Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) has brought dot-com pizzazz to the old idea of the celebrity telethon for worthy causes. Tuesday, the online retailing giant introduced what it calls The Amazon A-List for Hurricane Relief, through which users will be able to get exclusive content from celebrities in return for donations to help people who were affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Starting Wednesday and lasting until Dec. 20, Amazon.com will feature content from different celebrities every day, accessible to those who donate to the program. The funds will go to non-profit organizations chosen by the celebrities. Among the notables in this program are musicians Paul McCartney, Tim McGraw, Blondie, and Faith Hill, former President Bill Clinton, soccer star David Beckham, and supermodel Christy Turlington. Content will include exclusive music, artwork, and behind-the-scenes footage.
I've never much liked televised telethons -- while feeling just a tad guilty about that because they are for worthy causes. Leave it to Amazon to put a 21st century spin on philanthropy, though, giving users a way to pick and choose their content of choice and help a worthy cause is a smart idea indeed.
Meanwhile, this is a boon for people who are still rebuilding their lives in the areas hit by Katrina and Rita, since Amazon's highly trafficked website -- especially during the holidays -- will ensure that many eyeballs are at least aware of donating opportunities. (And in case you were wondering, of course Amazon has used its online real estate for donation purposes in the past -- after last winter's tsunami, for example, the site prominently featured a link to the Red Cross.)
Overall, Amazon continues to figure out ways to use its popular site to push more kinds of content than you can shake a stick at -- from short films to short stories. In a world where more and more investors like a socially aware angle to their investments, many likely find it heartening to see that in this case, Amazon proves once again that it can use its power for literature, music, film . and good.
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Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.
