I'm always excited to see innovative charity campaigns, and was excited to see the hype around the (RED) campaign. (RED), launched by Bono and Bobby Shriver was a campaign that could both benefit retailers and the RED charity itself. The campaign included a massive marketing push from companies like Nike, Armani, GAP, American Express, and Apple. However, after all that hype the charity has reported raising only $11 million... A figure that's certainly less that the ad budget put into the campaign.
We posted a number of cool (RED) products, but I suppose that either none of them have taken off or the cut for the charity isn't enough. Here were our top (RED) articles: iPod RED is the New White, GAP RED for the Holiday Season, Motorola RED for Chairty and American Express RED Platinum Card.
Our friend Piers Fawkes from PSFK puts it best, "all the marketing activity behind RED made you aware of the brand, not the underlying message of plight in Africa. If the combined marketing activity raised only $11 million and no one has been left better educated about African concerns, wouldn't it have been better to have just redirected the ad budget straight into the charity?"
The (RED) charity still appears to be rolling, so lets hope that by next year we can use a different title than (RED) Failure. The merger of big business and branded charities is a trend we'd certainly love to see take off.
RED Failure
Massive Hype for (RED) Products Yields Only $11 Million?
Trend Themes
1. Branded Charity Campaigns - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Find creative ways to make consumers more aware of the underlying message of the cause, rather than just the brand.
2. Merging Business and Charities - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore new ways to create mutually beneficial partnerships between big businesses and charities that can generate significant funds for important causes.
3. Impact of Marketing Activities - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop marketing strategies that not only raise funds but also educate the public about the social issues the charity aims to address.
Industry Implications
1. Retail - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Introduce innovative ways for retailers to promote and sell branded charity products to maximize the impact.
2. Technology - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create innovative tech-driven solutions to facilitate seamless fundraising and donation processes for charities.
3. Finance - Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop financial products and services that directly contribute to charities and offer rewards to customers.