churches aren't supposed to bribe people into a relationship with God! They ought to be ashamed of themselves!

 

[typhoon]

Decaf, guys, decaf.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

U2 doesn't subscribe to organized religion because a church is giving away tickets to their show?

 

[PaleBlueDot]

U2 doesn't subscribe to organized religion because a church is giving away tickets to their show?

No, because they don't want to be associated with people who do things like this.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

is this really worth getting this worked up about it, though?

 

[PaleBlueDot]

is this really worth getting this worked up about it, though?

Hmmm...

Well, I see it as being part of a larger problem. The whole idea of Church marketing, and people's ideas about Christianity...and the fact that millions of people are being drawn into religious organizations for the wrong reasons. And I'd say, yeah, that's pretty important. Look at the BIG picture, here...It is not unlike how terrorist organizations are formed.

However, I acknowledge that to make such a comparison may be a little extreme, though not as much so as you might think...

In relation to those things, perhaps it is a bit much to get worked up about logically....But I am worked up about it because it's an issue I face personally. I am not a Christian...but (I'm reluctantly getting a little personal here, if you'll permit me) I am considering becoming one, and the idea of being associated with people who give Christianity a bad name...is a big reason that, regardless of what I end up believing (or not), I have an aversion to the idea of ever calling myself one.

...if you must know. *g*

 

[beli]

The church, any brand, has been in the marketing business since inception.

 

[VertigoGal]

hey, if you're gonna try and convert me, I wouldn't mind a pair of U2 tix...ah, the things I'd do to see U2!

 

[Teski]

The church, any brand, has been in the marketing business since inception.

In a way, that's very true! Look at the Catholic church and all the recent stuff around the Pope. John Paul was big on TV and Internet to spread the word, and market the church. Now running contests to get people? Don't know that I agree with that.

 

[jay canseco]

psst. hey buddy, you wanna couple o' hot tickets?

 

[indra]

The church, any brand, has been in the marketing business since inception.

No frickin' kidding!

 

[indra]

What were the rules for entry? If I lived in the area and really wanted free tickets I could sit through a service or two -- heck, I'm a master at tuning stuff out and sleeping with my eyes opened (a trick I learned in high school when I had hard contacts ).

If the idea really bothers you then don't enter the contest or go to that church, but on a list of crappy things churches do this contest is way down toward the bottom. And look at the bright side, at least if you chose to go to that church you probably aren't going to get sermons demonising U2.

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

but on a list of crappy things churches do this contest is way down toward the bottom.

for example, i think it's worse what some churches do with the donation money. but that's another thread and another forum.

 

[MsMofoGone]

Originally posted by KhanadaRhodes
i think it's worse what some churches do with the donation money

Absolutely right, Khanada ... you hit that "right on the head"
with that one !!
Honestly ... I don't see how these churches can live with themselves, either !!

 

[myusernamehere]

I don't see how this is different from any other type of promo/raffle/contest other non religous places have. The point of having these promos is to get people into the store, listen to a certain radio station, go certain places, etc... Sure like others have said, it's kinda on the low end of the moral scale, but by no means nothing new or shocking.

THEY DID NOT ASK U2'S PERMISSION.

They don't need permission, if they bought the tickets, they can do whatever they want with them.


With that said, I agree with typhoon.

 

[The Sneak]

I have 2 other major problems with this:

1.) THEY DID NOT ASK U2'S PERMISSION.

Do radio stations ask before they have contests? Do fans ask before they sell tickets on ebay? What about scalpers? Right or wrong, once a ticket is sold, it's the property of the owner to do with as he pleases.

 

[gareth brown]

I did research and the average fan is actually between 20-35 and female

plus

THEY DID NOT ASK U2'S PERMISSION

what the hell is with that? You think it's going to make U2 pleased if they're ASKED what someone can do with tickets they already own?! That's ridiculous. Isn't going a bit over the top to be worrying about U2 like that?

"oh, I can't believe you didn't ask the band to play your copy of The Joshua Tree at your last barbecue, Ted..."
"go to hell."

It's like the u2inconcert.com site that was selling around four fifths of U2's live career on CDs and there was a massive uproar (not sure if it was here) and they went on about how it was "DISGUSTING" like it was the worst thing in the world, like someone had gone and done the Mark Chapman on Bono or beaten one of his kids in a back alley...!!! bit over the top MAYBE...but if people can get away with moaning about Churches giving away tickets to a band, surely it's okay...!!

ps. U2's a stupidly Christian band, so what's the deal??