SeanChron | Michio Kaku Meets Madison Avenue

5.15.12. Today I heard a radio ad in which celebrity physicist, Dr. Michio Kaku, was lending his wise words and futurist foresight to a tri-branded ad campaign promoting the movie Battleship, Coke Zero, and Subway all in one snappy little soundbite. Of course the thrust of the promo was that the aliens in Battleship are coming for everything, including Coke Zero, but something else caught my attention. This is one of the rare occurrences, perhaps even the first in recent times, of a scientist being chosen for a major mainstream ad campaign.

Goal of getting scientists into the mainstream...check. And now, move over goal of trying to get scientists more involved with policy to shape the future, now there's something meatier...scientists promoting products. There will certainly be many in the science world that shun such an evolution but I for one am 'over the moon' about it (pardon the pun). It's about time that actors, athletes, and models shared some of the spotlight (and earnings) from product promotions and endorsements. And what better way to get scientists and science in front of millions of people than pitching products in the mainstream consumer marketplace. The era of the supermodel may be over but the era of the 'superscientist' is just beginning.

Oh, and here are the related sweepstakes:
Coke Zero - Battle for Everything
Coke Zero - Trip for 4 to Hawaii, free Subway for a year
Subway - Zero in to Win $100,000