As you might expect, I’m hunting for examples of Marketing for Good all the time. What surprises me is that despite having eyes wide open, I often find myself sitting at my computer with little or no fresh content to share. Last night, I poured over the Wall St. Journal and could only find one ad worth writing about. Produced by Goldman Sachs, the ad discusses IFFIm initiative and how six European governments are funding immunization programs with the help of Goldman. The copy of the ad reads as follows:
A new way to use the capital markets.
A different future for ten million children.Every year, 27 million infants go without vaccination against the most common childhood diseases. Now, for the first time, there is a way to use the power of the capital markets to help them. Six European governments determined to accelerate the funding they pledge for immunization programs. A small team at Goldman Sachs dedicated two years to this initiative and worked with the initial sovereign sponsors, the World Bank and other development partners to turn the idea into reality. The result is the International Finance Facility for Immmunisation (IFFlm), which funds immunization programs in 70 of the world’s poorest countries. IFFlm launched its first $1billion bond in November 2006. The money raised will help the GAVI Alliance protect more than 500 million children over the next decade-saving an estimated 10 million lives over time. To learn more about the IFFlm initiative, visit gs.com/iffim
This is the first I had heard about this program and I am awed by its magnitude. Goldman Sachs has made its employees and clients zillions over the years with unrivaled financial acumen. It is logical but not to be assumed that they would apply this expertise to a global problem like funding immunization programs. Every company has the opportunity to apply their expertise to help make life a little better, or, in the case of Goldman and the IFFIm initiative, make a lot of lives better. Not every company does.
This morning, my coffee cart guy (I wrote about him before) was talking about the impending rain. With his usual upbeat perspective, he said, “The rain is good, my friend. It will clean the streets of all the black snow.” I hadn’t had my coffee yet so his wisdom didn’t sink in until I got to the office. The rain, however annoying, will also cleanse the air and feed the trees. Marketing messages rain upon us everyday and are mostly annoying. Perhaps a few of the good ones like the Goldman ad will nourish our souls and inspire others. Ah yes, the good with the bad.
—postscript—
For more about the actual bond issue, see Financial Times article from November 06 which was posted on http://xinkaishi.typepad.com.