But isn’t this promotion rather than attraction?

When Bill W wrote about ‘attraction not promotion’ he was talking about personal anonymity. He wasn’t talking about our relations with the media. He was personally responsible for carrying the message to the media in the early days of AA. In the 12 months following the publication of the Jack Alexander article in the Saturday Evening Post in 1941 membership of AA quadrupled leading Bill to say ‘Nothing matters more to AA’s future welfare than the manner in which we use the colossus of modern communication’. The article is described in AA literature as a ‘milestone in AA’s history’.

Isn’t £1,500 per month a lot of money?

Yes. But let’s put it into perspective. On average over the last 5 years South East Region has sent £75,000 each year to GSO. Carrying our message locally is our primary purpose. GSO have said if we don’t carry our message locally they can’t do it for us. So either we do it – or it doesn’t happen. Increasingly still-suffering alcoholics look online for help. Our pledge says we need to be there: ‘When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help …

Why don’t we optimise our website?

Good question. If you search for ‘how do I stop drinking’ or ‘am I an alcoholic’ you might find AA on page 9 or page 16 of your search. So we are effectively invisible. You could encourage GSO to optimise our website by writing a question for conference and suggesting that the General Service Board employ/engage an expert in search engine optimisation (SEO) to start this work.

Aren’t we allied with Google by doing this?

No. If we were then conference in the USA and Canada would not have approved the use of Google Ads in 2017 for carrying the message. AA World Services in New York employs an expert in Google Ads to run their campaigns. AAGB uses Google Maps. Google does not have a say in any of our policy decisions. We are not allied with them.

 What are the benefits of Google Ads

• pay per click advertising delivers results faster than search engine optimisation
• there is unlimited potential to carry our message
• we have total flexibility and control over our campaign
• we target anybody and everybody in Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and Kent who is interested in our solution
• we target still-suffering alcoholics when they’re thinking about the problem
• it’s cost effective – as low as 65p – to carry our message to a still-suffering alcoholic
• there are detailed answers to many different questions in one place
• it allows direct access to the information with no need for referral
• it provides a fast link to chat and phone

What are the downsides?

The popularity and effectiveness of Google Ads mean that competition for ad space can be fierce. As more institutions vie for the attention of the same target audience, the cost per click can increase significantly. This hasn’t happened to us yet. So we are monitor our campaign regularly.

Is this advertising really necessary?

According to the World Health Organisation 1 in 7 alcoholics in the USA is in recovery. In the UK it’s nearer 1 in 70. Have we become alcoholics invisible? Saying ‘if you have a problem – we have a solution’ is carrying our message. ‘Throughout the world immense and favourable publicity of every description has been the principal means of bringing alcoholics into our Fellowship.’ Tradition Eleven, 12 Steps and 12 Traditions. ’Obviously AA had to be publicised somehow ….’ Tradition Eleven, 12 Steps and 12 Traditions.

What if people don’t want to see our ads?

This is not ‘push’ advertising. We are not sending out messages indiscriminately. We are responding to specific requests for help such as ‘am I an alcoholic?’ or ‘how do I stop drinking?’. The founders of AA were very keen on publicity – as long as Tradition Eleven was respected: ‘Here was something rare in the world – a society which said it wished to publicize its principles and its work, but not its individual members. The press was delighted with this attitude. Ever since, these friends have reported AA with an enthusiasm which the most ardent members would find hard to match.’  12 Steps and 12 Traditions; Tradition Eleven; page 182