New Commercials from The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts

[DavisB]

The Grand Lodge of Massachusetts has releases 3 new commercials all starring the same actor portraying Bro. Benjamin Franklin. These are all longer than the ones produced a few years ago and end with the slogan, "Time to Prepare for Greatness" The first two seem to be geared toward the general public while the last one is directed specifically at Masons.

YouTube - A Charge To The Fraternity by Benjamin Franklin, starring Richard Easton

YouTube - A Chat With America by Benjamin Franklin, starring Richard Easton

YouTube - A Charge With a New Mason by Benjamin Franklin, starring Richard Easton

 

[Winter]

Still don't like em. Seems too much like "marketing" Freemasonry.

 

[Duncan1574]

I like them.
IMHO, We are Masons need to be part of the societies that we live in. Media and social media are part and parcel of western societies. To paraphrase an old religious adage: we need to be IN the world, not OF the world.
If these commercials de-mystify Freemasonry to the profane and Freemasonry loses some of its 'reputation for being a secret society', that is all for the good.

 

[Winter]

If these commercials de-mystify Freemasonry to the profane and Freemasonry loses some of its 'reputation for being a secret society', that is all for the good.

That is exactly why they are wrong. Demystify Freemasonry? Congratulations! You now belong to the Rotary. It's exactly that attitude that we should be just another mens social club that is the problem.

 

[Duncan1574]

That is exactly why they are wrong. Demystify Freemasonry? Congratulations! You now belong to the Rotary. It's exactly that attitude that we should be just another mens social club that is the problem.

By de-mystify, I mean take way the bad connotations that FM accumulated, I would not ever want the rituals to be 'open' events, however if communicating with the profane public gets more men to stop and contemplate Masonry with more than 'oh that cult' (the common comment when I told my friends and family that I had become a Mason), then I am 100% in favor. I am a short timer, 5 months, and I wish I had found Freemasonry when I was was searching for something to belong to in my 20s instead of my S. FM was not on the radar then partly due to the stereotypes by which they are portrayed.
If you check out the other 'masonic' links that show up at the bottom of the BF FM videos posted in the thread you will find MORE Masons are bad videos than Masons are good. We are not bad, we are misunderstood. It is as if there was a war and FM lost, because history is written by the victor.

 

[Gary]

Correcting false information is one thing. Demystifying the Fraternity is quite another. I am siding with Bro. Winter on this one. I understand what you were trying to say, but I can't agree.

Educating the public about the great things our Fraternity helps in the understanding of who we are, and what we aren't. It also reduces the power of anti- propaganda.

When you start explaining away all of the things that make Freemasonry what it is, you essentially wind up with just another boys club and no unique reason for anyone to join.

 

[Duncan1574]

Correcting false information is one thing. Demystifying the Fraternity is quite another. I am siding with Bro. Winter on this one. I understand what you were trying to say, but I can't agree.

Educating the public about the great things our Fraternity helps in the understanding of who we are, and what we aren't. It also reduces the power of anti- propaganda.

When you start explaining away all of the things that make Freemasonry what it is, you essentially wind up with just another boys club and no unique reason for anyone to join.

I am not in favor of showing the profane our knickers, I am in favor of reducing the propoganda. It bothers me that the thing that I belong to has a false image. I am proud of being a Mason and of my part/present/future Brothers. I know that I shouldn't be concerned about A&FM going away due to bad press, it has been going on for longer than all of us put together, it just bothers me is all.

 

[Gary]

It bothers me as well. I agree, our knickers are for our own to see...LOL

I just think that we need to use due caution with the way we present ourselves in this media. While I enjoyed the videos, I can't agree to advertising for membership to the fraternity. It's a personal issue with me I guess.

 

[Brother Liberty]

I live in MA, and these have been nothing but good for the fraternity. We are nothing like rotary, and now finally have young, active men who wish to do good. To compare us to Rotary is offensive. We still vet our candidates just like you, and if they are not a good fit, they don't get in. Last I checked, MA was one of the few states where there are more new members each year than there are members dying. The fraternity as a whole needs to make changes or it will die. MA is doing that.

Also, there is a difference between pointing people in the right direction, and advertising.

