Santa Monica City Councilmember Bobby Shriver was honored this week as 2007 Advertising Person of the Year at the Metropolitan Club in New York. His (RED) marketing initiative, which he founded in 2006 with U2 lead singer Bono, marries the private sector with the buying power of the public to generate a sustainable flow of funds towards the fight to eliminate AIDS in Africa. (Santa Monica Mirror, October 19-25, 2006.)
The industry award was presented by the Advertising Club to Shriver on Monday, September 24. Special guest Caroline Kennedy bestowed a scholarship in Shriver’s name to a deserving undergraduate student pursuing a career in advertising.
(RED) (joinred.com) engages the world’s top brands in creating and marketing (PRODUCT) RED branded products that are designed to raise awareness and generate funds for the fight against AIDS in Africa. (PRODUCT) RED partners – American Express (UK only), Emporio Armani, The GAP, Converse, Motorola, and Apple – send up to 50 percent of the profits from their (PRODUCT) RED collections to the Global Fund (theglobalfund.org) to invest in African AIDS programs with a focus on women and children.
In its first year, (RED) has become one of the most well-known marketing efforts of its kind. (PRODUCT) RED items have generated more than $45 million for the Global Fund. More than $30 million of this is already invested in AIDS programs in Swaziland, Rwanda, and Ghana. To date, these programs have helped put more than 30,000 people on antiretroviral treatment and have provided more than 300,000 HIV- positive pregnant women with the counseling and treatment they need to ensure their babies are born without HIV.
”While it is in my name, this award truly honors the outstanding work of our partners. First, they partnered with (RED) when it was just an idea, and second they put their most brilliant minds to work for the world’s poorest people,” said Shriver. “Our shared success is due to their investment and to the hundreds of thousands of consumers who have chosen (RED).”
