Campaign

THIS BLOG HAS TURNED (RED)

Friday night.

(RED) take Robert to see U2 at Wembley Stadium. Bono and the band keep 90,000 people on their feet for nearly two and a half hours. Not bad for a bunch of guys who are fast approaching fifty!

But we're not here to blog about Robert's social life. We're here to blog about (RED) www.joinred.com

(RED) is now run outside the USA by a remarkable guy called Seb Bishop. Robert first met Seb when he worked at RKCR as an art director, but since then, Seb's gone onto far, far greater things.

To date (RED) have been highly successful in the USA, but arguably lower profile outside the USA. It's Seb's job to take (RED) to the next level in the UK, and internationally.

So just for the record, this is how  (RED) works. And what (RED) has achieved since Bono and Bobby Shriver launched it at Davos in 2006...

1) (RED) is a brand. It is funded by other brands. (RED)'s role is to engage the private sector in the fight against HIV/Aids in Sub Saharan Africa.

2) Other brands pay (RED) a fee to licence the (RED) brand.

3) Other brands then launch (RED) branded products. eg The (RED) ipod. And the (RED) Amex.

4) A significant percentage of profits from those products then goes direct to the global fund to fight aids. The money goes direct to the 'front line.' None of the money is wasted on overhead. This is an unusually efficient way to get the money direct to where it can make the biggest difference.

5) Apple, Converse, Armani, American Express, Dell, Microsoft, Hallmark, Gap have all 'turned (RED).' In fact, (RED) now has hundreds of (RED) products selling in over 60 countries around the world. And there are more in the pipeline.

6) (RED) has raised over $130 million to date through the sale of (RED) branded products and services.

7) (RED) money has touched over 4million Africans, and currently supports over 117,000 people on daily ARV's (anti retro viral drugs).

8) (RED) has provided over 70,000 HIV positive pregnant women with preventative antiretroviral therapy. This therapy significantly reduces the risk of mother-to-child transmission.

We think even the most cynical would agree that (RED)'s achivements to date are significant.

So why are we telling you this?

Firstly, because we think ideas like (RED) are the future. Brands that fail to put social good at their hearts are going to struggle. Consumers are going to demand the brands they buy add social value, as well as washing their whites whiter.

Secondly, because Campbell Lace (BETA) would like to play our part in helping the (RED) go onto even greater things.

Bono, Bobby Shriver and the guys at (RED) have had a brilliant idea, from which everyone benefits. The consumer. Brands. And most of all, those in Africa afflicted with HIV.

As an industry we'd be crazy not to embrace (RED).

CONGRATULATIONS TO STEVE HENRY AND ALBION.

We're delighted to see our great friend and fellow blogger Steve Henry has taken up a non exec post at Albion.

Steve joins Mandy Pooler on Albion's board. Mandy is a dear friend of ours too. Not to mention one of the greatest names in media.  Years ago when Mandy and Robert  both worked at WPP, we did joint speeches at conferences on the future of media. It seems so long ago now.

Anyway, according to Albion's press release, 'Steve's role will be to mentor Albion’s creative director Nick Darken and his team and help take the agency’s creative output to a new level.' Excellent.

It's great to see Steve getting back involved and rolling his sleeves up. There is no greater talent than Steve.

However, it seems we've upset Albion recently. Something we said. And for that we're sorry.

Consequently they've been twittering away about what a couple of old plonkers Garry and I are. Someone's even opened a fake twitter account in our name and is  sending abusive tweets. (Obviously we can't be sure that's Albion, but understandably we have our suspicions.)

In normal circumstances we wouldn't give a monkey's what Albion said about us. We're big enough, and ugly enough.  But as two of our best mates are on their board, it would be a shame for there to be bad blood.

Perhaps once you've got your feet under the desk Steve, you'd like to bring the guys at Albion over to one of our bloggers' breakfasts.

You never know, they might even find they like us.

LET BETA HYPE SKYPE...

For the first time in our short but incredibly enjoyable history, we are going to use our blog to unashamedly get something off our chest.  At the same time, hopefully, we'll make it onto the radar of one of the most, if not the most, brilliant technological innovations of the last 2000 years. Skype.

Hands up anyone who knows what Skype is? Hands up anyone who knows how Skype works? Hands up anyone who knows how Skype charge you? Hands up anyone who has ever used Skype?

We ask because we believe passionately from the bottom of our Skypelorn hearts that Skype is one of the great untold stories of our generation.

In amongst the Facebooks and Twitters of this world, if anyone had told us five years ago that you would be able to make telephone calls to anybody from anywhere in the world and not be charged for them, while at the same time being able to see their lovely shiny happy face on a computer screen, we would have thought that they were having a laugh.

Well they weren’t, because Skype exists. It’s brilliant but nobody knows what it is or how to use it. Why is that ?

SEE NO SKYPE? SPEAK NO SKYPE? HEAR NO SKYPE?

The overwhelming conclusion we draw is that Skype has consistently and religiously worked with communications agencies that have failed to define one of  the best customer propositions we’ve ever encountered.

Millions, no, maybe billions of people are gagging for Skype. Its just that they don't know it. Skype needs to happen and we’d like to help. We think your product is the best in the world and we’d like you to call us.

Our telephone number is 0207 734 2949 and that is the direct line of one of the founding partners of an agency that is only three months old but desperate, yes desperate, to work with you. Please call.

BLOGGERS BREAKFAST PHOTOS!

We had a fabulous bloggers breakfast. About 20 people turned up. It was fun. Here's what bloggers look like in the real world...

The Basildon Blogger and Colin Marrs - editor of Campaign Live.

Garry, Lol, Nat and Mark Treefrog.

Rupert and Manu.

A selection of bloggers.

Laura (the Basildon Blogerette) and Sarah.

And a  banana left by Banana Man who, sadly, could not make it.

Thank you all of you for coming. It was great to meet you. Keep on blogging!

ITS BREAKFAST TIME!

Enough of using this blog to terrorise huge corporations.

And thanks to both Darren from BT and Matt from Vodafone for being so on the case and doing their best to sort out our telecommunications problems. 

Today is a great day in the history of Campbell Lace Beta. For today is the first - and hopefully not the last - Beta Blog Breakfast.

There will be bacon butties, croissants, RED BULL and sparkling conversation. And a chance for us to meet and thank  the folks who have helped our blog become one of the most influential blogs on the planet. (A little overclaim there maybe, but what do you expect? It's our job.)

p.s.  A big thank you to RED BULL, for sending us, unsolicited, enough RED BULL to awaken the dead. By way of thanks we would like to make RED BULL the official sponsors of the Beta Blog Breakfast - Sponsored by RED BULL. Any one else who would like to send us excellent free stuff will be similarly deified.

Deliveries to Campbell Lace Red Bull (Beta) 36 - 38 Carnaby Street, London, W1F 7DR.

Vodafone. The power of NO!

Robert's Blackberry died when he was in NY. So today - Sunday - he's spent a joyless couple of hours at Vodafone in Whiteley's trying to get it fixed.

Its going to take two weeks, and Vodafone's fixers are going to wipe all the data off it as a matter of course. Brilliant! Just what you need when you're starting a new company.

Meanwhile, instead of lending Robert another Blackberry, Vodafone will only supply him with a 'courtesy' (discourtesy?) phone which has all the funtionality of a banana.

Now anyone knows that taking a Blackberry away from a Blackberry addict is not a good idea. But to replace it with a banana!

Come on Vodafone and Blackberry. Don't treat your customers - as David Cameron would say - like twats.

 P.S. If there's anyone out there who's had  problems with their Blackberry 'Storm' we'd love to hear.