How should Christians advertise?

Noise is all around us. No, not the loud sounds from music, traffic-filled streets or the constant clammers of life. I’m talking about the noise of persuasion, advertising and the pull you feel each day from getting fed new information and being told which way to lean. 

The art of advertising is a conspicuous craft that demands your attention each day, yet in the day of self-gain and ulterior motives, consumers have distanced themselves from the allures they’re being fed due to the fear of false advertising. 

Regardless of the negative connotations associated with advertising, however, the tool of promotion is inescapable. However, not all advertisements are alike; in fact, they’re not supposed to be, and this is particularly true when looking at how Christians utilize advertising techniques. 

Advertising is a competitive industry filled with individuals trying to market their products, services or ideas. Traditionally, advertisements have been known to exaggerate the truth or leave consumers skeptical and wondering if the products or services are too good to be true. While many do buy into the ads they are exposed to, these marketing tactics may not have always been accomplished with the best practices. 

According to Zippia, the average American is exposed to 4,000-10,000 ads each day, and they can come in the form of traditional or non-traditional advertisements. With that many ad exposures each day, how can Christians break out of that noise and stand apart?

Christians are infiltrating the advertising industry today, and though they, like anyone, want to succeed in all their endeavors, they are also called to not conform to the things of this world and to live above reproach. Advertising, when done wrong, can be a slippery slope to manipulation or simply add to the noise. 

In the secular world, marketing tactics typically revolve around personal gain and profit. Some may stereotype, others may put people down, and some may even ignore ethical guidelines. This is not to say that all secular ads are misleading; however, advertisements put out by believers should look different from the rest of the world, emulating light and boldness.

This may be harder and require courage and confidence in one’s beliefs, and Christians in this industry may even experience more failure than others because of it. Advertising is a saturated market filled with people creating ads for the sake of making money. 

People may often forget that advertisements fall under a broad sphere of marketing, yet in its basic form, advertising is simply calling the public’s attention to something. Before producing an ad, advertisers ought to ask themselves what they are calling attention to, why they want to draw people into their product and how their ads relate to what they are selling.

As believers, we have a high calling to let everything we touch bring glory and honor to God, including the things we do in our careers. As a result, Christians should stand with a boldness of faith in this industry, reject ads that steer away from truth and honesty, and create ones that do. 

Christians in advertising ought to take a step back from the noise, assess what it is they are truly selling and craft advertisements that uphold ethical guidelines and draw people to their ad. Consumers will forever be captivated by messages that are infused with the light of truth.

Daniel is an opinion writer for the Liberty Champion. Follow her on X