 

[Gary]

Bro. Liberty, I don't believe Bro. Winter was comparing your jurisdiction to the Rotary. The way I understood his statement was that if you take away what makes us unique, you have in the end, a social club with no esoteric or deeper meaning.

I think the videos are informative and very well done. However, I'm not keen on billboards and the like. Public awareness is very important, but we need quality, not quantity for our fraternity to survive IMO.

MA is certainly blazing a trail that as you see, makes some uncomfortable. It will be interesting to see if or how other jurisdictions follow suit.

 

[Windrider]

I have to side with Brother Liberty on this. As a fellow Massachusetts Mason who was one of those who was brought to Masonry in part by the older ad campaign, I can tell you from personal experience that there is nothing lost in the Blue Lodge by these videos or the tv ads that preceded them. I watched each of them carefully and saw nothing I would feel uncomfortable telling a man visiting my Lodge during an open house.

If Masonry continues to hide, it will die as the members age. As Brother Liberty mentioned, Massachusetts has a growing membership. My Lodge is growing as is almost every Lodge I know of in Massachusetts. I am an example of the kind of man these ads attract.

I was asked just last night if I was glad I became a Mason. My answer was, "It's the second best thing I have done in my life." The Brother then asked, "What was number one?" I answered, "Marrying my lovely wife."

I'm proud and happy to be a Freemason and probably would never have come to the Craft without a little help from "Ben". Look at those videos again and ask yourself what is in them that you wouldn't tell anyone visiting your lodge for a tour?

 

[Duncan1574]

I have to side with Brother Liberty on this. As a fellow Massachusetts Mason who was one of those who was brought to Masonry in part by the older ad campaign, I can tell you from personal experience that there is nothing lost in the Blue Lodge by these videos or the tv ads that preceded them. I watched each of them carefully and saw nothing I would feel uncomfortable telling a man visiting my Lodge during an open house.

If Masonry continues to hide, it will die as the members age. As Brother Liberty mentioned, Massachusetts has a growing membership. My Lodge is growing as is almost every Lodge I know of in Massachusetts. I am an example of the kind of man these ads attract.

I was asked just last night if I was glad I became a Mason. My answer was, "It's the second best thing I have done in my life." The Brother then asked, "What was number one?" I answered, "Marrying my lovely wife."

I'm proud and happy to be a Freemason and probably would never have come to the Craft without a little help from "Ben". Look at those videos again and ask yourself what is in them that you wouldn't tell anyone visiting your lodge for a tour?

I would like to use those video in my Lodge during open events: monthly fish fry, blood drives, etc.

We can promote ourselves without selling ourselves out. In this modern world there are pathora of things for people to do and to be part of without obligations, dues, or requirements. Fraternal organizations still exist and will continue to exist, but most of them will drink the koolaide of compromise and modify their entry requirements. Rotary used to only allow one person from profession into a club, but now that limitation is gone. Women are now allowed to be Rotarians, my wife was the 5th woman asked to join her club, Rotary recruits members.

I like "to be one ask one" and I like the commericals too, we need to show why Freemasonry is the better choice for men who want to be 1. challenged, 2. set apart from the crowd, 3. a member of something special.

Not every man should be a Mason, that would dilute the quality. (But then they took me ).

 

[Gary]

I would like to use those video in my Lodge during open events: monthly fish fry, blood drives, etc.

We can promote ourselves without selling ourselves out. In this modern world there are pathora of things for people to do and to be part of without obligations, dues, or requirements. Fraternal organizations still exist and will continue to exist, but most of them will drink the koolaide of compromise and modify their entry requirements. Rotary used to only allow one person from profession into a club, but now that limitation is gone. Women are now allowed to be Rotarians, my wife was the 5th woman asked to join her club, Rotary recruits members.

I like "to be one ask one" and I like the commericals too, we need to show why Freemasonry is the better choice for men who want to be 1. challenged, 2. set apart from the crowd, 3. a member of something special.

Not every man should be a Mason, that would dilute the quality. (But then they took me ).

