About a month ago, GirlEffect.org (sponsored by Nike) made speedy work of our pass-along circuit. Its near-universal acclaim was credited to the simplicity of the design and the pace of the engaging story.
But I think it was something bigger. Or, I guess I should say it was about being bigger.
The easiest objection to make to advertising in any form is - what does it matter? What does the brand of chips I buy, the sports team I cheer for, or the brand of shampoo in my shower* really matter in the big scope of things?
The challenge was even greater for this nonprofit. Can a small contribution really make a difference in a village thousands of miles away? Can someone on a couch in Ohio change the lives of a nation?
The Girl Effect pulls that thread.
Makes it personal.
Blows that little donation up into something that will change the lives of first a girl, then a village, then generations.
Makes it bigger than you. Bigger than itself.
It even lays the gauntlet that husbands and children are bad for girls. That's drama. Hell, yes. I'm in.
The hallmark of creating drama in the everyday is the lump in the throat. The experience so big that you see yourself as having real responsibility to it. You feel like it matters.
And, it doesn't exist just in the work of philanthropy.
Take these two niche favorites:
Cesar's (the dog food cum canine cuisine) I Promise campaign brings the Love Them Back tagline to life. It sets up your pet aisle picks as nothing less than an expression of how much your value your fuzzy friends. It lays down a gauntlet of love.
Or Monster.com's Stork spot. The beautifully shot story that hints at how valuable each life is and asks - are you reaching your potential? Stork replaces the transactional choice of work with nothing short of the meaning of life. It either lays down a gauntlet of guilt or hope. You pick.
*Baked Sour Cream and Cheddar Lays, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aveda Sap Moss ... you know, if it matters.
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