Color Like No Other

If this doesn't stir the imagination, I don't know what will. What happens when you take 250,000 bouncy balls and let them loose down a hill in San Francisco?

Even though this commercial is from 2005, it still makes me smile. Some days I feel like being a student of marketing conflicts with my personal values, because it is often seen as unethical and wrong. My classes have taught me how to trick consumers into buying products that they don't need, which can involve altering their own perceptions of happiness and satisfaction. Over-consumption. Greed. False advertising. Test market sabotage. The list goes on.

But then I see an advertisement like this and I remember all the things I love about marketing. Thinking outside the box. Pushing boundaries. Creating something new. Inspiring others. Imagining the "what ifs?" Story telling. And at the heart of it all--an ability to understand the human condition. I would love to see more advertisements like this, or ones that draw attention to important world issues. I hope that I can one day use my skills as a marketer to inspire others and create positive change.