“Marketing and evangelism are the same thing”

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports on “an innovative marketing campaign by Victory World Church in Norcross[, GA].”

The billboard campaign, titled “My Story,” works like a television show cliffhanger. Every couple of weeks, the billboard reveals a new face from the silhouetted figures and alludes to their dramatic personal story. A caption directs commuters to a Victory Web site, where motorists can read their stories and even watch their videotaped testimonies.

Victory’s Web site reinforces the subtext of the billboard campaign. There’s no stained glass or organ music on the site. The faces look plucked from a J.Crew ad.

Also included: Expert commentary from a CUNY prof who has an interesting-sounding book coming out called Brands of Faith: Marketing Religion in a Commercial Age. And: Another church that’s planning a “social networking campaign inspired by Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook.”