Bono's Red Makes a Splash

NEW YORK The first work by Modernista! for Bono and Bobby Shriver's socially conscious Red initiative asks consumers to "upgrade" their purchasing decisions this holiday shopping season.VH1 today turns its logo red for 24 hours and occasionally adds a red wash over its content as a precursor to a media roadblock at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving that, according to the client, will include a 90-second commercial explaining the concept of Red across several MTV properties.The ad explains the Red mission, how it works to help buy and distribute anti-viral medications to AIDS victims in Africa, and urges consumers to "Choose Red." It features portraits of everyday people reciting the manifesto, which also appears on the Red Web site. The voices overlap throughout the spot, with Bono's voice fading in and out—as do splashes of the color red.The spot does not specifically mention Red's brand partners, such as American Express, Converse, Gap and Motorola, but informs viewers that they have a choice with Red credit cards, phones, shoes and fashion brands."As first-world consumers, we have tremendous power," they recite. "What we collectively choose to buy or not to buy can change the course of life and history on this planet.""We didn't want it to feel like a typical PSA," explained Gary Koepke, co-founder and executive creative director of Modernista! in Boston, who also directed the spot. "We wanted it to be the voice of many. We wanted it to be a movement."Additional 5-, 10- and 15-second commercials will urge viewers to join Red with graphics-heavy type spots highlighting facts about AIDS in Africa and asking consumers to participate with lines such as "Spend and destroy" and "Be a good-looking Samaritan." The campaign also includes print, online, out-of-home and wild postings.While the communications effort surrounding the launch of Red products, including Bono's appearance on Oprah last month and a print campaign from Gap, made an initial splash, the organization wanted to tell a more in-depth story about the brand to help generate sales for the holiday season, said Julie Cordua, vice president of marketing at Red in Los Angeles."It's all about being an insurgent, breakthrough brand that people discover, latch onto and make part of their decision making and identity as consumers," she said.This week's goal is to make this Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year, often referred to as Black Friday, a "Red Friday" instead, Cordua added. "We want people to go out and know that they can save lives on Red Friday," she said.On Thanksgiving, Red will also take over MySpace.com, which will turn its home page red and run banners and the videos on the site. According to Cordua, Red already has 500,000 friends on the site.Modernista! won the U.S. branding assignment for Red last summer after a pitch against a number of undisclosed shops, said Cordua. "Marketing, capitalism has lost its way," said Koepke. "It's a positive way to show Americans and anybody around the world that they can make choices that help other people while maintaining their own consumer habits. It's a great idea and something that [people] can really get behind on a day-to-day basis."

Brand Marketing

Bono's Red Makes a Splash

Eleftheria Parpis

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Eleftheria Parpis