Penelope Cruz has been quoted as wearing Russell Simmons’ new line of Green Jewelry.
According to an ad, half of the net profits will be donated to DEF, Diamond Empowerment Fund. This is a play on words of DEF JAM. There is a video about it after the jump.
Is this charitising or a real charity? Well, you decide…
As far as I can tell, the official website is one page on his Jewelry website. It isn’t even serious enough to warrant its own website. You can donate directly to the “fund” on that one page.
Here is an interview on the topic with Russell Simmons from Inc Magazine:
“How do you balance the demands of running a business with your desire to give back? Can commerce and charity coexist?”
“You’re already giving back because you run a business that creates jobs. As an entrepreneur, the most important service you provide to the world is helping your company grow so that you can hire more employees and give them an opportunity to earn a living. To me, giving back isn’t about charity. It’s about empowerment. It’s better to hand someone a fishing pole than a fish. That’s the difference between helping someone lead a healthy lifestyle and just helping him survive, and it’s one reason I’ve started so many companies.
If you want to do more to give back, it’s not as hard as you might think to incorporate that mission into the way you run your company. The easiest way to do that is with cause marketing. It’s an idea that has become more common lately, and I try to do it with all of my businesses. You help customers affect change by buying your products. Pick causes that have a connection with what you do, causes that you and your customers care about.
In December, I created the Diamond Empowerment Fund, which helps schools in Africa, as a complement to Simmons Jewelry. We sell a conflict-free diamond bracelet and donate half of the profits to the fund. My reason for doing it was personal–it’s part of why I’m in the diamond business–but the initiative is bringing in new customers and getting us press. My partners who have been selling diamonds their whole lives can’t believe how great our branded business is doing.
Some people will say that it’s wrong to use charitable contributions to promote your business, but I’d rather see a picture of an African school on an ad than one of a rich person.
And you don’t have to give away profits to make a difference. In 2003, I started Run Athletics and advertised a shoe, the Phat Classic, as a way to promote racial equality and reparations (the tag line was, “Isn’t it time for a change?”). We sold hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of sneakers–a lot of them to white kids–because everybody responded to the idea of buying from someone other than Phil Knight.”
I don’t know what conclusion you come to, but I don’t think anyone will quibble that he is a good businessman. It’s too bad that most people won’t actually dig very deep beyond marketing.
This Green Jewelry advertises that it contains a “Conflict-Free Diamond.” Huh? What does that mean? That his other diamonds aren’t conflict-free? Only this one? Or that this one went through more rigorous checks? I don’t get it.
If you want to buy conflict-free, I would suggest you do an awful lot of research before you decide any product or company is conflict-free or their charity is up to snuff.
One final note before the video, it does not breed confidence when you announce one figure (25%) going to a charity and advertise another figure (50%).
According to an ad, half of the net profits will be donated to DEF, Diamond Empowerment Fund. This is a play on words of DEF JAM. There is a video about it after the jump.
Is this charitising or a real charity? Well, you decide…
As far as I can tell, the official website is one page on his Jewelry website. It isn’t even serious enough to warrant its own website. You can donate directly to the “fund” on that one page.
Here is an interview on the topic with Russell Simmons from Inc Magazine:
“How do you balance the demands of running a business with your desire to give back? Can commerce and charity coexist?”
“You’re already giving back because you run a business that creates jobs. As an entrepreneur, the most important service you provide to the world is helping your company grow so that you can hire more employees and give them an opportunity to earn a living. To me, giving back isn’t about charity. It’s about empowerment. It’s better to hand someone a fishing pole than a fish. That’s the difference between helping someone lead a healthy lifestyle and just helping him survive, and it’s one reason I’ve started so many companies.
If you want to do more to give back, it’s not as hard as you might think to incorporate that mission into the way you run your company. The easiest way to do that is with cause marketing. It’s an idea that has become more common lately, and I try to do it with all of my businesses. You help customers affect change by buying your products. Pick causes that have a connection with what you do, causes that you and your customers care about.
In December, I created the Diamond Empowerment Fund, which helps schools in Africa, as a complement to Simmons Jewelry. We sell a conflict-free diamond bracelet and donate half of the profits to the fund. My reason for doing it was personal–it’s part of why I’m in the diamond business–but the initiative is bringing in new customers and getting us press. My partners who have been selling diamonds their whole lives can’t believe how great our branded business is doing.
Some people will say that it’s wrong to use charitable contributions to promote your business, but I’d rather see a picture of an African school on an ad than one of a rich person.
And you don’t have to give away profits to make a difference. In 2003, I started Run Athletics and advertised a shoe, the Phat Classic, as a way to promote racial equality and reparations (the tag line was, “Isn’t it time for a change?”). We sold hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of sneakers–a lot of them to white kids–because everybody responded to the idea of buying from someone other than Phil Knight.”
I don’t know what conclusion you come to, but I don’t think anyone will quibble that he is a good businessman. It’s too bad that most people won’t actually dig very deep beyond marketing.
This Green Jewelry advertises that it contains a “Conflict-Free Diamond.” Huh? What does that mean? That his other diamonds aren’t conflict-free? Only this one? Or that this one went through more rigorous checks? I don’t get it.
If you want to buy conflict-free, I would suggest you do an awful lot of research before you decide any product or company is conflict-free or their charity is up to snuff.
One final note before the video, it does not breed confidence when you announce one figure (25%) going to a charity and advertise another figure (50%).
No comments:
Post a Comment