Things are happening in the world today that indicate to me that we're at a point in history that will be remembered forever. At some point soon someone not unlike me is going to be involved in "naming" the current time period. I'm thinking of applying for the job. I'm just not sure who I need to contact about the work. Who owns this problem? Who is working to fix this?
Could it be our elected officials in Washington? Are they responsible? If you ask them, they are not. That's probably not the right place to send my application, even though I know a few people there. And with that "Kevin Bacon Six Degrees" thing I'm to a cell phone of a Texas Senator who probably would talk to me in two calls. None the less, Texas senators are not worried about the recession. The economy is pretty good here.
So, if the government doesn't want to own the project, perhaps the major television networks will name the recession. They have internal people and are themselves creative companies, so if the networks are going to do it, they'll do it themselves, and there won't be any work from them. In fact some 25 year old graphic designer will make a graphic to go with the name that will be used in 17 newscasts daily, as well as on the web site and during sure to happen "special reports."
Everyone is pointing fingers at the oil executives and oil industry, but let me tell you they are not concerned with the recession because they don't have a clue it is going on. I live in Texas, and I saw the fireworks displays, and I see the cars their kids get at 16, and I've heard about the homes. They are not sitting around thinking about the recession. Since they don't know it's going on, they don't own the problem and certainly are not about to take it on. They have their own PR nightmares ahead over the next 20 years as demand for supply increases, the bottom falls out for U.S. based oil companies, expenses increase, and the resource is somehow militarized. (China will have more cars on the road in 20 years than the U.S.)
Mortgage companies and banks and financial institutions are thinking about the recession. They helped cause a piece of it with lax lending practices and contributions to the "Sure you can afford it!" push for borrowing. But in my history, bankers don't like to spend money on "creative things." A name, attached to a campaign, is pretty creative.
The credit card companies might be a place to start. Hmmmm. Now if anyone knows about marketing ("What's in your wallet?" "Priceless" "The card that pays you back."....) it's the big credit card companies. At the helm are the big, big, big banks that don't like to spend money, but they have so much and are basically printing it, so they do fund big marketing campaigns. The Dr. Evil of them all is Bank of America. They own Citi or Chase or one of the other biggies. The credit card companies are masters supreme at creating businesses that own businesses that own businesses, and everyone pays the other one -- with interest. And somewhere in the bowels of the corporate megatheopolis is an accountant or an economics expert who has all of a sudden realized that as an industry, they just might be responsible for the recession.
Now the people who started it all are long retired and possibly even are burning in hell at this very moment. That's a scary thought. There were people a few decades back who took the innocence of an era and shifted it by making sure everyone had a Master Charge (remember that?) or Bank Americard (I think there were only two), which evolved into MasterCard and VISA, and there was Diners Club, and always American Express, and the gas companies got in on it with their charge cards. Competition in the card industry began, advertising got involved. Ads made people think they needed and DESERVED things they couldn't afford, and so began the half generation of spending that made America not only the greatest place to live, but also the nation with the most debt. And that consumer debt followed into the government sector, and our nation went into debt.
A lot of the debt has gone to fund tremendously expensive, dangerous and destructive military executions and wars in other parts of the world. I guess because as we became the most indebted nation, we became the most aggressive. So now that we're talking military, THERE is an industry that is well aware of the need for slogans and marketing. Today they are working it hard. High school parking lots are hang-outs for recruiters. There are thinly disguised "military" channels on DISH network that are 24 hour a day commercials for the Army, Navy, and Marines. The military is marketing to a generation of pacifist parents about the great opportunities in the military, the college educations that come from it, and how to accept that their kid wants to join. It scares me where this is all going. Especially as my oldest son looks at two years before he's 18. 18-year old boys do have to register with the Selective Service. If we're marketing to parents now, where is this headed?
So as I apologize for digressing all over the place, let me get back to the topic: the name for the current time period. Based on the above I believe that no one entity is going to take responsibility for the current recession or name it or take ownership of it. So basically I don't think there is anyone to send my proposal to offering my services in naming it. Except perhaps...it is a political year...perhaps this is what John McCain and Mr. Obama will do. Name the problem, and figure out the solution.
Just like when Mrs. Clinton figured out the health care crisis, took ownership of it, and promised to fix it -- during her husband's first term. Someone is going to take ownership of this problem. The sad thing is, tying yourself to the recession is risky. Even if you try to do it by naming the problem and focusing on the solutions, advisors will tell our candidates that's a "touchy" subject. The safe topics like "religion" and "abortion" and "race" will be the issues of this campaign.
I'm sure there are other clients who might be potential targets for my proposal to name the current time period: think tanks (is Avery Lovins still doing his?), perhaps colleges or universities, Consumer Reports? If I could put my confidence in one person to know what I was talking about, take it on, name it, own it, promote it, popularize it, and change society because of it, it would be Al Gore. He did it with the internet, he did it with global warming. He is the only one who can do it with the recession.
Al Gore, where are you? Does anyone have his cell number?
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