Ethics of Product Red
Kevin Raby March 13 Ethics of Product (Red) Bono, American Express, Gap, Global Fund MGT 3031 C Introduction Product Red is a business model that uses the marketing and sales efforts of established and dominant bands to raise funds. It is an initiative founded by U2s lead singer Bono and Bobby Shriver from DATA. It is a brand and logo that is licenses to partner companies such as Gap, converse, Starbucks and American Express. These partner companies create products incorporating the Product Red logo and a portion of the sales of these products are donated to the Global Fund. The mission of this fund is to raise money for the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in Africa. Product Red was launched in January 2006 and has received praise and critics from many different stakeholders (About (Red), 2006). Many individuals feel that this model is very beneficial for a number of reasons. First, the global fund is contributing to an important cause. On average, 6500 Africans die of these diseases every day. The global fund is providing two-thirds of the global financing to this cause in Africa.