I saw this Mastercard commercial when I was watching the Oscars a few days ago. I haven’t found a better commercial to convey what this blog is about, so I going to adopt it as the unofficial commercial for the nsavides blog. I hope Mastercard won’t mind. With that said, take a look:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7vwjLGy5FQ]
I love how the commercial associates the little guy’s pursuit of his vision with heavenly imagery. (Yes, that’s a shining city on a hill where that small business rests.) Exactly right. The moment people stop following the herd and start following the inner passions and curiousities of their hearts, they take one step closer to heaven, whether they realize it or not.
Another great thing about this commercial is that it comes from Mastercard, not exactly a quiet small-business kind of company. You see, everyone can appreciate a more personal, less corporate world even a big corporation like Mastercard. As far as I’m concerned, the size of an organization doesn’t determine whether it is a corporate one. The way it treats its customers and its employees does.
Treat people right, and they’ll remember you. This commercial makes me smile, and that helps me remember the Mastercard in my wallet when I’m contemplating a purchase. Even so, to claim that a commercial only exists to sell stuff is corporate thinking. A good commercial has intrinisic value in the way it inspires, amuses, or provokes its viewers.
Mastercard didn’t have to go the extra mile with beautifully rendered, playful animation. For much less time and money, they could have hired an obnoxious announcer to tell you to use your Mastercard and use it now. But they didn’t. They cared enough to give you something special, something you might enjoy.
You are free to reward them for their thoughtness by using your Mastercard more often, but you aren’t obligated to do so. You could enjoy the commercial and then go back to using your Visa card, since there is no prequisite needed to watch it.
When people, businesses, and organizations do thoughtful and excellent things for their community that come with no obligations, other people take notice. That might mean putting on a free workshop, reaching out to those who can’t pay their own way, or just putting together a fun, well-made commercial that your audience will appreciate.
If you think only in terms of doing things that can be measured immediately, then you won’t do any of that stuff. But the world would be a sadder, more corporate, place if everyone thought like that. Here’s the thing, if you improve the lives of those around you without asking for anything in return, eventually it’ll pay off. At the very least, you’ll be doing your part to make the world less corporate.