A friend reminded me of the Sunday School promotion pins that churches once distributed to youth and children. On a designated Sunday, the young ones were called to the front of the room and recognized for their participation over the past year. It seemed like a moment of honor, though I don’t know of anyone who was ever held back at promotion Sunday the way one might be in the public school system.
There was no drama or suspense to the ceremony. Our names were read and certificates were awarded. If we had not missed any Sundays, we were also given a pin for the year’s achievement. These were really more about affirmation for attendance than anything else, but they were mildly coveted by participants – at least in the moment. Who knew if it might curry just a bit of extra favor from the Holy One?
I once had a proud collection of those pins covering several years. Like many childhood treasures they were stored and kept until at some point they quietly passed on to the trash, or maybe Goodwill where I suppose someone else can attempt to spruce up their resume with all those Sunday attendance awards.
The memory of those pins prompted reflection on the subject of promotion — how often it appears in everyday lives, and how tempted we are to pursue it. Promotion is, at its core, about advancement, broadly defined. For instance, we are promoted through grades in school by proving that we meet a set standard. In contexts like those, it is used as a motivator in the hope of inspiring participants to offer their best effort in their attempts to succeed. If we’re pay attention, we even grab a little education along the way.
Then, there is self-promotion, which is our effort to draw attention to ourselves in the event that no one else cares to do so! Let’s face it. There are times when we feel overlooked or unknown, or perhaps moments when we want to be noticed but no one cooperates. If the stakes are high enough, being our own biggest fan may seem like the only alternative to avoid being left behind. There is nothing wrong with putting one’s best foot forward, or exuding justified confidence. But a fine line exists between confidence that adequately represents who we are and an exaggerated projection of self that oversells from multiple angles. In some circles, that strategy is referred to as “fake it until you make it.” Excessive self-promotion wears like a poorly fitted suit, and mostly annoys those who have to witness it repeatedly
Commercials also make their way into the conversation when promotion is the topic. Usually referred to with the innocuous-sounding “advertisements,” they are essentially promotions of products and services. They are designed to influence our decision making. Some might contend they are the backbone of our economy, or at least a vital part of it. What does it matter if some innovative genius invents the next great thing if none of us knows about it and therefore cannot benefit from it? No awareness means no business. No business means no sales No sales means no profit. No profit means no business. No business means . . . well, you get the picture. Getting people’s attention is vital in the promotion game. That’s true whether you are promoting yourself or your latest widget.
It takes creativity to get people’s attention. When I was learning to develop effective fundraising letters, those in the know emphasized how little time the writer had to get the reader’s attention. Without something like a clever opening or bold text, the reader’s eyes may well skip from salutation to the signature line, completely ignoring the content .
Television commercials are prime time opportunities for imprinting the sponsor’s brand on you. Apparently they are effective, given the costs for slots during the Super Bowl. Only many of us see commercial breaks as ideal times for raiding the kitchen snack closet or a quick trip to the bathroom. As I said before, it takes creativity to get (and keep) people’s attention.
Promotions on social media and other digital formats have reached absurd levels. I receive ads for things I have never searched for or even said aloud; it is as though something is reading my mind. It is annoying, but I cannot deny that occasionally it leads to a sale! Thank goodness for the trusty delete button that can dispose of them without ever being opened. If we knew them the reasoning seems to go, we would want what they are selling! Only we don’t.
Recently I saw a promotional sign posted in a cemetery. When I think of prime real estate for promoting a business, a graveyard is not on the short list. Or the long list. Or any list for that matter! Maybe it is just my peculiarity, but I am automatically inclined against advertising in a cemetery, decorating it like a Little League outfield fence with signs draped over fences or driven into the ground. It is fine to send a homerun ball over the Weenie World or Bert’s Home Repair sign, but perhaps I could be allowed to mourn without intrusion?
I think of cemeteries as places for remembering. Perhaps it is a place of exploring and research if you have an interest in gravestone rubbings or symbols used to mark headstones. In my ideal world, they are a final resting place marked by peace and tranquility, not a sales pitch. But if we were going to allow promotions within a cemetery, what would we allow?
I confess I was a little startled to see a local carnival company advertising itself in a nearby cemetery. Imagine leaving Aunt Eugenia’s committal. You’ve just rounded the corner, not yet finished wiping the last tear from your eye, and there is a sign inviting you to consider a carnival group when you next have the need for entertainment at your social engagement. Could we add a ferris wheel or the Scrambler at cousin Jake’s wake? Or a ring toss game next to the photo collection on display in the funeral home?
That’s where my mind goes when a carnival promotes itself in a cemetery, but perhaps I’m wrong. Maybe it is actually a shrewd strategy to catch us by surprise. Or could it be thoughtful to offer a little levity to a sad situation. Who knows? Maybe the company just had a couple of extra signs it needed to place. Whatever the case, as promotion goes, this cemetery promotions succeeded in making me think!
I find myself sitting with questions like these:
What prompts the desire to be seen or the desire to sell? Is it solely connected with need and survival or is there something else going on?
Can we imagine more acceptable ways to promote the things that matter to us? Ways that don’t show up in unusual places and startle us? How might we be noticed in a world of competitors?
Does the importance of a message ever override courtesy and tradition? If so, who decides when the conditions have been met to allow that?
What would a good set of limitations and guidelines for promotion look like? Could we establish a “thou shalt nots?” list with regard to promotion? If we could, how would we even enforce them? After all, rules are made for someone else to follow!
Or, buying into the trend, I wonder if I could rent the ground at my cemetery plot to promoters looking for visibility. It is not located on a highly traveled road, but is on the first row by the highway so it offers good visibility to any who pass by. Maybe Mt. Dew would post a sign, in honor of my long-term devotion to the drink? Or the Coffeebean Corral, where I purchased coffee beans for years to support my roasting habit? We could add a few testimonies from those who enjoyed my coffee over the years. It wouldn’t generate a lot of revenue, but it could fund freshly cut flowers for my grave to keep it looking fresh. Possibly, I could post a sign promoting my blog in hopes of boosting my readership, though at that point readers will have to be content with re-runs! For that matter, perhaps I could promote my blog on your cemetery plot since you aren’t using it yet. Let me know if you’re interested in a sign!
