Investment campaign falls flat while bulls stay in bear country

Oh dear, it does not seem as though the 'Invest in US' campaign is convincing United States investors.

In recent months, advertisements have been popping up on the streets of Manhattan and in newspapers around the world. The back page of the first section of yesterday's Financial Times sported an advertisement with what looks to be a rather miffed bull over the words 'Bring Back the Bull - A strong economy means a strong America'.

A Web site - investinus.org - accompanies the press campaign with posters featuring suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden in the Uncle Sam/Lord Kitchener role splashed with the words: 'He Wants You to Sell.'

Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda network are suspected of having launched an attack on the US financial markets on September 11 and this is a call to arms for investors. The deep and serious-voiced actor in its television spot tells us: 'They attacked our country, they attacked our financial capital - but we can help defeat them together. This is the battle field, we are the soldiers and our investments are our weapons. Let's prove our faith in the future, let's show them we are stronger than ever. Let's bring back the bull - invest in the US.'

Trouble is, it is five months on and the team is still slapping its bull on the pages of international financial journals.

It is difficult to marry the idea of fighting terrorism by buying stocks with the tales of thousands of workers losing their jobs and most of their pensions while top management was enriching itself.