Unkulhschidt: Gas wasters

More and more, I find myself getting depressed when I'm sitting in my car at stoplights. Not because it takes the light forever to turn green. It's because I'm constantly amazed at the number of vehicles that arrive at the intersection going nearly 50 m.p.h. and only start thinking about slowing down when they're 20 feet from the stoplight.

And jackrabbit starts. Drivers who have to accelerate from a stop as though they're late for their own wedding. Jackrabbit starts, especially with large trucks and SUVs which are plentiful where I live, can burn as much as 40% more gas than gradual starts. Of course there are dozens more driving tips that can help increase gas mileage. Going 65 instead of 75 can improve fuel efficiency by up to 25%.

The depressing thing is, if this country ever faces a true gas shortage again, like it did in the late 70s, I'm not sure we have the mentality and collective will to successfully deal with it.
If U.S. motorists could decrease gas consumption by just a few percentage points, gas prices might come down dramatically. According to an MSNBC column last year, U.S gasoline demand fell 7 percent between August 2006 and January 2007. Gas prices accordingly fell 28%.

I just sense that the great majority of American drivers think energy efficiency is a passing fancy, and won't be much of an issue in the long run. We're a NASCAR country. Cylinder numbers and engine displacement still rule. CAFE is, well...what's CAFE?

Is there a public information campaign in someone's mental file cabinet that could change driving habits among the everyday Jeff Gordons? Especially a campaign that directs the messaging to drivers while they are in the car?

Seizing the moment at Davidson

(Written in April 2008) Basketball fans and many non-fans now have heard of Davidson College. Not only because of its dramatic success in the NCAA basketball tournament or their all-galaxy star, Stephen Curry.

Many people are talking just as fervently about Davidson's board of trustees and the amazing deed they performed for their entire student body.

The trustees offered to host any and all Davidson students who wanted to attend Davidson's game(s) in the NCAA's Sweet 16 tournament during the March 28 weekend in Detroit. The offer included round-trip buses to Detroit, hotel and meal expenses. All paid for by the college.

More than 300 of Davidson's 1,700 students accepted the offer. When the Wildcats stunned Wisconsin in the Friday night game, the school came up with more buses to transport another 250 to Sunday's showdown with Kansas.

How many freshman applications do you think Davidson will receive for the 2008 fall term? And for many terms after that?

The lesson: doing extraordinary things for your primary community--students, residents, patients, shareholders, employees--especially at a time of heightened visibility and with right-minded, sincere values and intentions at the fore--is the essence of reputation building and, subsequently, brand identity.

It is a PR pro's dream. Action before announcements. Innovation and implementation before bloviation. Sincere, transparent goodwill before good headlines.

It isn't cheap: Davidson had to shell out several hundred thousand dollars. But will it pay off in future student recruitment, alumni loyalty, faculty attraction and heightened admiration among academic peers? There's no need to even state the answer.