World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007 - (Page 18)

PHOTO PROVIDED BY (PRODUCT) RED Orphaned children in Swaziland, many of whom lost parents to AIDS, come together for meals, education and adult supervision. Many of these gatherings are paid for by the Global Fund. in Africa. Launched in the United States and the U.K. a little over a year ago, (PRODUCT) RED continues to haul in millions of dollars a month for the cause. Built initially on the good names of celebrity founders Shriver and Bono, the (PRODUCT) RED label is winning support from the likes of Oprah Winfrey, as well as countless shoppers whose cell phones, MP3 players, T-shirts, sneakers and even credit cards identify them as members of the crusade to make sure an HIV/AIDS diagnosis is not a death sentence. (RED) In Action “Paul Newman is a god,” Shriver said of the movie star philanthropist whose salad dressings, dog food and other grocery store staples bring in millions a year for charity. Shriver said he loves the simplicity of the idea and the sheer common sense of it. “You’re going to buy these products anyway,” he said. “Why not buy it and somebody gives away a portion of their profits?” The (RED) campaign is based on the same idea. Shriver tried out this concept beginning in 1987 when he began producing Christmas albums with proceeds going to the Special Olympics, which his mother founded. The endeavor brought in more than $100 million. Since then Shriver teamed up with Irish rock star Bono to form DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), an advocacy organization that lobbies for AIDS and debt relief in African nations. When the two began looking for a way to help more people suffering from AIDS, Shriver turned back to Newman’s money-raising model. Together, Bono and Shriver created the (RED) brand with the idea that products sold under the (PRODUCT) RED label could raise both money and awareness for the Global Fund, the world’s leading funder of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. A portion of the proceeds from (PRODUCT) RED would go specifically to African nations to pay for the antiretroviral drugs that allow people with AIDS to survive. So far, people in Swaziland, Rwanda and Ghana have benefited. (RED) is not a charity, a point Shriver wants to emphasize. Instead, it’s an economic initiative designed to dispatch money from the private sector to fight the AIDS pandemic in Africa. “No one ever said we wanted people to buy things for a good cause,” he said. “The idea of (RED) is you’re going to buy it anyway. You’re buying a cell phone, you’ve got a credit card, you’re buying an iPod, you have sneakers. All that stuff is going on in your daily life.” The amount of proceeds from (PRODUCT) RED products that goes to the Global Fund varies, but the average is 40 percent of profits. And because overhead costs for the Global Fund are covered by other means, all of that money goes toward treating HIV/AIDS. “It’s a 100 percent throughput to the pills. We love being able to tell consumers that,” said Julie Cordua, vice president of marketing for (RED). “One of the things we’ve learned is that it’s really hard to communicate that.” In fact, the (RED) campaign has come under fire from people opposed to the idea of tapping into the western world’s propensity to buy material things as a way to raise money for charitable causes. Some are wary of this new model of fundraising. And some critics denounce the money spent marketing (PRODUCT) RED, saying simply sending that money to Africa would make more sense. Shriver waves off the criticism and points to the success of the campaign, which is still growing. The Hallmark Corporation is the latest to join the roster of companies selling www.heifer.org 18 November/December 2007 | WORLD ARK http://www.heifer.org

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007

World Ark - November/December 2007 Contents Letters For the Record The Good Life Asked & Answered Pursuing Happiness (PRODUCT) RED: Consumer Power Fights AIDS in Africa Rwanda Reconciles End Hunger Now Protecting the Poor from Climate Change Mixed Media Heifer Bulletin Heifer Spirit Heifer Calendar Reflection

World Ark Magazine - November/December 2007

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