Freemasonry will evolve as it has in the past. My concern is that in order to "get the numbers" up for Grand Lodges, (that means money) we will sacrifice the very thing we are trying to promote. The reason I say that is because so many Lodges are struggling. The main reason is money.

Sure we may gain many very worthy and dedicated brothers, but with that flood of membership petitions there may also be the urge to compromise the rules to keep the numbers.

Like I said, I think public awareness is important. I'm not bashing the idea of educating the public, and I'm certainly not trying to insult my brothers in MA. I'm just cautious before I endorse something of this nature, that's all.

 

[Brother Liberty]

There are no billboards in MA to my knowledge. At least I have never seen one. The commercial are limited to radio and TV. All they do is remind me people we are there, and that we have been for a long time. Not sure about these ads, but the old ones stated right in them that freemasonry is not for everyone. Then all the ad does is point to AskaFreemason.org :. Home where basic questions are answered and there is a lodge locator. The onus is still on the candidate to then find their local lodge, make petition, meet with officers, make application, attend a lodge event to meet brethren and then be interviewed and investigated and eventually voted upon. Its no slam dunk that just because you heard a radio ad, you are going to be a mason.

 

[Gary]

For what it's worth, The work done by your GL to present these is excellent. Ben Franklin is one of my all time favorites, and the material presented is straight forward and informative.

I'm hoping that the quality control that you speak of remains, and that other GL's won't wind up diminishing the standards for the sake of profit and a warm body in the sidelines. It may not ever happen, but I am concerned about it.

 

[Bob Franks]

To quote a PGM of North Carolina:
"I am not concerned about the amount of men in Masonry; I am concerned about the amount of Masonry in men."


Large numbers or small, we must stand out as Masons.

S&F

 

[TrowelTalk]

The advertisements noted are not only being used in Massachusetts, but here in Maryland as well. Effective 1-1-11 we initiated an aggressive advertising campaign using the same ads. They direct the viewer/listener to AskaFreemason.org :. Home where they can select a state, enter a zip code and find the nine closest lodges to their home.

In just the short 2 1/2 weeks since the ads have been running, I've been approached more about the fraternity than I have in the prior year. In one instance it resulted not in a petition, but an agreement to run a CHIP event at a charitable 5K race/fund raiser for a genetic disorder.

On a personal note, I love all of the Benjamin Franklin ads and think they are extremely well done.

 

[Brother Liberty]

The bottom line is for masonry to succeed there needs to be masons. Our numbers have been on a steady decline for decades. Something has to be done to slow the bleeding. Is our fraternity ever going to get to its 1950's numbers? I doubt it. But we can remind men that through masonry, they can become better men, fathers, husbands, brothers, sons and neighbors. Commercials barely count as getting with the times. Masons love to brag that the fraternity gives 3 million dollars a day to charity. What we don't say is that 3 million dollars is coming largely from the work and legacies of our long dead brethren. Eventually that money will run out. To continue the amazing work the fraternity does, the fraternity has to get with the times a bit.

I agree that many lodges are looking for that warm body and those dues to help keep doors open. The lodge I come from is financially stable and extremely active, but we have a giant lodge room that we can no longer possibly hope to fill, so I can only imagine what other lodges are going through. But, I would argue that if you need people to join it is better to have many to choose from than be forced to look at the one or two people who inquire each year. In MA, we can now afford to be picky, and we are.

 

[Windrider]

snip....
But, I would argue that if you need people to join it is better to have many to choose from than be forced to look at the one or two people who inquire each year. In MA, we can now afford to be picky, and we are.

Exactly. Although I don't know of anyone who has brought a petition to the Lodge being blackballed (ok, blackcubed) not everyone who asks gets that far. I've personally discouraged a couple of men because they were not qualified (felonies) and made it a point to discourage a man I have known for a few years who showed interest but was not someone I would be proud to call "brother". I made sure a Catholic man knew his Church did not approve of his membership and left the decision to him. It's nice to know my lodge can afford to turn away people and still carry on financially.

We start the cycle again next Thursday with 4 or 5 Candidates for EA. I can't wait to get to know them better.

 

[removed12612]

The Brothers on the AskaFreemason.org :. Home are very informative...When I began my journey, they helped me greatly ...