Just finished plowing through Business Week in search of MFG. It was slim pickings indeed. As such, I pulled out three marginally notable ads just to have a little fodder for further discussion.
The first from Visa Signature offered an interesting list of “things to do while you’re alive.” I am a sucker for this approach as I also enjoyed it 15 years ago when BMW offered its list of “20 things to do before you die.” Among the 21 items there were only four that I had done and at least ten more I would like to do including heli-skiing in British Columbia, celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans and visiting the Taj Majal. This highly engaging ad offers a not so subtle reminder to in the words of Mel Brooks from one of his first movies, The Twelve Chairs, “live while you’re alive, no one will survive, life is sorrow, here today and gone tomorrow.” As we toil away at our jobs, being reminded of the brevity of life is not a bad thing. It is worth pointing out that this ad only offered two items on the list that were not completely self-indulgent, the first being “take your parents on a vacation” and the second “find peace, love and understanding.” Visa Signature certainly has an insight into this blogger;-)
Speaking of self-indulgent, M&M’s ran a cheesy looking ad with a sweet offer to customize M&M’s for business. Just goes to show you that a good offer can overcome a lousy layout any day of the week. Having already customized M&M’s for personal gifts, I am well aware of the fun this little product enhancement can bring. Being able to put logos and other words on my favorite little chocolate candies opens up a world of possibilities. Now some of you out there may struggle with the idea that M&M’s could fit into a Marketing for Good column but keep in mind that chocolate is not all bad and some studies even suggest that it can “keep high blood pressure down, your blood flowing and your heart healthy.” Even if these studies are completely fallacious and funded by the chocolate industry, I for one always feel smarter after eating chocolate. And that’s as good as it gets.
Now I told you at the beginning that I was stretching but this last ad truly qualifies as Marketing for Good. It is one of a series from Allstate that offers relevant and important information for parents of young drivers (which of course includes yours truly). The intriguing headline asks “Why do most 16-year-olds drive like they’re missing part of their brain?” and then answers with “because they are.” The ad goes on to explain that the part of the brain that controls judgment simply isn’t as developed in 16-year-olds, something any parent of a teenager could have told you even before the wheel was invented. What’s great about these ads is that they explain the magnitude of the problem (a staggering 300,000 teens are injured in car accidents each year) and then go on to demonstrate how “graduated driver licensing” laws are reducing teen accident rates across the country. The ad concludes with “let’s help our teenagers not miss out on tomorrow just because they have something missing today.” This is profound stuff not the usual trivial fluff. Hope it is good for their business too.