Mormon Church Aims to Capitalize on BOOK OF MORMON Success With New Ad Blitz

The New York Post reports that The Mormon Church is going to unroll a new ad campaign throughout New York City in the hope that the success of Broadway's megahit, THE BOOK OF MORMON will bring new membership to its churches.

The church has rented a huge billboard on Times Square near the Eugene O'Neill Theater, where BOOK OF MORMON is currently playing to standing-room-only crowds and breaking house records.
It's also taking ads inside and on top of taxis, as well as on the subway.

They show thoroughly modern Mormons doing cool things like surfing, rock climbing and riding motorcycles.  The ads' headline says simply, "I'm a Mormon."

The show, about two missionaries trying to spread the word in Uganda, is packed with profanity and takes a hugely cynical view of Mormonism, not to mention other religions.  Yet ultimately, the flashy Broadway production portrays it's main characters in a very positive light and could convince new recruits that it's fun to be a Mormon.

Missionaries trying to convert New Yorkers are already seeing results.  "We go to one neighborhood and the people recognize us more and say, 'There's the missionary poster guy! Didn't they make a musical about you?' " a church official told Salt Lake City's Deseret News.

The show, created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone of "South Park" fame, won nine Tony Awards on Sunday.  The original cast recording debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard album chart. The recording is the biggest-selling Broadway album since "Hair" in 1969.