Belvedere Vodka and John Legend join forces to fight aids
Belvedere, the world’s original luxury vodka, is delighted to announce the launch of the 2016 (BELVEDERE)RED campaign #MAKETHEDIFFERENCE, in partnership with iconic music artist John Legend. John Legend, a passionate philanthropist and a visionary creative, brings his soulful artistic style to the (BELVEDERE)RED campaign, curating a unique program to Make The Difference. Together with Belvedere, he established the values that serve as the foundation of the campaign: unity, security, support and change. These four values embody the collective sentiment for all those joining the fight against HIV/AIDS.
To bring these powerful tenets to life, John Legend collaborated with Esther Mahlangu, a celebrated Ndebele artist from South Africa, whose vibrant and powerful artwork will be seen throughout the #MAKETHEDIFFERENCE campaign. In support of the (BELVEDERE)RED campaign, John Legend is featuring his new single “Love Me Now”. The anthem main theme encourages people to love now and give now due to the uncertainty of tomorrow.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with (RED). When Belvedere presented this opportunity to help support a product that I would already buy and that was going to help save lives, I thought it was a great idea.” says John Legend. “I was so excited when I saw Esther’s design for the bottle: I think it’s beautiful and it marries her esthetic with the esthetic of Belvedere, it connects it to the culture and to the people we’re trying to help.”
People can support (BELVEDERE)RED by giving – or keeping – the new (PRODUCT) RED limited edition bottle, featuring Esther Mahlangu’s colorful artwork alongside John Legend’s signature. Available from September at select retailers around the world, Belvedere proudly donates 50% of its profits from every bottle sold to the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa.
To kick off the #MAKETHEDIFFERENCE campaign, Belvedere hosted its first ‘One Night for Life’ benefit in New York City at the world’s famous Apollo Theater, in presence of John Legend and Esther Mahlangu. Belvedere’s program will continue with a global advertising campaign, strong digital activations and targeted efforts in on premise establishments as well as retail stores in over 35 countries. As a proud partner of (RED), Belvedere has– over the past five years – raised enough money to provide 30,000 HIV-positive women with access to life-saving ARV treatment that stops the transmission of HIV to their babies. We are closer than ever to seeing the first AIDS-Free Generation. President of Belvedere Vodka Charles Gibb states:
“Belvedere is delighted to continue the (BELVEDERE)RED campaign with the help of these passionate artists, who are as dedicated as we are to spreading awareness and being a part of the change to end the transmission of HIV from mother to child. Together, we can Make The Difference.”
Deborah Dugan, CEO, (RED), said:
“This beautiful collaboration between John Legend and Esther Mahlangu brings artistry and energy to the fight against AIDS. We’re hugely excited to see the striking new (Belvedere) RED bottle become available this fall, and importantly, every single purchase generates money to provide life-saving HIV/AIDS medication in sub-Saharan Africa.”
