'Red' - Bono, Gap and Armani

[jun3machina]

If you look at things that way, then I'm more than sure that there is no company out there that runs its business 100% ethically. You can't fault a company for trying to do good. You say that it is an "inhumane marketing practice", but how else would this get people's attention? It isn't as if people weren't aware of the situation in the first place...Yes, it is sad that it takes celebrities and clothing to make people do something, but that is the reality of the world we live in today. As for saying the clothes will be made by underage children, do you have any solid information, that is recent, to back that up?

We can't fault these actors for promoting something that in the end, does more good than harm. Yes, they make millions and could support entire nations, but then does that mean we get off scot free, because they have millions? No, everyone should do their part, and these brands coming together is only another effective way to raise awareness and money.

it's very true that probably most clothes are manufactured inproperly and against all sorts of code violations. i fault GAP and NIKE and so many brands for what you call "trying to do good" because they run the brands. i'm not going to start referances investigations and such that GAP has been under for it's violations. Im not going to start an angry rant either.

the way i see it, these companies, who are worth billions, have the ability to set an example, not only in the business sense, but to inform it's consumers as well and change the marketplace that way. Gap owns a lot more brands than just GAP, (old navy, banana republic, etc) All of these are major brands in the clothing industry, and think if they could just change their manufacturing practises, how it would create a real domino affect for change.

what digusts me about a lot of this is that the companies and celebs create an easy way out to "help" people. they create a trend, and all trends are short lived. They would rather create a demand for people who are ignorant in the knowledge of how things operate in the manufacturing process. they make these people think they are helping out, by BUYING into something someone tells them will help people. rather than making a concerted effort to educate to change peoples lifestyles and ways of thinking, they put this idea into people heads and underestimate their intelligence. "people have aids" " we need to help them." "aids= africa" BUY BUY BUY.

it goes along the old saying of "“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”. you can give the consumer a trend to buy into to help fight aids. this still leaves them ignorant to many facts about the disease itself, how to help these people in other ways, etc. if you educate the populace about the disease, educate them on ways they can help on a regular basis, except for the special release of limited edition red shirts, you can create change. change through education and knowledge, and that can be passed on and creates awareness, instead of trends out of charity. you'd be surprised how many people aren't even aware of where and how the shirt they are wearing is made.

i agree with you lostinNJ, that it is sad that this is how the human race generally operates now-a-days. i just think that there are more ways to create REAL change than something like an easy way out and publicity stunt like this, making aid's charity a trend rather than what it should be.

 

[shoefanatic]

We are all responsible for what we give back to the world. I refuse to knock anyone, celebrity or not, corporation or not, on how they choose to contribute. If its legal and fair, I am all for it. I don't support every cause out there financially but I support the ones I can and choose to - everyone should. No one is obligated to buy red but we should all do something.

 

[Kimkhuu]

I agree. I don't see how this is campaign is doing HARM? It IS better than nothing. Not only is it raising money, but is is raising AWARENESS... and I think that's the first step. I just don't understand how this campaign could be a negative one...?

Erin, I do understand your point.

However, the reality is not as simple and merry as they make us believe: the thing is they are not raising awareness, but ignorance, trying to fool us into believing how good these companies are.....

It's a marketing ploy.

If brands like Nike or Gap really wanted to make a difference, they would have RADICALLY changed their way of treating their employees in third world countries. But they are not doing that, are they?

On one hand, they're playing up the nice ethical, human caring image, and on the other hand, they're exploiting children in third world countries, having people work for peanuts and offering them inhumane working conditions.

I don't see any thing good or fashionable or "sexy" (as Bono would say) about this.

 

[Kimkhuu]

From the BBC:
Thursday, 26 January 2006

The rock star Bono has launched a new global brand, Product Red, with a

share of profits to go to the fight against Aids in Africa.

Of course it does not mention where the other share goes.....

A few quotes from "the man" himself:

"I'm confident that President Bush has a real feeling for the AIDS pandemic. Essentially, what we're asking for is a kind of Marshall Plan for Africa."

