Scientology’s new ad push is really getting on people’s nerves

Just before Christmas, Scientology announced that it was going to make a big ad push over ten weeks and in 30 countries.

They called it their “Global Welcome to Scientology” campaign.

Every day, millions of people ask, “What is Scientology?” In answer, the Global Welcome to Scientology campaign conveys the core values of the religion: its dedication to helping individuals realize their full potential, its Churches as centers of spiritual connection and its global movement as a force for positive change. Featuring Scientologists from all walks of life, the campaign will run for 10 weeks across 30 countries and in 17 languages.

Central to the new campaign would be three new TV ads that church leader David Miscavige had revealed to the audience at the October IAS gala.

But it’s a series of the campaign’s new billboards that have been getting noticed, and not in a good way.

By Scientology’s standards, the billboard ads are pretty unremarkable, featuring the slogan “I’m a Scientologist” with a smiling person, and a URL for the curious.

But their placement along roads in Dublin and in the Underground in London are kicking up some consternation from the locals.

“An advert promoting the controversial Scientology religion at a London Tube station has caused shock and disbelief among commuters,” Metro reported yesterday. “The poster, which encourages Londoners to find out more about the group, was spotted over the weekend at a Tube platform…The choice of advertising has been slammed by Londoners familiar with Scientology’s controversies.”

Metro checked with Transport for London, which said the ads didn’t violate TfL’s advertising policy.

But we understand the shock members of the public experience when they see Scientology ads pop in their neighborhoods or on their television. How can such an abusive organization have the right to lure in more victims with the public airwaves and with billboards?

The answer, of course, is that until governments get serious about investigating Scientology’s controversies, it will be considered just another business that can spend money on advertising if it wants to.

Speaking of governments, today’s a big day here in the US as a new administration takes over at noon in Washington DC for the next four years.

We won’t belabor the point, but before he died Mike Rinder said it was plain that the new administration’s connections to wealthy Scientology figures like Trish Duggan and Grant Cardone, and with team members like Pam Bondi and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. having friendly ties to the church, there’s little chance that the Justice Department will be cracking down on Scientology during this term.

But we can always remain optimistic and hope that the new folks listen to people escaping this controlling group and take seriously their allegations of abuse.

In the meantime, we’ll just have to put up with the new ads, including whatever Scientology trots out as its Super Bowl ad this year, now just 19 days away.

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