You can call me Al

Magnet #211 - Have a nice millennium

I got a email from Al Gore. That's weird, right? Here's why.

I'm in advertising. I should be cynical and jaded about this business and the content that we produce, but I gotta tell you. A bigger sucker for advertising you've never met. If there's an interesting commercial with strong branding and a clear call to action - I end up taking that action.

When the folks at the We Campaign started running their wecansolveit.org ad, I totally heeded the call and went to their website to learn more. And, simply because the well-designed home page had some blank fields for me to enter in my email addy to opt-in, I joined the fight. And got an email from my buddy Al.

But, his email served a couple of purposes.

1. To remind us of what We stands for (a nonpartisan effort to help solve the Climate Crisis by Repowering America with 100% clean electricity...within 10 years).
2. To ask for money. To help air their new Repower America ad. They were already buying a national cable buy. And, if they could raise $80,000, they'd be able to afford a network buy - on 60 Minutes and 20/20.

That's where I stumbled. I'll be dead honest - the fact that we were being asked to help generate money for airtime drove me positively nuts. Mainly because a part of me wondered if people could raise $80,000, couldn't we give it to some organization that actually does something with the money than buying airtime.

The next day, I got an email from the CEO of We, saying that within six hours, Al's email managed to generate more than $150,000. And how because of such an outstanding response, they were able to add on a national CNN buy next week!

Which sent me into such a tizzy. But, after stomping around at work discussing this with coworkers, I think I've come to grips for myself. The left-leaners managed to convince me that the money being raised to help air the spot would generate awareness among millions more viewers (who would then learn more, and donate more and join the cause and help We gain even more traction). The right-leaners managed to convince me that Al Gore invented the Internet.

Anyway, whatever you believe, this marketing effort was a complete success in my case.

1. It made me visit the website.
2. It made me join the cause.
3. It made me discuss it with my coworkers.
4. It made me blog about it, and hopefully make you guys comment on it.

Well played, Al. Well. Played. Looks like we might have a nice millennium after all.