A $100 million-plus Christian advertising campaign has been blanketing cities across the U.S. and online, with organizers claiming “to redeem Jesus’ brand” from damage allegedly inflicted by some of his followers.
Branded “He Gets Us,” the campaign is described as an effort to draw skeptics and cultural Christians together in common cause to “free the story of Jesus from hypocrites and extremists,” especially those who say one thing and then do another.
The Washington Post reports billboards with messages like “Jesus let his hair down, too” and “Jesus went all in, too,” adorn major markets as far apart as New York City and Las Vegas, in some places dominating the public square.
Meanwhile online ads featuring black-and-white videos about Jesus as a rebel, an activist or a host of a dinner party have been viewed more than 300 million times, according to organizers interviewed by the Post.
The “He Gets Us” campaign is reportedly funded by the Signatry, a Christian foundation based in Kansas, alongside undisclosed Christian donors.
It will continue expanding as the year draws to a close with an updated website, an online store where people can get free gear if they forgive someone or welcome a stranger, and an outreach program for churches, all leading up to a Super Bowl ad.
A digital billboard for the “He Gets Us” campaign as it appeared in New York City’s Times Square on March 16, 2022. (Sarah St. Onge / Twitter)
Jon Lee, one of the chief architects of the campaign, reportedly seeks to tell a better story about Jesus and encourage others to act like him.
“Our goal is to give voice to the pent-up energy of like-minded Jesus followers, those who are in the pews and the ones that aren’t, who are ready to reclaim the name of Jesus from those who abuse it to judge, harm and divide people,” said Lee, a principal at Lerma, an advertising agency based in Dallas.
The campaign states it is “not affiliated with any church or denomination”; congregations who sign up as partners do not need to affirm any specific statement of faith.
The video ads, some of which are already garnering millions of views on YouTube, feature striking black-and-white photos against an original soundtrack.
Jason Vanderground, president of Haven, a branding firm based in Grand Haven, Mich., told the Post the movement hopes to bridge the gap between the ancient story of Jesus and the modern public perception of his contemporary followers.
He said Christians see their faith as the greatest love story, but those outside the faith see Christians as a hate group.
“Jesus said, ‘People are going to know my followers by the way they love each other and the way they interact with each other,’ ” Vanderground outlined. “I think when we look at American Christianity now, we don’t see nearly as much of that — and that concerns a lot of people.”
Vanderground hopes the ideals of Jesus, as portrayed in the ads, might help change American culture if they are more broadly accepted. He also told the newspaper he hopes more Christians will begin to live out the teachings of Jesus.
“We believe that investing in efforts to ensure more people consider his life and movement as inspiration for their own will in turn help improve the lives of those listening — and begin to create the kind of cascade of love Jesus himself sought to generate,” he said.