Grateful Friday

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Recently, Gord Hotchkiss penned a column that referred to a panel discussion he led on, wait for it, “Is Advertising Evil?” At least he was brave enough to ask the question. There must be times when we ask how the practices in what we do for a living square with who we are. Those who simply “are” their profession, and nothing else, are puzzled by such questions. For the rest of us, we’d rather keep that “real person inside” alive… the one with a beating heart and a moral compass.

So today I came across an ad from Sunnybrook Hospital in the Globe and Mail for a High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound procedure that helped a man regain a certain brain area connected to motor function. The mention of HIFU had a personal connection for me, as we had the opportunity to work on accounts related to a HIFU process used in Canada to treat prostate cancer. Page Zero’s Scott Perry worked on the PPC accounts; our Cory Kleinschmidt redesigned a website and created an effective and respectful lead form.

The Sunnybrook ad takes us to something interesting: a fund that isn’t about specific disease, but rather the Sunnybrook Innovation Hub that builds the infrastructure and environment for experiments that can lead to great healthcare breakthroughs. Drill down and you can find out how to donate. It works just like regular charitable donation in Canada.

I’m grateful to be able to work with colleagues like Cory and Scott, and our past client in the HIFU medical field… and of course (with no professional connection to them whatsoever) to those promoting the Sunnybrook initiative in medical simulation technology in today’s Globe ad. All of whom prove that while advertising is sometimes a little bit evil, it doesn’t have to be. And every so often it is a whole lot good.

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