IS RED WORKING?

Tucked away in the middle of an article about Bono's Red is an interesting little observation:

Stephan Shakespeare, chief executive of YouGov, a British market research company, said consumers in the U.K. have not "reacted in a manner that these companies, at least in private, would have hoped for." Shakespeare indicated that there have been many issue-based products launched in the U.K. recently, which might have led to "consumer apathy towards [Product] RED, which even Bono can't overcome," Shakespeare said.

What Shakespeare doesn't say, though, is it's possible that the presence of Bono which is dragging the venture down - sure, Vox is convinced his presence makes things seem exciting and enticing, but is he sure? While Bono's presence might help sell a gig aimed at the sort of people who like U2, is he really the perfect spokesperson to persuade a wider audience to sample a mobile phone or a credit card?

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