Opportunity Vs. Insensitive Opportunism

Events occur and daily life evolves into a history that unfolds itself before our very eyes. It seems that the most prominent news, and in today's world, the hottest trending online posts, tend to deal with the bad, the ugly, the catastrophic.

There are certain words or phrases that require no additional description for most people to conjure images, emotions and even fear. Today it is "swine flu." Here is another one for you, "Katrina." (We had a whole list but we are not after sensationalism here.)

And there are others that feel much more personal when you hear them. It really depends much more on your private experience and exposure. For example, "Cancer." Or "Alzheimer's."

We create a line of kits that can literally make a difference in somebody's life. A difference in which organizations and merchants, in essence, help sponsor the health and well-being of members of our communities. Our products can help individuals, their families and their communities deal with things similar to the buzzwords in the previous paragraphs. We want to help people see that value, but putting in context of high fear levels does not feel right.

And this is the fine line we are trying to find. We also know we are not alone in this dilemma. These events, this unfolding history, can actually help raise awareness of various needs. If done right, this raised awareness can be harnessed to make positive change. If not done so well, it can be worse than just a squandered chance to make a difference, it can leave such a bad taste that it closes off all future chances as well.

We absolutely believe that there is a need for self-identification and self-care through items like Personal Health Records. Ask emergency responders how difficult their job can be when information is scarce or absent but the case is urgent. Having prepared personal information can make a huge difference in both personal situations and community-wide ones. Our company, Medi-Facts, was founded on this belief.

We want to educate business leaders, civic leaders, community organizations and others that we can help them make a huge difference. We want to encourage promotional product professionals to help their clients see the possibilities that await. We are trying to help all to see the opportunity for positive change while we stay away from insensitive opportunism that simply pursues a buck regardless of the sacrifice of ethical principles.

By chance, and I really do mean that given editorial calendars are built so far in advance, Identity Marketing magazine's just-released May issue's lead story is "Healthy and Safe Sales." Results of an earlier interview with their writers yield some pretty good coverage for Medi-Facts. I especially enjoyed that they used one of my quotes to close the article. (Hint, if you are in the promotional products business, go read it.) I bring this up though because this represents a case of providing some education in a positive light. It is an example of what we try to do year around and not just during a (real or perceived) crisis.

Without creating panic, without exploiting fears, we would love for the people with raised awareness seek an opportunity to make a difference.

You are encouraged to post your comments and ideas on how anyone, not just our company, can find that fine line. Whether you are viewer or "end-user" individual, a leader or organization, a specialty advertising distributor, or even a fellow promotional products supplier, we ask that you share. Together we can do a better job of harnessing raised awareness.