2010 educational outreach campaign by the LDS Church
I'm a Mormon was an educational, advertising and outreach campaign bythe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 2010[1] to 2018 that aimed to address stereotypes and misconceptions, attempting to educate non-members about the church, by featuring short profiles from church members (also known by the nicknameMormons).
Short video clips began airing on American television in January 2011, expanding by October to a television, bus and billboard campaign in 12 US cities and Brisbane, Australia.[2][3][4][5] The executive director of the campaign wasStephen B. Allen.[2] In 2013, the campaign was extended to Ireland and the UK with ads ondouble-decker buses and the internet,[6] said to be in response to the opening ofThe Book of Mormon musical in London.[7] InMelbourne during the 2017 run, the church advertised atSouthern Cross railway station and elsewhere in the city, as well as on television.[8]
The campaign emphasized facts aboutLDS Church membership through cultural and racial diversity of individuals profiled, representing (in 2011) more than a million claimed church members in Mexico and Brazil each, and nearly as many in Asia.[2] The campaign included cooperation from lay members who were encouraged to create a profile on the church website to tell about their faith and answer common questions.[citation needed] The campaign has been subject of scholarly articles concerning its relationship withMormonism and women.[9]
In October 2018,church presidentRussell M. Nelson said that the use of nicknames such asMormon was "a major victory for Satan."[10][11][12] As a result, the campaign was discontinued and the mormon.org website was shut down, removing the user generated content and stories.
^Katherine Feeney (November 22, 2011),"Mormons come knocking loudest in Brisbane",Brisbane Times,[T]he southeast Queensland campaign, set to run on television, billboards and online until the New Year, stood as a national test case...