c. 1999 Religion News Service

UNDATED _ As the images of cartoon camels and rugged cowboys take their forced ride into the cigarette advertising sunset, some of them are being replaced on billboards by a little divine conversation.

Some 30 outdoor advertising displays have been put up in the last two weeks around Greater Cleveland in a public-service campaign from Eller Media Co. in Parma, Ohio, that tries to attract motorists’ attention with one-liners from God.

Full of catchy slogans such as”Let’s meet at my house Sunday before the game”and”Tell the kids I love them,”the”God Campaign”is designed to replace road rage with spiritual reflection.

How are you going to scream profanities at the crazy driver in the next lane when God is looming over you with this billboard-sized warning:”Don’t Make Me Come Down There.” The campaign is already a hit on some streets. In interviews, passers-by at one of the locations praised the billboards, one with the message,”We need to talk”and the other saying,”Do you have any idea where you’re going?””I think it’s great,”said Sherrae Landrum, 54.”Everybody should think about God … because about the only thing we have going for us now in this day and age is God.” The Northeast Ohio campaign is part of a national effort that began with an anonymous donor walking into the Smith Agency in Broward County, Fla., last spring to fund an advertising campaign promoting God. The South Florida agency’s campaign was picked up by the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. Association members have donated more than 10,000 advertising displays around the country.

David Yale, vice president of public affairs for Eller Media, said the public service billboards will be rotated around the region over the next six months as space is sold for displays now featuring the God campaign and other spaces open up. The billboards generally will remain in one spot for about 30 days.

Some of the displays are taking space formerly used by cigarette advertisers, which are now banned from billboards. Yale said Eller’s largest customer in Northeast Ohio used to be cigarette companies, accounting for about 10 percent of roughly 1,000 displays.

The slogans attributed to God are fairly generic, so the campaign can embrace most of the major faiths in the United States and is nondenominational within Christianity.

Although advertisers sometimes shy away from religion for risk of offending people, Yale said Eller Media decided to become involved with the God campaign because,”This is strong. This is positive. It’s something we could do.” To attract attention, the campaign uses some gentle humor with signs such as”Keep using my name in vain and I’ll make rush hour longer”and”Loved the wedding, invite me to the marriage.” For those heading down the wrong road of life, other billboards have God saying,”You think it’s hot here?” Some people said the one-line sayings in white over a black background could have used more of the traditional advertising juice of color pictures, sensational claims and indirect promises of wealth or success to attract attention.”Really nobody pays any attention to stuff like that,”said Jo Ann Jackson, 33, as she looked up at the billboard that said only:”We need to talk _ God.” But Patricia Porter, 41, looked up at the same poster and called it”a blessing.””People … need to talk to him,”she said.”God is the answer.” Jerry Rugley, 27, said, no matter what, it is better to have billboards with messages from God than ones from cigarette makers. Not everyone, however, will be swayed by the billboards, he said.”Some people may just see a sign,”he said.”Those that are aware of their religion, it’s thought provoking for them.”

DEA END BRIGGS