Rapper Common has teamed with Converse to be the face of Converse (PRODUCT) RED Weapon sneaker, which will be available exclusively through Foot Locker and Converse’s website.
Common will appear in the “Weapon of Change” advertising campaign, which was shot in location in Los Angeles by photographer Bryan Adams.
The “Weapon of Change” ad campaign encourages consumers to be “optimistic and become agents of change.”
Converse will donate up to 15% of the net sales from Converse (PRODUCT) RED to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a worldwide initiative created by U2 frontman Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chairman of Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa (DATA ).
The fund is designed to deliver private money to invest in African AIDS programs with an emphasis on the health of women and children.
“Converse approached me to join the (PRODUCT) RED initiative and affect change,” Common said in a statement. “I have always felt my purpose is to do for people. Converse and (PRODUCT) RED are about people – educating and reaching out to people to help humanity. I do this through my music, activism and with people I come into contact with everyday. For me, Converse (PRODUCT) RED allows me to help affect change and have an immediate impact on people. Knowing the contributions from this initiative help people who need it makes it incredible because there’s no such thing as small change,” said Common.
Staring in July, Common will be featured in advertisements in publications like ESPN, Fader, Spin, Vibe Rolling Stone and Complex. Other billboards will be posted in Chicago, New York City and Los Angeles.
“Common is an outstanding partner who has inspired a generation of musicians, poets, aspiring actors and children through his work,” said Dave Maddocks, Chief Marketing Officer, Converse. “We want to inspire Converse people everywhere toward this kind of energy and creativity – to become agents of change,”
The Converse (PRODUCT) RED Weapon will retail for $75.