As some of you may already know, I have my b.a in marketing communications and I did a lot of work in advertising, which is how I came to find out about a competition called
No Right Brain Left Behind. A friend of mine works at Energy BBDO, which is a Chicago advertising agency in the final round of competition (and according to my friend, the team that won the entire competition, though the official website indicates no winner yet).
Their proposal is for a reality competition that will demonstrate how creative problem solving skills are essential for the nation's success. A TV show will drive awareness of the issue and motivate the public at large to care about education reform, while online properties will enable viewers to take action for positive change in the country's education system.
I know it sounds crazy, but then I realized that most reality shows sound nuts in writing, at yet our country can't get enough of them. Sure there are a million things wrong with this competition, but it is interesting to think about advertising social issues. Let's face it, they can sell pretty much anything, so selling the public an idea--more creativity in our education system--shouldn't be that hard, right? But if advertisers are busy telling me there's an education crisis, how am I supposed to know what to buy?
I'm only kidding, of course--I can buy my own toothpaste. Sort of. Either way, here it is.
This sounds like an interesting concept and I would definitely consider watching this. I mean America soaks up reality tv like a sponge! After viewing the slides, it started to remind me of the documentary movie Mad Hot Ballroom (I HIGHLY recommend it) which features 4-5 graders competing in ballroom dancing at their school districts.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see Natalie Portman host this! And suggest adding to the panelist Bruce Mau :D
Agreed, interesting concept, but will it work in practice. Does it make enough of an impact to actually redefine anything?
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