We’re all familiar with the little red aids lapel ribbons, but now Bono has extended the concept into mobile phones with the launch of his RED initiative in the UK.
The idea is that Motorola are launching a special red version of their SLVR mobile, across all four UK GSM networks and will retail it via the unusual suspects, such as Carphone Warehouse and Tesco. A proportion of the revenue from both handset sales and calls then go towards the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Details at the moment are sketchy, with the big announcement expected later today. However, this seems to be a major initiative from the mobile industry.
While I welcome the concept of the giant mobile players ploughing some profits back into good causes, I’m not sure about the execution of this idea. For a start, the Moto SLVR is a pretty so-so phone as plenty of reviews at launch were at pains to point out. And in the UK, Moto isn’t nearly as important a brand as it is in the US - the RAZR is only the number 3 handset, selling about 50% of the volume of brand leader, Nokia’s 6230, according to M:Metrics.
So will people be prepared to compromise their phone’s performance for the sake of supporting a charity, no matter how worthy?
I suspect that for most of us, our choice of phone is just too important and central to our lives to start making sacrifices like this. Sure, we’ll wear a lapel badge or donate our money to the Global Fund. But be palmed off with a phone we almost certainly wouldn’t normally consider? Sadly, I don’t think so.
Yeah I think you’re absolutely right Russell. I don’t see this going anywhere
The switching costs are really quite high for most users particularly when they’ve got used to one menu structure or operating system. It’s slightly easier when, at the end of your contract, your network operator is offering you a free Nokia, a free Samsung or a free Sony Ericsson. It depends; look at the success of the pink phones! If the red SLVR is funky enough, the concept could make some headway.
Russell have to say that I to am unlikely to downgrade from my 3G handset to SLVR.
However having seen the launch on the evening news, see http://www.channel4.com/news/special-reports/special-reports-storypage.jsp?id=2368, some of the features on the contract are interesting. The trust gets 5% of all calls for life.
As a former Motorola employee I guess that I cannot get excited by the its work in the Africa which has probably been the driver on this aids deal. I am just glade its not PINK!
It got a lot of press and I suspect that was the point. It was about raising awareness, of which this is part. I hope it is successful enough for them, but Ian’s right, why would you downgrade your phone?
Having said that, if it were pink, Darla (http://www.darlamack.com) would definitely want one!