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	Which (RED) are you? It is easy to be cynical, but one thing I admire about Bono and Bobby Shriver's Product(RED) initiative is that it does not shy away from aligning western materialism with African poverty. Think about that for one moment. We are talking about the grotesque disparity between the global "haves" and the "have nots". There is something brave, brazen and smart (or maybe shallow...) in (RED) targeting the western obsession for the latest "must have" designs and products - diverting portions of that insatiable greed into a worthy cause. If you cannot beat them, pick their pockets and leave them with a self-satisfied smile on their face. The psychology is flawless. You and I have never had it so good. So what we do we find? That our consciences walk around on our shoulders, making an ever louder din of protest as we go about our daily business (consuming, shopping, over indulging). What better than a - nicely branded, thank you, ker-ching - item that screams "I Give Something Back To Africa!!" Or less cynically : people want to find some degree of balance in their affluence and their philanthropic nature. You cannot stop people wanting to spend money on nice things. But you can give them a choice, a rare option in the high street, to buy something more rewarding than a mere piece of plastic or fabric. (RED) is typical of Bono's approach - working with systems rather than forlornly hoping to dismantle them before the real work can start. Just see his relationship with Bush and Blair - inoffensive (in public) but, it is said, quietly effective. By this point I probably sound like I am damning the project with faint praise. Not my intention. In fact my main frustration is that here in the UK I am really struggling to get hold of a nice Gap (RED) t-shirt for men (plenty for women - are they first in the queue?) But you cannot deny that there is a certain irony in the "high class" bling that is being added to the (RED) roster: Motorola mobile phones Apple iPods Emporio Armani clothes and accessories Gap clothes and accessories Converse shoes Stock up on the whole range and you pretty much capture the Anglo-American commercial wet dream! I really hope it does well. I hope others follow the lead. It is still early days. The latest stories seem to suggest it has not taken off as well as expected, and there continues to be some suspicion about its true effectiveness in tackling the mother of all social justice issues. Campaigns like this either tend to be a slow burn or an overnight sensation. If, as seems likely, this is burning a little too slowly to be making a difference then Bono is an astute businessman with all the right connections (press, celebrity, charities, commerce, Africa) to give (RED) a highly public "leg up" with all the right endorsements should that prove necessary. And he has a few quid of his own if he chooses to make (RED) one of his own personal priorities (with his wife actively involved you would hope so). I'll certainly be getting at least one of these (RED) products in the next few weeks and feeling pretty damn good about it. Just cannot decide whether I am INSPI(RED), DESI(RED), DISCOVE(RED) or EMPOWE(RED)... This blog post lovingly iMaginee(RED) by R.J. Read more: > The official Join (RED) campaign site > The Gap (RED) site > Apple Product (RED) iTunes gift voucher > Apple Product (RED) iPod Nano Red > Robert Preston, BBC blog, "Shopping and donating are different" > Advertising Age coverage, "Costly Red Campaign Reaps Meager $18 Million"

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