My name is Loyiso Twala by Loyiso Twala

My name is Loyiso Twala, a resurrected, Christ-believing, Holy Spirit filled, tongues-talking and Kingdom-inheriting Godman… who happens to trade as an art director in the cutthroat advertising industry.

Yes, the advertising industry. The industry that is infamous for drug abuse, demigod egos, sex selling, alcohol abuse, parties of debauchery & revelry. To be a witness to all of this all you have to do is attend the annual Loeries Awards event in Margate, South Africa.

That is my exhibit A. there’s a famous saying that says, “All that happens at the Loeries stays at the Loeries, because some of the stories if not most are quite extreme. It’s the kind of stuff that would disqualify you from inheriting Gods Kingdom.

I will also say that it is an industry where I have met some of the greatest people. By that I mean, some of the greatest minds on this earth are in advertising. Outside of the things mentioned above, the advertising industry is filled with solutions people. Very smart people trust these presumed crazy people enough to give them business solutions that will be profitable for them. So you have one individual who is a creative person, but has dabbled into various industries, from government social issues, to medical products and down to bubblegum. So a lot of the people are quite knowledgeable in many differing topics. That has helped me grow somewhat, to learning a whole lot but also open my mind greatly.

In advertising, you also focus a lot on people’s behaviour, traits and conduct. You learn what makes them tick. You learn what turns people on. Your work as an advertiser is presented in areas where everybody is shouting for the markets attention. Everybody’s attempt is then to shout louder. It is an option. But to be effective you have to know your market very well so that you know whether you must rather tickle them in the right place or simply whisper calmly in their ear just to sound different. This requires knowing people quite intimately to have insight into what they are most likely to respond to. Through this I have learned quite a sore truth. All that I have listed in the first paragraph is known of the advertising industry and also stands to tell you what people in the market are like. Advertising is one of the greatest mirrors of the hearts of society. Because advertising messaging and communication is based on what people will respond to, it raises a question: what people are like when you see the kind of advertising that is produced to reach them? An advertiser only uses sex to sell a product because he knows that the market responds positively to sexual stimuli. Is it questionable nonetheless? I say yes. But the point I am making is what I clarify next.

Before we throw stones at a whole industry, we must look at the people the industry is modeling itself after. Advertisers and consumers alike are in need of a check. As a Christian who spends his time in this industry I look to stand for the faith I have in Jesus Christ by not saying I will not be part of an industry that has such a negative perception against it from the general population, but just like the Christian who is also a consumer and says that I will go shopping with the money God has blessed me with but will not spend that money on things that displease God, like drugs, alcohol, pornographic movies and the likes; I work as an advertiser with the creative gift that God has blessed me with without promoting products and services that displease God, such as the lottery, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, condoms and things of that nature. I also do not apply tactic that would not please the Father, such as using sex to sell a product. There are products and services that people need that I do promote.

When you look at it in a broader scope you see that Matthew 28:18-20, which is popularly known as the Great Commission of Jesus Christ is actually the principles of advertising.

Jesus gives the church all authority and says go and teach the whole world to obey me like you do and then teach them to be disciples of mine like you are. And throughout all of this, I will be with you.

So we have to persuade the world of God’s Gospel as the truth so that their lives can change. We sit there today as Christians with the powerful Gospel, which is the truth from God. This is now the “product”. We have the responsibility to “sell” it to the market place of sinners. That is our preaching. Preaching is an announcement, which essentially is what advertising is.  The authority is now the go-ahead from our client to reach the market for them. Jesus Christ is the client we are serving in this analogy. The market is the world. So, God is into advertising. It is just that any Christian who is in advertising mustn’t practice what other advertisers practice but rather be the light in that darkness. This is where I am until God moves me elsewhere.  This is a brief story of how I make it today as an advertiser without losing displeasing God for the sake of pleasing men. I’m having fun. Yes, creative people love God too. After all, God is a creative. Read Genesis.