"You have worked your *** off for this. For four years you've been buying, trading, and selling, everything you've got in this marketplace of ideas. The intellectual hustle. Your pockets are full, even if your parents' are empty, and now you've got to figure out what to spend it on."

"Every age has its massive moral blind spots. We might not see them, but our children will. Slavery was one of them and the people who best served that age were the ones who called it as it was--which was ungodly and inhuman."

"I'm very secure with the fact that I'm not black. I'm white, pink and rosy. But I've got soul."

Bono is a self centered, profit obsessed, egocentric clown.

 

[Lovin_It]

I am a massive fan of the (red) products. I live in the Uk and have had my Amex card for about 9 months. I think the reality is, that we could all do more for good causes but ut us easy to forget about doing so when stumbling from crisis to crisis in everyday life.

I see it as a massive step forward and if it catches on in a big way who knows where the idea of ethucal buying will end - Oxfam having their OWN credit card (from which ALL the profits go to the cause), TheGlobalFund owning a chain of restaurantes? I suppose my ideas might be (at this stage at least) fanciful but I do see business and charity being a good combination and a step forward.

For those interested in "Ethical" companies check this site out.......

http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org/

In the meatime PLEASE participate and PLEASE encourage others to do so, it might just cure AIDS (man I would love that!)

 

[Diorling]

Bono is such a moron. Ive never liked him.

BUSH HAS A FEELING FOR THE AIDS PANDEMIC!?!?! HE IS NUTS!?! Bush couldn't care less!!!

 

[Lena]

^ correct..

but please, lets try to keep this discussion from turning political
lets see this from the socio/marketing point of view

like kimkhuu said, this is a marketing plan and make sure we will see much more of this happening in the next few seasons
'ethical consuming' has been presented as the most developing 'niche' trend to the industrialists and i'm sure it will be exploited as such

still from my point of view, the end justifies the means
its just that i refuse to take the Bono as 'Jesus' pill..

on another note, the red gap products they look ok, some actually (like the khaki jacket) look fine to me

 

[darkintragedy]

Are the jackets unisex, that is what a SA told me. I think that as long as the labor is fair what does it hurt. Hopefully, Bono is putting his money where his mouth is though. However I don't need to know how much he donates of his own money. I don't like people to tell me how to spend mine so I can't tell someone how to spend theirs. I do like the concept.

The jackets are indeed unisex, but if you look at it online, it's listed in the womens section and not the mens.

As for the ethical treatment of workers, and what companies are/aren't doing about it, remember that change occurs in steps. While this may not be the change in labor everyone was hoping for, it is a step in the right direction. All of the their african made tees have been made in safe working conditions and under fair wages.

 

[vintagegurl]

What bothers me is that the products are labelled visibly as being part of this initiative... So really you're prancing around showing everyone supposedly how generous you are... for giving 5$... That's not very gracious. I would prefer if it were not so much looking like an advertisement.
Then again maybe not all product are clearly labelled "RED"...

 

[vintagegurl]

Yep, not all products have a big "REd" on it, so I guess that's one less thing to worry about... looking like a big poseur

 

[La Bellabello]

If you have My space you can promote red by "be friends with them" and you can get red banner, skin, descop,icons ect...

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=73523354

 

[djork]

i work at emporio armani and we've had the (red) products for months and they just sat there. all of the sudden, thanks to oprah, we were getting calls nonstop. we sold out of the watches days ago and now have a waiting list for when we get our next shipment in december. we only have two pairs of the glasses left and are still waiting on the tshirts (which has a list going as well). i hope the hype doesnt die anytime soon. haha.

 

[JuiceMajor]

I like the new iPod nano Red and would definitely get one myself. Definitely a good marketing strategy but on the other hand its not entirely a selfish act.

