Redmandarin and World Peace

3 September 2009

Redmandarin’s reputation has been built on two foundations: strategic excellence and our integrity in standing firmly and transparently on the side of our brand clients.

And it’s a reputation we’re proud of.

But sometimes, it gets in the way of the story we’d like to tell: the commercial creativity we bring to bear on the challenges facing our clients, for one; the insight we discreetly provide to rights-holders, for another, in advising them on the management of their commercial assets.

So when Tom Oliver, founder of the World Peace Festival, approached us in July – just a month after publishing Defining Sponsorship - to ask us to sponsor his vision, the timing was perfect.

Defining Sponsorship sets out our conceptual framework for how brands and rights-holders should approach their relationship: the World Peace Festival gives us an opportunity to put our money where our mouth is.

So we agreed.

The World Peace Festival, a global UN-backed peace event in Berlin in August 2010, is an event with a difference: it's about partnership, not ownership; peace is not an abstract noun used by politicians, but a seed we can all choose to grow.

We believe in Tom. We believe in his vision. We believe in everything the World Peace Festival stands for. We believe the world is ready to celebrate peace, in its many shapes. And we know that violence is - always - counter-productive.

We also happen to believe that sponsorship’s centre of gravity is shifting. Major rights-holders are stuck in a business model they’re scared to change. The World Peace Festival, on the other hand, stands for change.

So please visit the World Peace Festival site. It’s a beautiful vision which is rapidly becoming reality, driven by an extremely smart, caring and genuine guy. Watch this space.