(RED) joins Starbucks for Christmas campaign

Starbucks has entered into a partnership with (RED), the global organisation that funds AIDS programmes in Africa, that will see the introduction of the (Starbucks) RED Card and tumbler into UK outlets.

Starbucks: Charity tie-up
Starbucks: Charity tie-up

Starbucks will donate £3 from every (RED) tumbler sold and 5p every time a customer uses a (RED) card, which is the latest phase in the chain’s reward card programme that launched in April last year.

The UK initiative launched on Wednesday (4 November) – together with Starbucks’ Christmas campaign – and is an extension of the chain’s global partnership with (RED), which launched in the US and Canada last year.

It will be marketed extensively in store, with Starbucks’ 9,500 UK employees wearing red aprons rather than the chain’s iconic green, and supported by press, radio and digital activity including social media and a PR campaign.

Brian Waring, Starbucks UK marketing director, told Marketing Week: “(RED) is a critical part of our Christmas campaign, which will enable our customers to make a difference. This initiative is part of our brand values and our commitment to do business in a responsible way.”
He adds that the collaboration is an opportunity for Starbucks to use its size to “invest in the health and wellbeing of the communities that grow its coffee”.

(RED) has previously formed partnerships with Apple, Converse and Dell to create limited edition products and donate a percentage of the revenue to fund programmes in Africa that provide support and medicine for people affected by HIV.