I've been a huge fan of Oprah for as long as I can remember. I don't agree with every single thing she says or does, but her shows provoke my deep thoughts and there's no way to ignore her presence in the global society. She did a show about two weeks ago dedicated to the new (RED) campaign (specifically a business model, not a charity) that several major retailers have adopted in an effort to raise money for AIDS assistance in Africa.
The whole deal is that consumers don't have to go out of their way to donate money to a charity that they see no results from. This isn't like buying one of those paper shoes for $1 so it can be hung up at a CVS check-out register (not that those programs don't do good stuff, that's not the point). Gap, Armani, Motorola, Apple and American Express are marketing unique (RED) products that fit the company's signature styles and passing a percent of the proceeds on to buy anti-retroviral drugs for those with AIDS. This month Motorola is releasing a new (RED) Razr, and Apple's got a (RED) iPod nano already in stores. All you have to do is buy what you would have bought anyway. Their website goes much more in depth, and it's definiately worth a looksie. The (RED) blog has been posting real people stories about where the money is going complete with pictures of once-sick and now healthy school children smiling from ear to ear. Check it out. I dare you to resist those little faces. So go shopping. This time it's totally justified.
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