Bono will always make me laugh, and not in a very good way. Actually, we hadn’t heard from him for quite some time, there was some vague news of an upcoming album but beside this, the U2 news had been quiet. However, according to Billboard, at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Bono went on a sort of rant about Apple being a cult? What is this about? Representing (RED) and urging brands to support his non profit charity, he declared:
‘One of the reasons it’s such a credit to have Jony Ive on the stage is because Apple is so fucking annoyingly quiet about the fact they’ve raised $75 million. Nobody knows!’
Jonathan Ive is Apple’s Senior Vice President of Design, Apple has been a (RED) supporter since it was created in 2006 and even helped launch the program, first releasing a special edition (RED) iPod nano, and then a number of (RED) devices, including iPod nanos and shuffles, iPad Smart Covers, iPhone Bumpers, and iPhone 5s cases. Last year, a range of one-of-a-kind products (including solid gold EarPods) were even auctioned off by Sotheby’s. I am saying all this to prove that Apple has really been active in the (RED) front…
Of course, if you really want my opinion, I think this campaign is ridiculous. The concept, founded by Bono, is just self-promotion, buy any (RED) product and a certain percentage goes to Bono’s Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, meaning that not a penny comes out of Bono’s pocket. And that’s his genius, he passes for a humanitarian without giving away his money but making instead other people spend theirs. Apple, like any other company involved with (RED), could just donate $100 million, they would not even see a dent in their billions of dollars profit and everything would be fine, who needs (RED) and Bono to get involved?
Anyway, Bono is mad at Apple because nobody knows that HIS campaign (RED) has raised money for AIDS research. According to Billboard, Bono pulled out an official (Red) iPad cover, removed the device, showing that the (RED) logo was inside the cover and therefore always obscured by the tablet: ‘Where’s the (Red) branding?’ he asked Ive. ‘Nobody can see that. This is modesty run amok. This is the Apple way. They’re like a religious cult.’
This is so absurd, I don’t understand why people in the audience didn’t laugh very hard, personally, I would have slapped Bono on both cheeks. Does it matter that people don’t see they are buying a (RED) product? Of course not, what matters is that money has been raised and hopefully been intelligently used. But Bono is a pathetic human being who wants the entire planet to know he is the world’s savior…. Without spending a penny, should I remind you? … Bono is running for Bono, he wants the attention on (RED) because (RED) is Bono, he is much more after the popularity of his campaign than what difference it can really make. If Apple is a cult, I wonder what Bono is,… a hyper cult? Hey, I heard he doesn’t pay his taxes just like a church, so here we go. By the way, what does Bono do to promote (RED) beside making a fool of himself at festivals? Following his own logic he should paint huge red letters all over his houses, cars, stages…
