IT PAYS TO RANT
You know the old adage "sometimes things have to get worse before they can get better"? I believe that's often true. And I sure as shit hope it's true as it applies here in America, where things continue to worsen with each passing week under the influence of the Bush administration. Well, that turn for the better just might be upon us.
Ben & Jerry's, the ice cream brand whose image and marketing was built on social consciousness, tonight revives that tradition in its first TV ad campaign in a decade. The ads focus on issues, not ice cream.
The campaign comes as some ad giants are spending more on social responsibility programs and ads:
GE in May announced its Ecomagination program - a $1.5 billion program of research for less-polluting technologies - and is running a corporate ad.Starbucks, which already offers coffees that promote fair pay for growers and environmentally sound cultivation, recently announced it will donate $10 million over five years for clean drinking water around the world through sales of its Ethos bottled water.
British Petroleum has been advertising its environmental awareness and is spending $350 million over several years to create energy-efficient products.
Such spending is a cost of doing business in a global economy with consumers connected by e-mail and blogs, says Steve Lippman, vice president of social research at Boston-based Trillium Asset Management, which invests in socially responsible funds and companies.
Did you all get that? Even while still under the oppressive reign of the boy king, we, the socially conscious bloggers, have been heard and are recognized as a key marketing demographic!
Now, if I could just swing me a free pint of Butter Pecan with a cappuccino chaser, I'd be golden.
posted by Sar at 12:11 PM
18 Comments:
I hope this isn't disrespectful but that was the cutest rant I've read in a long time. I do think the most important political truth is that no matter who gets elected what makes a time good or bad is almost entirely the people.
Aw, thanks Doug, no disrespect taken. However, I don't completely agree with the balance of your comment. I think most people generally want to be happy and have a good time. But this administration continues to usurp that by making destructive decisions with devestating consequences based on their selfish greed instead of humanity. Granted you said almost entirely, but I think the balance weighs more heavily on the political influence of the last 5 years.
I agree with Doug.. It was awfully cute.
I take issue with your whole doom-and-gloom thing, sar. Are things really that bad? For you personally, I mean. Being angry about being in the minority (politically speaking) is one thing, but getting depressed about it is kind of ridiculous.
Sar, to follow up, the administration and congree are spending an awful lot of our money and not carefully, mainly spending your kids money. Since I don't have kids I'm getting off light. You know I don't defend the bastards but for the overwhelming majority of Americans getting pissed off at politicians and paying taxes is most of our interaction with government. America can prosper with these bozos and fail without them.
TLM. if I were a Republican I'd be softening the majority/minority talk around now. I'm not talking as much about polls as the fact that the case for competent management in either elected branch of government is closed. I still think conservatives generally have a stronger political philosophy but we've failed to elect people who are even arguably marginally capable. I think it'll be hard to gerrymander seats fast enough to keep a majority. Thanks for agreeing with me, though, buddy.
You may be interested to read my thoughts on the Ben & Jerry's campaign here at:
http://givemeaning.blogspot.com/2005/10/ben-jerrys-return-to-social-activism.html
TLM - Thanks for the "cute" compliment, much appreciated my fine crustacean friend. Now, let me assure you, I'm not focused on doom and gloom, and as Doug so very astutely pointed out (*bowing to Doug*) I'm positively proud that my voting record does not support the poor choice of government we currently have. As for me and my personal situation? Your querry sounds a lot like that same ole deflection "are you better off now than you were x-amount of years ago?". Of course I am better off because life does go on and usually forward. But even though my individual life may be in a good place, I'm very mindful of that fact that there is an increasingly large number of Americans who are not as lucky as me and perhaps would be if it weren't for the faulty, corrupt decisions of this administration.
There was a point in my post that I think got lost or never appropriately made. And maybe by clarifying it, I can further dispell the misperception of my being focused on doom & gloom. The point I was trying to make is that we've come quite a long way in terms of how the administration's sweeping negativity affects us. You know, you're either with us or against us crap. Support the troops or be considered unpatriotic. Now corporate sponsors aren't blinded by that influence and can see there is a growing number of Americans who aren't either.
Doug - *still bowing*.
Tom - Thought you were spam. I don't suppose you'd care to share those thoughts with the rest of the group here.
Now if only the whiskey and amphetamine industries would properly enter the political arena, I could be a fullblown activist...
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My general response to the "are you doing better now than you were 4 years ago" thing is to remind the person that my own personal welfare is not the only things that concerns me. I'm more concerned with the people who don't get a voice.
Sorta like Ben and Jerry's here.
doug- I'm not saying that being in the majority is a good thing... just making a point that the minority is never happy (be they Dems or Repubs). And if the cataclysmic shakeup in government happens in '06 or '08 (doubtful, since negativity never wins elections) then hooray for them. Then I'll gladly patronize Sound Destruction and join y'all while you talk about how wonderful things are.
sar- I think you're selling yourself short by blindly attributing what you have to luck.
maine- Who doesn't have a voice?
I wouldn't know, TLM. I belong to the Pox on Both Houses party and we've never lost an election.
Sorry, TLM, that was undeservedly snarky. I hear you.
Issue-conscious ads, while not always the greatest (like GE's ads which seem overly sexual and plain old uninformative), at least get a message out there and get commercial driven consumers to think a little bit more about the products they're buying. If anything, it affects those that are socially conscious of their consumer actions and makes them think a little bit more utilitarian than the typical selfish American.
Oh, and btw, I love Ben and Jerry's ice cream--all flavors.
TLM:
"who doesn't have a voice?"
HA! You ask that question almost as if you were serious!
Man, you had me going there for a while.
It's nice to hear good news for a change. Good to know that even under "W" good stuff can happen.
doug- Not a problem!.. i didn't find it snarky at all.
mike v. - Yeah... Had to interject a little humor. The conversation was getting too serious.
cw - I could take or leave the banana flavored one, but you're definitely right. B&J is great stuff.
Nothing wrong with a helping of doom and gloom every once in a while. But overall, I'd say your post was pretty optimistic.
All - Sorry for not responding in further, individual detail. But do know how much I appreciate all your comments. :)
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