Mars strikes partnership with (RED) to make ‘real impact’ on HIV awareness
Mars is uniting with HIV charity (RED) to spearhead an awareness drive to help prevent the transmission of the disease from mothers to their babies.
Video: Mars “Make Lives Better” advert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN-vYB0qU5o?list=UUipmr-of3MoU3NVbKdM-pZA
The tie-up starts today (2 September) and uses Mars’ Galaxy, its biggest chocolate brand, to front the “Make Lives Better” campaign.
A donation of 5p will be made (RED)-supported aids programmes in Africa every time special edition packs are purchased, while celebrities Alesha Dixon, Mollie King and Olympian Victoria Pendleton each have their own personalised packaging. The women will also appear in content produced from their visit to Ghana earlier this year to see how the Global Fund to fight aids projects are helping mothers and their newborns.
Fiona Dawson, president of Mars Chocolate UK, says the business hopes the push make a “very real impact” on the ground in Africa.
“As a mother as well as a businesswoman I’m very proud to today announce this partnership with (RED). It’s another step in Mars’ efforts to use our scale and the power of our brands to make lasting positive impacts at home and overseas. It builds on our ongoing work to help socially and economically empower African women”, she adds.
Mars is donating £750,000 to the Global Fund and hopes the (RED) union raises enough funds to provide more than three million days of medication.
Mars becomes the latest company to back the charity’s HIV awareness initiatives. Coca-Cola, Starbucks, Belvedere and Beats have all launched co-branded campaigns in the past to help (RED’s) fundraising efforts.
