Bono Recounts Fight With Steve Jobs Over (Product) RED Branding, Urges Apple to Do More

[Stephen123]

Bono is simply in error. Part of the Product Red strategy is the careful uniformity of the color. This is part of their overall plan. So a product like an iPod can clearly announce it’s relationship to the charity without the use of a logo. That was even the original idea in the name. Product Red products are not just any red, they’re THAT red. And it’s a good strategy because people don’t want the logo on luxury products (Apple or other brands) but easily accept the color.

 

[ProVideo]

Bono wants everything to be covered in obnoxiously visible Product Red logos so people are reminded of how glorious the almighty Saint Bono is all day, everyday.

 

[Woyzeck]

Companies are not obliged to donate their money to the poor, but they should at least pay their taxes.

 

[St.Icon]

When I encounter people who like to trash others at their leisure, I usually demand more than a hit and run from them.

Care to expound on what makes him an idiot?

I'll gladly take that challenge.

Bono is a steaming pile of pompous human excrement. He's an egotist, and the only reason he's attempting to get attention is because he's irrelevant to everyone.

U2 sucks as well, as most people can buy the first album and call it good. Perhaps if Bono wants to be relevant he and the rest of U2 should release an album that doesn't sound the same as every single previous album.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would be willing to tell Bono where to stick his giant (RED) label.

Is that a satisfactory summary, or do I need to go on?

 

[Rogifan]

But it's also about raising awareness, so one sale hopefully generates more sales through visibility of the (RED) logo. It's the basic principal of branding - get your customers to do your advertising for you.

Bono disagreed with Dear Leader. That's a no-no around here.

 

[Zxxv]

Bono "and I wanted to scream back at him...but I didn't"

...so I waited til he's dead so I can do it now.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

What an obnoxious self-involved ingrate Bono is. Totally a self-inflicted wound on his "charitable" imagine IMHO. Companies are donating both their brand and profits to the (Product Red) project. It's not really Bono's to complain that the company that produces the product doesn't get to control where the logo goes. As the saying goes, beggars can't be choosers.

 

[akatsuki]

My understanding of Red branding on the shuffle was that they charged you an extra $10, then took that money and passed it through to the Red organization and got to tax write it off.

So where is the charity in that? Looks like a money maker to me. Maybe I mischaracterized the deal?

 

[Ed A.]

Bono should S*T*F*U.

 

[DaveN]

Not that my opinion carries any weight but I'm going to side with Jobs on this one. The parenthesis are distracting and don't add any marketing value.

 

[iHEARTcartoons]

Worst Bono ever.

 

[Philsy]

We should encourage bono to continue with these petty arguments because they distract him from creating music. #

 

[Glideslope]

Considering Apple has raised the most money for product red, I don't think he should be complaining.

No kidding, right? I'm reading this and thinking over $70 million to date. Product RED is easily noted without some splattering of text.

WTF Bono? Although to be fair. Simply being in a room with Jonny has been known to invoke such rants.

 

[HiRez]

I'm not saying Apple couldn't or shouldn't do more, but calling someone out who is helping out your charity (in a big way) for not doing enough is kind of a dick move. I'm sure Bono still has about 40 vacation homes around the world, he should probably give them all to the charity, right?

 

[Alx9876]

Go piss up the Samsung tree. No one cares.

 

[John.B]

And how much of Bono's own money has he contributed?

 

[Sharkus]

Oh is Bono harping on about something again? How about you stop all your annoying crap about other people donating their money to causes you believe in, and actually give up all your wealth and material possessions to these causes and live in a cardboard box. At that point I might have the slightest interest in what you are saying.

 

[ElTorro]

Bozo would be a more fitting name for him.

 

[Robert.Walter]

Lets see, I've bought Red for an ipad, an iPad mini (cover and case), a bumper, a mophie juice pack, but Bono's ingrate hypocritical statements make me think I'm about done.

 

[nwcs]

Second, Apple can do more for (Product) Red by ending the relationship and instead just donating $1 for every device sold and ask people at checkout which of, say, 10 noble charities they would like that $1 to go towards. Heck why not give $10 of Apple's excessive profit margin per device away to charities. Why ask consumers to buy a specific version of only a few specific products when the company can part with far more money to charity otherwise.

Can I then get the $10 cheaper version without the forced donation? I prefer to donate where I choose the beneficiary, not the company.

/general thought not specific to one individual:

And why can't we get rid of this notion that all companies are supposed to be non-profit humanitarian giveaway organizations? When you're young it's easy to think kumbaya but as you get older you realize it just doesn't work that way in this world.

 

[John Bokma]

Nope, no large glowing logo to see here. Does not exist on Apple products.

Nice try. I am sure you also understood that the OP refers to stickers (Intel, audio hardware, OS) on laptops etc. where there are clearly visible when using the product. And yes, I avoid products that have a huge logo, like USB hubs, docking stations, etc. The average Windows laptop looks close to this:

 

[InfoTime]

Bono should S*T*F*U.

And so should every other musician, actor or other entertainer. Just because you're a famous entertainer doesn't mean you actually know jack ****** about anything else.

 

[CalWizrd]

First, both Apple and Bono can simply both donate $70 million in pocket change to any charity they want, so arguing about a gimmick like (Product) Red just makes them both look like *******s.

Second, Apple can do more for (Product) Red by ending the relationship and instead just donating $1 for every device sold and ask people at checkout which of, say, 10 noble charities they would like that $1 to go towards. Heck why not give $10 of Apple's excessive profit margin per device away to charities. Why ask consumers to buy a specific version of only a few specific products when the company can part with far more money to charity otherwise.

I think Apple could generate far more than $70 million for AIDS research, but also generate a heck of a lot of revenue to other charities, you know, maybe like cancer research?

It would be nice for Apple to become a little more openly charitable in general rather than relying on gimmicky product tie-ins for a color of a product nobody really wants.

Gee, it's so easy to give away someone else's money.

 

[jagolden]

When I encounter people who like to trash others at their leisure, I usually demand more than a hit and run from them.

Care to expound on what makes him an idiot?

This is what makes Bono an idiot:

"To date, Apple has raised approximately $70 million for (Product) RED, with 100 percent of that money going towards HIV/AIDS programs in Africa."

Stop the complaining, what other company is doing as much?

Also, the logo is meaningless, the color is e everything.

 

[terrywfoster]

I would not buy the Red product if any logo was displayed where it could be seen.