(Red)

I just went to the official Product (Red) page to see what all the hullabaloo was about.

Initially, it seems like a good idea. Buy some products, help with the aids effort, feel good about yourself. I was intrigued and almost "bought" into the idea. Luckily, I decided to take a look at just how much my purchases could really help.

They have a calculator on their site so you can enter what products you've purchased and see what sort of impact you've made. I entered that I bought three Motorola phones, two Vanity Fair CDs and one Hallmark tote bag (lies, all lies). After all my "purchases", I saw that only one month of ARV medication would be supplied.

Here's the thing - if you are in need of a new cell phone, by all means purchase a (Red) product. If you're in the market for a new jacket, why not consider the one from Gap's (Red) line? Since you're going to buy a product, you might as well choose the one that's going to give a SMALL amount towards a good cause.

However, don't think that your purchases are going to make a significant impact and thus be persuaded to make a purchasing choice you wouldn't have otherwise made. If you really want to make an impact, don't buy that red t-shirt that you don't really need for $25. Why not just give the $25 to charity in the first place?

It's a good idea in theory, and while I'm glad to see that there is some good to come out of consumerism I think/fear that many people will make pointless purchases in order to achieve the warm fuzzy "I'm a good person" feeling, rather than sending their money directly to a truly good cause.