There is no one in America who is unaware of today. 

We are a consumer-obsessed, market-driven, advertising-oriented society and today is the biggest shopping day of the year. The commercials between plays during Thanksgiving day football were amping it up. Most stores are closed on Thanksgiving, but they are ready 

Black Friday Sales. 

It began several hours before this post. 

There are two ways advertising works. The first is what today is all about.  

Give the people what they want. 

They want cheap TVs and toys for kids. Give the people what they want. They will line outside the store at 4:00 AM, and shove people out of their path with hopes of being the first to get their hands on one of those things. It’s the heart and soul of Black Friday sales. 

Tell the people what they want. 

This is a more nuanced path. This creates a need where there was no need. It brings to light a pain point no one knew they had. It’s a personal computer in the 1980s. It’s the Internet in the 1990s. It’s the iPhone in 2007 and ride-sharing in 2010. It’s not the stuff of Black Friday Sales because people don’t know it’s something they want or something they can even have. 

Serving or enslaving? 

Empowering consumers. This can happen on both paths. This is about choice and quality and life. There’s a huge difference between short gain dollar grabbing and doing business according to principles and values. Whether you’re giving or telling, be sure that you’re helping and serving.  

I don’t see a lot of empowerment happening today. Today seems to be more about desperation and scarcity than it is about empowerment and abundance.