Coca-Cola backs (RED) charity with $5m marketing commitment
Coca-Cola is lending its marketing weight to the (RED) charity initiative that raises funds and awareness to help eradicate HIV and AIDS.
The soft drinks company is backing the initiative with a multi-year financial commitment of more than $5m (£3.2m), which will go towards funding marketing awareness campaigns activated through Coca-Cola’s global music programmes.
Coca-Cola will also donate a minimum of $3m (£1.9m) to The Global Fund charity as part of the $5m commitment, which will go towards purchasing anti-retroviral medicine and distribute literature to raise awareness of HIV and AIDS.
It is hoped the partnership will help benefit the Global Fund’s aim to have an AIDS-free generation by 2015.
Coca-Cola already partners with The Global Fund in Africa, leveraging the drink manufacturer’s logistical insights to help improve access to critical medicines.
World AIDS Day took place yesterday (1 December), backed by global brands including Apple, Nike, Converse and Gap, which all created limited edition (RED) products to help raise funds for the charity.
A panel debate about “the beginning of the end of AIDS” featuring Barack Obama, former US presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton and U2 frontman Bono, streamed live on YouTube to build the profile of the event.
