ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Your favorite dance move could help save lives. Coca-Cola and (RED) have enlisted the help of Harry Shum, Jr. (Mike Chang, “Glee”) and the world-famous dance crew Jabbawockeez, as well as other notable dancers to harness the power of dance and inspire people to participate in a global dance movement with the goal of helping end mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 2015. Every day, 700 babies are born with HIV. By supporting programs that offer prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services for pregnant women, that number can be near zero.
Being part of the movement couldn’t be easier. Step to the left, then step to the right or do whatever moves come naturally to you and then upload a video of the dance to YouTube or Instagram, using #CokeREDMoves in the title or as the hashtag. For the first 1,000 videos submitted, Coca-Cola will make a donation to buy life-saving medicine for someone living with HIV. This is in addition to the $1 million donation Coca-Cola made earlier this year to the Global Fund to help finance HIV/AIDS programs in Africa.
“We hold a fundamental belief that more movement brings more happiness, for everyone,” said Wendy Clark, SVP Sparkling Brand Center, The Coca-Cola Company. “Partnering with (RED) to connect people through the universal language of dance is a meaningful way to show our support.”
In collaboration with The DanceOn Network - the leading dance channel on YouTube – and Recreation Worldwide, Coca-Cola worked with Shum, Jabbawockeez, Nappy Tabs, Brian Puspos and Ian Eastwood, 8 Flavahz, Tyanna Padilla aka “Tiny Miney”, Jasmine Meakin from “Mega Jam” and Les Twins. The dancers came together to support the cause in the official music video for Celebrate (Tommy Trash Remix) by Empire of the Sun & Tommy Trash, which was created exclusively for (RED) and launched today on YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lWhVii3D24. The track will be featured on the upcoming DANCE (RED) SAVE LIVES2 compilation album.
To help inspire people to show their moves, Shum and the Jabawockeez developed an easy-to-follow dance that anyone can learn that is featured in the music video. Consumers can visit www.CokeREDMoves.com to download a free clip of the Celebrate remix, view a tutorial for the dance move and find instructions on how to upload a dance video and to learn more about how their moves could help support this important cause.
“This cause and this program really spoke to me,” said Shum. “Dancing is such a huge part of my life and I believe in its power to bring people from all walks of life together for a singular purpose. It’s inspiring to know that my generation has the power to help eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. I’m excited to work with Coca-Cola and (RED) to help make that goal a reality.”
Coca-Cola has made a commitment of more than $5 million USD from 2011 to 2015, and over the next two years the partnership with (RED) will raise awareness and money to help eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This money will help fund up to 7.5 million doses of antiretroviral treatment for people affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.
“Raising awareness and heat around the AIDS fight is so critical to winning the battle against this disease,” said Deborah Dugan, Chief Executive Officer for (RED). “Coca-Cola has the unique ability to motivate and inspire young people around the world to get involved and show their support through great initiatives like this. We’re so excited to have such extraordinary support for this year’s DANCE (RED), SAVE LIVES campaign.”
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world's largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world's most valuable and recognizable brands, our Company's portfolio features 16 billion-dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and juices and juice drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our beverages at a rate of more than 1.8 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the world's top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo, visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.
About (RED)™
(RED) was founded in 2006 by Bono and Bobby Shriver to engage businesses and people in the fight against AIDS.
(RED) partners with the world’s most iconic brands who contribute up to 50% of profits from (RED) branded goods and services to the Global Fund. (RED) Proud Partners include: Apple, Starbucks, The Coca-Cola Company, Beats by Dr. Dre, Belvedere, Claro, SAP and Telcel. (RED) Special Edition partners include: Shazam, Girl Skateboards, Mophie, FEED, Nanda Home, Bottletop, Tourneau, Fatboy USA, Bed Bath & Beyond, HEAD. To date, (RED) has generated more than $215 million for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to support HIV/AIDS grants in Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania. 100 percent of that money goes to work on the ground – no overhead is taken. Global Fund grants that (RED) supports have impacted more than 14 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services. (RED) is a division of The ONE Campaign. Learn more at www.red.org.
About The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
The Global Fund is an international financing institution dedicated to attracting and disbursing resources to prevent and treat HIV and AIDS, TB and malaria. The Global Fund promotes partnerships between governments, civil society, the private sector and affected communities, the most effective way to help reach those in need. This innovative approach relies on country ownership and performance-based funding, meaning that people in countries implement their own programs based on their priorities and the Global Fund provides financing where verifiable results are achieved.
Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has approved funding of US$ 22.9 billion for in 140 countries. To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have provided AIDS treatment for 5.3 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 11 million people and 340 million insecticide-treated nets for the prevention of malaria. The Global Fund works in close collaboration with other bilateral and multilateral organizations to supplement existing efforts in dealing with the three diseases.
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