Entrepreneurship Catapulted into the Mainstream…

How much more mainstream can you get than on the NFL’s Super Bowl telecast? With more than 110 million TV viewers in the United States last Sunday (February 5, 2012), the day is a de facto American national holiday. It is the second largest day in the United States for food consumption – after Thanksgiving Day – giving special validation to the term, “couch potato”. Due to the large audience, as well as its well-targeted focus, the cost of advertising during the game is the most expensive of the year. This year, apparently, NBC charged around 3.5 million dollars for a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl.

So it is a pleasant surprise that among the Super Bowl commercials for car companies, snack foods, clothes, tech stuff, and – of course – beer, the Kauffman Foundation aired a 30-second spot, the first-ever Super Bowl ad for entrepreneurs. The next great entrepreneur is out there, thinking about and planning how to resolve some pressing need. That is a cause to celebrate!

The only unfortunate thing about this is that the commercials aired only in North America – only a few million people watch in the rest of the world, despite the mythical exaggeration based on potential viewers. Entrepreneurship, I believe, is extremely important, as it champions people who innovate, assume risks, are creative, and take on challenges in order to create value, good, and profit from the endeavor. I hope that others, too, will follow the Kauffman Foundation and develop new means and venues to encourage people (especially youth) around the world to take on challenges and leadership opportunities!

Will it be you (too)?