President Signs National-Service Bill and Issues Call to Volunteer - Philanthropy.com

President Signs National-Service Bill and Issues Call to Volunteer - Philanthropy.com

How will your company or organization take advantage of the opportunity thsi new national service bill offers?

Why do I say opportunity? Because most people, not all, but most, want to have meaning in their lives. They want to be good citizens, good family members, good neighbors. They want to give back. Many don't feel they have time or don't have a personal connection to a group that needs their help.

So why not enable your employees, members, constituents to be the good people they want to be?

And if they see you as helping them to become fuller people, so much the better. You will develop deeper, stronger, better relationships with you people. Go do it. Create a service initiative. Highlight and reward service. Find a tie in to your business. This is not hard. And it is smart business.

Bad Advertising of the Week

This week's winner: John McCain

I mean c'mon.  

I know Willy Horton worked well for George Bush Sr.  But have you seen John McCain's new attack ad?  It is a montage of Obama pictures, most from a large rally.  In the background we hear the crowd chanting "Obama. Obama."  The voice over talks about how Obama is the biggest celebrity in the world.  And at that point they show a picture of Britney Spears and then one of Paris Hilton, while fading back to Obama.  The actual message of the ad blames Obama for high gas prices which alone is kind of silly. 

The ad is fairly genius and pathetic.  I mean, if you got nothing else, take the worst of society and try and pin it on your opponent.  It's not racial.  They couldn't do that...yet.  Could this really work?  

I have to say.  I am bit fascinated, in a car crash kind of way.  It will be interesting to see if this ad moves the polls.  It seems too heavy handed to me, but then, I am not a swing voter.  

Can Fear Sell?

Can you name a strong brand that has succeeded because it has sold us on fear of something?  A brand with strong, sustained sales?

I can't think of one.

Sure, brands often try to differentiate from competitors and can be brutal in drawing the distinction -- think Apple vs. PC.  But I do not remember fear as a strategy that pays off.

And so as I look at the presidential race between McCain and Obama, I wonder about brand strategy.  Can McCain maintain his brand image as maverick and independent thinker and win the election without resorting to a strategy of fear?  And if he can't and must resort to fear, is this a winning strategy?  The only chance he may have to win is to differentiate himself by stirring up fear about a black man with a funny name running the country.  The temptation will be great.  And if Willy Horton is any guide, it could work.

This could be an amazing brand experiment: can John McCain win with his own brand going head to head with brand Obama?  Or will McCain need to play the race card, spread rumors, lies, and innuendo to boost sales (gather votes)?

In an arena where the ends often justifies the means, I suspect I know the answer.  If McCain goes with fear, I think he gains short term sales at the cost of the brand.  But if it gets you elected President, who cares right?  

Perhaps, though, his brand will be forever tarnished and incapable of its true potential as a result.  It is a choice to be made carefully.  The long term costs could be very high.