Brand aid [electronic resource] : shopping well to save the world / Lisa Ann Richey and Stefano Ponte.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Richey, Lisa Ann.

Contributor:

Ponte, Stefano.

Series:

A Quadrant Book

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Economic assistance--Developing countries.

Economic assistance.

Celebrities--Political activity.

Celebrities.

Social entrepreneurship.

Social responsibility of business.

Branding (Marketing)--Social aspects.

Branding (Marketing).

Consumption (Economics)--Social aspects.

Consumption (Economics).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (272 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Minneapolis [Minn.] : University of Minnesota Press, c2011.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"Has there ever been a better reason to shop?" asks an ad for the Product RED American Express card, telling members who use the card that buying cappuccinos or cashmere will help to fight AIDS in Africa. Co-founded in 2006 by the rock star Bono, Product RED has been a particularly successful example of a new trend in celebrity-driven international aid and development, one explicitly linked to commerce, not philanthropy. In Brand Aid, Lisa Ann Richey and Stefano Ponte offer a deeply informed and stinging critique of "compassionate consumption."

Contents:

Introduction: RED and the reinvention of international aid

Band aid to brand aid: celebrity experts and expert celebrities

The rock man's burden: fair vanity and virtual salvation

Saving Africa: AIDS and the rebranding of aid

Hard commerce: corporate social responsibility for distant others

Doing good by shopping well: the rise of "causumer" culture

Conclusion: celebrities, consumers, and everyone else.

Notes:

"A Quadrant Book."

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-8166-7667-4

OCLC:

712015736