Last weekend, I saw the local Gap store had a number of advertisements for its "Red" product line. Red was launched in 2006 to help fight HIV in Africa.
I've read where articles which are critical of the Red effort. They believe that companies are using the Red idea to help increase sales and build their company image.
My thought is: who cares? It really doesn't matter why a company engages in charitable efforts, as long as they do it. Whether it's to boost sales or its true social responsibility, the bottom line is that money gets raised for charity.
So far Red has raised over $45 million, so I would say the campaign has been successful. How great would it be if more companies created charitable product lines? This isn't communism, companies shouldn't be forced to give back. But a company that is doing well should be encouraged (prodded?) to give back to the community.
