Religious content has long been a mainstay on social media, where Christian influencers can garner millions of views. Much of the online reaction to Hallow’s TikTok ads has been positive. However, Alex Jones, the chief executive of Hallow, acknowledges that some users may be surprised to see the company’s ads on social media platforms.
“We do not set sophisticated or specific targeting,” stated Mr. Jones. “Each platform has its own algorithm for determining its feed. We are aware that some users are surprised to see these posts in their feed. We do not intend to impose our content on anyone.”
Jessi Hood, a library circulation coordinator in Roanoke, Va., who is not religious, came across Mr. Wahlberg and Hallow on her TikTok For You page. “I kind of roll my eyes half the time when I see him,” Ms. Hood, 24, said, referring to the actor’s criminal past. (At 16, Mr. Wahlberg was convicted of assaulting a Vietnamese man and served 45 days in prison.)
Ms. Hood downloaded Hallow out of curiosity. “My first thought was just like, Oh, that is weird. This is an app that’s for prayers, and you have to pay for it?” she said. She posted a few screenshots from Hallow on X and then deleted it from her phone.
In an email, Mr. Jones, the Hallow executive, shared anonymous quotations from pleased Hallow users. However, not everyone is interested in the platform: “Opened tiktok to a video of Mark Wahlberg asking me to pray with him … and I cannot think of a thing I want to do less, actually,” Brandi Howard, 32, posted on X.
Despite some users’ lack of interest, the TikTok campaign appears to be generating curiosity, as evidenced by Mr. Schneider’s visit to the Hallow website and Ms. Hood’s download (and subsequent deletion) of the app.
