(LESS) Campaign: Donate Without Consuming - Josh Spear, Trendspotting

(LESS) Campaign: Donate Without Consuming

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate how big corporations like Gap are turing sales into helpful donations to great causes through the (RED) campaign; I think (RED) has been successful from a wide-spread outreach standpoint. But I also really appreciate the response to the (RED) campaign by the (LESS) campaign. (LESS) is a collaboration between Romantic Static and Words Pictures Ideas that allows you to donate to great charities with out buying stuff from a major corporation. Launched only yesterday, (LESS) is already starting to get some great donations flowing through their system. If you don’t view shopping as a solution to human suffering, (LESS) may be more for your donation efforts.

Tags: Activism, charities, Life

benjamin

Wednesday, 02.28.07 @ 3:28 am

but isn’t it that the (RED)-products aren’t more expensive - or in other words: the company donates the money when you buy a (RED) product and not the customer?

if i had the choice to go and buy a nano (e.g.) and afterwards donate to the (LESS)-campaign or just to buy a (RED)-nano where donating is included, i’d choose to buy (RED).

don’t get me wrong: donating is good - but donating and getting a product at the same price as the product is better…

Mtheory	Wednesday, 02.28.07 @ 12:56 pm
If social movements are revolutions upon revolutions then wouldn’t that make RED necessary for these rabble rousers to make their statement?

carly	Wednesday, 02.28.07 @ 3:20 pm
i agree with benjamin…and as someone who has already been a frequent supporter of the (RED) campaign…i was out shopping wanted a new hoodie so i thought why not buy the (RED) one as opposed to the other plain zip up hoodie that looks exactly like it…it gets people who probably werent planning on donating at all to possibly donate some

Angela

Friday, 03.02.07 @ 4:06 pm

I understand the rhetoric behind the (LESS) Campaign. However, Gap’s RED products are made with 100% African cotton, providing support for African industry, African farmers, and African farmworkers. Stimulating African nations’ abysmal economies is essential to long-term strategies for not only economic growth, but truly transforming the quality of life for African nations’ citizens. When a consumer picks up a RED t-shirt, they not only support the Global Fund, but African nations’ economies, workers, and communities. It is point(LESS) to not consider the broader macro-economic benefits of such an initiative.