Fair trade book launch coincides with Band Aid release

Sam Matthews,, brandrepublic.com, 29 November 2004, 10:00AM

LONDON – To coincide with the release of charity single 'Do They Know it's Christmas?', Rough Guide has published a guide on global development and enlisted advertising agency Edge Ideas and the lead singer of Travis, Fran Healy, to promote it.

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The book, called 'The Rough Guide to a Better World', published in conjunction with the Department For International Development, explains how people can help in the fight against world poverty by making simple changes in their lives.

Two million free copies of the guide will be available from today, Monday November 29. Bob Geldof, who produced the original and the new versions of 'Do They Know it's Christmas?' provides the foreword.

A press and radio campaign to support the launch has been developed by Edge Ideas around the theme of "You don't have to be famous to make a difference" and features people who share their name with a well-known celebrity.

The ads, which are shot by the music and fashion photographer Terry O'Neill, include; Robbie Williams, an IT consultant from Reading promising to buy fair trade Christmas presents; and Madonna, an information manager from London pledging to move her savings to an ethical bank. Fran Healy from award-winning band Travis makes a star appearance in the print and radio versions.

Healy said it was a great idea. "I'm happy to be part of it and I'm sure it'll have a tremendous effect on the public."

Rough Guide publishes travel guides to numerous destinations around the world, as well as guides on subjects from Islam to the iPod.

The DFID is a UK government ministry working to eliminate the underlying problems that mean one in five of the world's population lives in extreme poverty.

In addition, Band Aid have taken the liberty of publicly praising mobile giant Orange for donating all the proceeds from 'Do They Know it's Christmas?' ringtones bought through Orange World or in an Orange shop to Band Aid 20.

A Band Aid spokesman said: "It's great to see that Orange has got firmly behind our appeal by its donation of all the proceeds from our ringtone to the Band Aid Trust. I would now like to see the rest of the mobile industry follow suit."

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