A drop of greatness in every man

A drop of greatness in every man? Photo courtesy Mcsheely.com

Every once in a while, a television commercial (TVC) grows to achieve cult status among audiences with several people looking forward to watching it. If it happens to be in the form of a musical, one will see several people sing along its tune. One of the most recent TVCs that has achieved that esteemed status and has caught on everyone’s imagination is the Guinness Stout ad, Guinness Greatness.

The advert which says that drinkers of Guinness Stout have greatness inside of them opens with the reverent monologue from an elderly man, “My friend Udeme is a great man…”

The aim of every advert campaign is to grab the attention of its target audience and make them want to take action by purchasing such a product or taking a step in the case of a public service ad. Credit must be given to the creators of the Guinness Greatness concept for succeeding in capturing the attention of TV audiences with this campaign.

Unlike the Michael Power Action campaign that seeks to show the action in the drinker, which I personally believe comes after a drinking binge when you see a drunk’s antics as he makes his way home, the Greatness ad has more than a message for Guinness drinkers. Its pay off line “there is a drop of greatness in every man” is a classic idea.

Truth well told, that is the idea behind the marketing communications industry. They try to tell you, in your face, the qualities of their product. But the creators of Greatness went a step further by bringing out one sentiment that is present in every human, the idea that every human craves for something greater than themselves.

It is a fact that everybody on earth has been created distinct from every other person. Not even identical twins are the same; they possess differences in their anatomy and thought patterns. But as much as possible, every man or woman if prompted would tell you that they perceive they are on this earth to fulfill a destiny which they alone can attain.

This mission if pursued and not aborted is what will lead to greatness. This, Guinness has explored to create a successful campaign that has caught on everyone’s imagination. But then one might ask, must one drink Guinness to achieve greatness?

I don’t think so. There is a drop of greatness in every man means that there is substance in everyone that could lead to the achievement of great things in life. Like one of the parables of Jesus, the one about talents, it is obvious that there is something in you and you only need to look deep within yourself to find that special place you ought to fill in this world.

By finding one’s destiny, one stops being an occupier of space and starts being a giver of life. And like the Udeme the character in the ad, one’s sojourn on earth would be one in which many people will benefit from. Greatness comes from within and only an individual can find that for themselves.

Therefore, one’s task should be about discovering their strengths and applying them in a way that in their absence someone can say, my friend Nana is a great man. That is the mark of greatness.