 

[jun3machina]

i work at emporio armani and we've had the (red) products for months and they just sat there. all of the sudden, thanks to oprah, we were getting calls nonstop. we sold out of the watches days ago and now have a waiting list for when we get our next shipment in december. we only have two pairs of the glasses left and are still waiting on the tshirts (which has a list going as well). i hope the hype doesnt die anytime soon. haha.

just shows where peoples hearts and minds are, and when the TV and media tells them who and what to throw their money at. i dont mean to start an argument here or anything, but everyone goes through sex education here in the states, everyone knows what aids is and that aids kills, and that there are foundations a'bound that you can donate moeny and time to in order to help the fight against the epidemic, but people dont start throwing their money around until someone like oprah have it on their show, and then the wave hits.....moral or immoral; justified or not.

i do agree that things need to be done in steps, but i dont personally see this in the right direction. i wonder if bush will go and buy a gap tee.....i'd LMAO! that would be the epitamy of this whole thing.

 

[ingvildel]

I want the red Motorola razr

 

[Anastasia]

Erin, I do understand your point.

However, the reality is not as simple and merry as they make us believe: the thing is they are not raising awareness, but ignorance, trying to fool us into believing how good these companies are.....

It's a marketing ploy.

If brands like Nike or Gap really wanted to make a difference, they would have RADICALLY changed their way of treating their employees in third world countries. But they are not doing that, are they?

On one hand, they're playing up the nice ethical, human caring image, and on the other hand, they're exploiting children in third world countries, having people work for peanuts and offering them inhumane working conditions.

I don't see any thing good or fashionable or "sexy" (as Bono would say) about this.

I'm most suspicious of the wording about 50% of the net profit. That sent off all kinds of warning bells. With accounting tricks and whatnot, most companies, movie studios, etc, work very very hard to not show any net profit whatsoever for any reason. "Net profit" almost doesn't exist, because they want it that way. If they're "officially" in the red, no pun intended, it's a really super tax break. What you want them to be taking it out of is the gross profit. I'd be surprised if .2 of each product were actually going to Africa.

I don't think Bono and Oprah are cackling evilly as they try to milk money from the eager to do good yet celeb-struck masses, but they are being very misleading, in my opinion. I'm going to ignore the whole thing, and keep on giving money directly, and privately. More will actually get to the people who need it, and I won't be stuck with things in a color I dislike.

As for the broader argument of rich celebs exhorting 'regular' people to give - I think we're all called to give, whether in time or money, to the best of our own abilities. I actually agree with Rosie O'Donnell, who's starting a 'Millionaire Moms Club' to raise funds for charity, and only extolling the rich to give. When asked why she wasn't going after the average Jane, like it seems everyone else in Hollywood does, she said something about hating it when people who have a lot make those that have less feel guilty about not giving some of that away, while considering just their time and public face (trying to get someone who works for minimum wage to give it up) as their charitable contribution to the world.

 

[Diorling]

The Red Razr is now available! Yay...

Well, right now it's only available for US Cellular and Sprint service...Ugh...

 

[sullen_femme]

Am I the only one that thinks its a little weird that Bono is endorsing Gap when he is so outspoken about fair labor and even had a line of jeans with his wife based on that value.

 

[sullen_femme]

Okay I just read further and I see that other people are noticing the discrepancy too. Thankfully

 

[fashionista-ta]

Did anybody watch Oprah? Together her and Bono launched the line Red on Thursday... I really love the Gap and Armani t-shirts...

Is anybody else thinking of purchasing?

I was definitely thinking of it ... but I can't find the shirt I wanted to buy in my size, and they don't seem to be getting any more of it in ... it's just a small table's worth that they keep moving around the store The ads seem to be far more profuse than the merchandise

There's this red T that has GAP appliqued in distressed denim that's really cute. But the store that's most convenient for me only has it in S & M. That sounds fine, I can normally wear a M, but I'm telling you they look like children's sizes--the neck hole looks like it wouldn't accommodate my head. Normally I'm worried about the fit across the chest, but doesn't look like I could even get far enough to find out

So unfortunately so far GAP/Red seems like marketing BS to me