Kranz On Copy: Insights and answers on copywriting and writing copy

If you haven't done so already, check out a brief, three-minute video that's been rocking the Internet, Diary of a Tired Black Man. A provocative, well-acted and memorably scripted mini-drama, it tells the story of a black man who arrives at his ex-wife's home (with his new white girlfriend waiting in the car) to pick up his daughter. His ex, who's black and chatting with three black friends, sees the new girlfriend and is provoked into verbally abusing him at the door. The three friends join in, and the rest of the film presents his defense.

It's hard-hitting stuff, touching on explosive issues such as gender roles, racism, black/white relationships and personal (and interspersonal) repsonsibilities. But as interesting as the film is, the repsonses it's generating are even more fascinating. Consider some of the discussions here and here, for example.

What does this have to do with marketing? Nothing...directly. But Web pundits speak endlessly about the power of the Internet to start new conversations and bring fresh voices to the table. This is one of the few intances where I've actually seen it happen.