As a newly obsessed Dallas Cowboys fan, this year, I was more than a little eager to catch the Superbowl. As any sports fan can attest, once you watch one team, you can't help but watch them all. You've got to keep track of not only YOUR team, but also your team's rival, and that team's rival, and the teams you may have to beat come Championship time. |
I'll admit: this is the first year I've caught the Superbowl in its entirety-- watching for the game, not just the commercials. At one point, I looked at my husband and inquired, "Why are there so many commercial breaks? They're really holding up the game!"
But, I digress.
One thing I noticed about this year's commercials, more than those in years past, is that they had a message-- a purpose. Rather than just trying to get laughs (although this one did, in our house), many of this year's commercials seemed to be imparting a bigger purpose. They were more thoughtful. They made us think.
Take, for instance, the McDonald's commercial below.
How could you not smile watching the puzzled faces at the cash register, followed by kisses and hugs and kind words shared with friends and loved ones? Simply put, the commercial warmed my heart.
And then, like most advertisements, it fizzled from my memory.
Until today, that is, when I received a message from my husband. His coworker, a fellow teacher, had stopped at McDonald's for a coffee on his way to work. Instead of being asked for payment, the cashier asked him to text his son and daughter and tell them he loves them.
I was pleasantly surprised-- this promotion is real! It's happening! And it's spreading love. Imagine being a teenager at school and seeing a random message: I love you. Wouldn't you smile? Wouldn't you be a little kinder? Wouldn't there be a spring in your step?
This really stuck with me. The point of advertising in general is to develop brand awareness, bring in business-- in short, to make money. And yet here is a (currently struggling) worldwide fast food chain offering FREE food, in exchange for people sharing a smile and a kind word.
And so, I'll wrap up with a phrase I never thought I'd say: Let's all be more like McDonald's today.
Let us remember as we go about our days the power of a simple act of kindness. Send a text telling a friend you care. Smile at a stranger. Tell your coworker why you appreciate him or her. These acts are small but powerful-- and as Aesop would say, "No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted."