THE ADULTERY MARKET
Many of us have seen the wild and funny TV ads that go along with the Super Bowl. But fans in Texas got quite a shock during the game this year.
An ad by AshleyMadison.com was seen as inappropriate by the NFL and NBC. But local affiliates in Texas decided that the $250,000 for the 30-secoond spot was too much to turn down. The 30-second commercial was an ad for an online dating service for married people. It showed a couple at a restaurant on their wedding anniversary. The man was an obnoxious jerk who talked on the cell phone during supper. Then, he got up to leave during dessert, as he said, "Happy anniversary, honey." The voice-over, targeted at women, asked, "Isn’t it time for Ashley-Madison.com?"
The company owner defended the ad by noting he was simply providing a service for people wanting to be honest about their displeasure with marriage. He started the service in 2001 after reading that 30% of the people signing up for singles dating services were married. He now has 3.3 million members.
Texas was the only state to see the ad, but that was intentional. Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio represent their fastest-growing markets with nearly a quarter-million members joining in the past few months. Less than 24 hours after the Super Bowl ad, Houston alone accounted for more than 147,000 hits to the site.
Lord, help us go against the flow of evil in our day.
(From a sermon by Rick Crandall, "Lord, We Need Your Help!" 2/9/2009)