If you're British, you know Red Nose Day. The fundraising extravaganza organized by Comic Relief takes over the U.K. every two years. Millions of school kids, regular folks and celebrities act a bit bonkers and hit one another up for donations in the weeks leading up to a night of comedy and moving documentaries on BBC One. All that tomfoolery has generated over a billion pounds to support disadvantaged people in the U.K. and Africa over the last 30 years.

On this side of the pond, folks at Comic Relief, NBC Universal, Walgreens (the only place you can buy the official red nose) and M&Ms are working overtime on a campaign that will culminate in a three-hour TV special on May 21.

Their efforts seem to be working. In fact the biggest challenge so far has been that consumer purchases of red noses - $1 each with 50 cents going to the charity and 50 cents paying to produce the nose - have far exceeded what Walgreens anticipated. In some locations the bulbous clown honkers are out of stock, according to Linn Jordan, director of marketing, strategy and planning at the retail chain.

Last week in the midst of this multi-faceted promotional barrage to successfully launch Red Nose Day in the USA, an announcement was quietly by the Muscular Dystrophy Association that after many years of decline it was pulling the plug on its nearly 50-year-old Labor Day Telethon, the granddaddy of cause/corporate/television programs hosted for years by Jerry Lewis.

Is Red Nose Day poised to take its place in the hearts, wallets and video viewing habits of a new generation of Americans?

That's just one question that's sure to be discussed at this year's Cause Marketing Forum Conference, now just two weeks away! If you've already registered, pat yourself on the back and get excited for action-packed days in beautiful Chicago.

If you haven't yet registered, now's the time - prices increase this Friday!

See you in Chicago!

Sincerely,