Not only has God led the Church in Australia to walk through some new doors enabling us to reach every mailbox in Australia at least once in the first seven months of this financial year, but we have been able, in some cases, to negotiate this advertising for a cost per response lower than our Internet advertising costs.

For some advertising campaigns we are paying only for the responses we receive and not the actual advertising.

Milestones in Print Advertising

• Reaching 7.7 million mailboxes in the first 28 weeks of the financial year. (There are approximately 6.5 million mailboxes in Australia , plus PO boxes and GPO boxes, so some households will be reached twice.)

• Lowest cost per responses in the history of UCG-Australia.

• Reaching different target audiences and different age groups.

• Covering all of Australia—a greater reach than ever before. (Compare 2005/2006: we reached approximately 2,609,000 households with print advertising for the full 12 months that financial year.)

Coupon Advertising a Success

Our first venture into advertising via coupons has been a great success.

We have received nearly 1,600 requests for literature, and the cost per response is currently running at under $5 (Australian) per request. Already many of those responding to this advertisement have called in for additional literature and at least three of these people have asked about attending services.

Many members prayed about the success of this new venture, and it is clear that God is answering these prayers. This advertising initiative is more successful than we had hoped. We are therefore planning to offer a different booklet using a similar coupon in the January-March edition of the same publication.

Another New Advertising Outlet

Following the success of the coupon just discussed, we recently decided to test another ad in the Money$aver coupon booklet.

This ad is being distributed into two million letterboxes throughout every state in Australia. We do not expect as high a response because of the nature of the advertising this coupon booklet carries, but we will be reaching another audience and offering them an opportunity to come into contact with the good news of the Kingdom of God. Let's all pray that God will open the minds of some of these people to request some of the available literature and begin their spiritual journey. UN

Excerpted from United News Australia, January-March 2007.