This morning I read an article in Advertising Age about how the U.S. Military found an advertising agency in Kabul to convince the Afghan people that there’s a better future for them if they build it. The article said it was hard to find an agency in Afghanistan and that they had to fly in an armored helicopter with bullet proof vests on to review the RFP response.

We spend good portions of our day here at ZLRIGNITION finding ways to get problem gamblers help, convincing teens not to smoke, fighting childhood obesity and a number of other social marketing efforts. But never have we tackled anything as monumental as convincing parents to raise a doctor rather than suicide bomber.

Changing attitudes and behavior is what social marketing is all about. And powerful lines are what we strive for. There is a line in this ad that I think is particularly powerful:

“If you build him a garden
He will plant roses.
If you build him a battlefield
he will die a casualty.
If you do nothing.
So will he.

Those of us who are social marketers should tip our hats to this Afghan ad agency and the general who was smart enough to realize that you have to win the hearts of the Afghan people.