• by November 6, 2008

"Take a chance, grab a piece
Help me to believe it
What kind of world do you want?
Think anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
History starts now."

Lyrics from an Obama campaign song?

No, they're from "World," a song by Five for Fighting that was originally released by Columbia Records in 2006, and is now serving as the soundtrack of a Sears commercial which premiered on Sunday.

Part of the retail giant's holiday-themed "Grant a Wish" campaign, the 60-second spot's visuals first focus on the dreams achieved by celebrities like LL Cool J ("His grandfather didn't just give him turntables, he gave him a voice") and Vanessa Hudgens ("Her mother didn't just give her tap shoes, she gave her the confidence to shine") before turning to the fulfilled wishes of unknown Americans -- a home-building carpenter ("His family didn't just give him a toolbox, they gave him the tools to build his future") and a disabled vet, whose neighbors build a home for him ("His community didn't just give him help, they gave him hope.")

Without alluding to it directly, that ending - and the final tag line "Don't Just Give a Gift, Grant a Wish" -- fits in nicely with Sears' new "Heroes at Home Wish Registry," which will award gift cards worth up to $550 to 20,000 to active-duty members of the U.S. armed forces and their families. The overall Heroes at Home program, run in conjunction with the volunteer group Rebuilding America, launched last year with the expressed purpose of helping military personnel renovate and rebuild their homes.

The new TV spot premiered, naturally enough, on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" and is also running on other reality shows like ABC's "Dancing With the Stars," CBS' "Kid Nation," and NBC's "The Biggest Loser," "Phenomenon" and "Deal or No Deal." In addition, a two-hour TV special, "Heroes at Home," will air on Monday, Veteran's Day, on MyNetwork TV. Havas' MPG handles Sears' media buying and planning, with creative from WPP Group's Y&R.

Sears is inviting consumers to donate $1, $5 or $10 to the Heroes at Home program through Christmas Day. Also, for every gift card purchased, Sears promises to donate $1 to Rebuilding America, up to $100,000. And the retailer said it will make a separate $250,000 donation to support the USO, which helped spread the word about the wish registry to military members worldwide.

In other "wish"-related Sears news, shoppers can participate in "The Search for the Golden Wish Ticket" giveaway, Nov. 16 through Dec. 24. More than 30 million "Golden Wish" tickets will be distributed in stores and online.

Customers peel and reveal the ticket to determine if they've won one of more than 22,000 prizes, including 40 "Golden Wishes" -- such as a shopping spree with LL Cool J and a Sony "Dream Media Room," equipped with more than $5,000 in electronics.