Though he is to appear in a secondary role as a guest of Bono, Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) famous and reclusive Jony Ive is set to speak at the Cannes Lions Festival on June 21st, 2014, according to information released. Jony Ive is largely responsible for the sleek, dignified, refined look associated with practically every Apple product made in recent decades. It is the designer’s involvement with the AIDS-combatting (Red) campaign that leads to his planned appearance in the spotlight at the Cannes Lions event.
Bono, otherwise known as Paul Hewson, is the leading light of the Irish rock band U2 and has gained considerable fame thanks to his efforts as both a philanthropist and a venture capitalist. He is the founder of (Product) Red, a brand which donates its profits to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, among other worthy causes. (Product) Red is an experimental philanthropic business model which licenses its logo to other companies, such as Apple (AAPL) and Nike, to boost their sales while providing actual help to people in need.
Bono is to receive the Lionheart Award for his creation of (Product) Red, according to the Cannes Lions website press release on the topic. He will appear in a 45 minute interview at the event, and Jony Ive will also participate. Apple is the world’s biggest contributor to (Product) Red, raising $70 million out of the approximately $250 million generated thus far, or about 28% of the total. One auction alone brought in $44 million for the charity.
Though Mr. Ive will not be receiving any awards, he will have the chance to speak about Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) role in the charitable endeavor, bringing it to the attention of the audience and highlighting his own role in the program. Mr. Ive is one of the leading Apple executives who is least known to the public, seldom making statements or appearing in the news. He is, however, key to many of Apple’s proprietary traits, including its highly distinctive aesthetics.
Mr. Ive is a long time friend of Bono and their collaboration apparently came about partly as an extension of that friendship. Along with Mark Newson, another important Apple (AAPL) designer, he designed a (Red) Mac Pro and a pair of Apple EarPods in a rose-gold tint for the massive charity auction that raised $44M. Mr. Ive’s involvement highlights Apple’s concern with crucial issues and their continued funding of various worthy causes.
