July 28, 2004
New Policy
Had an interesting dilemma yesterday. We still have an open page available for advertising, and a proposal from an ad agency dropped into my inbox. It was an urgent and fairly exclusive proposal for a new energy drink that had one ingredient we've never advertised in HM Magazine before - alcohol.
Believe it or not, I wasn't exactly sure what to do. The allure of energy drinks is fun and all. Alcohol is controversial and has been used to destroy lives and families, but in and of itself is probably nothing more than a potentially dangerous amoral thing. I needed wisdom, so I asked God for it. I also reached out to some (very precious) friends for advice and prayer. No sooner had I sent the email did I have a thought/question drop into my head: "If this were a proposal that was from Budweiser for a beer ad, would I even consider it?" The obvious answer is no. So, the wisdom I asked for came -- in record time!
So, now we have a policy at the magazine: No alcoholic beverage ads accepted.
This pic sure looked great in my digital camera preview pane immediately after I took it, but it really looks all grainy now. Russ Cogdell does these amazing splits in a stance that probably covers seven feet. It was fun to capture it. I just wish it was a better photograph.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at July 28, 2004 09:46 AM