Bing and Colbert: Brand Integration Meets Fundraising

With the oil spill in the Gulf well into its second month, it seems there's been a conspicuous absense of celebrities reaching out to help. (Where is this disaster's celebrity telethon?) This could be in part because the villain here is very clear. And since the public expects BP to pick up the tab, donating money could be seen as only helping the "bad guy." But given the difficulties that people are likely to face in collecting money from BP, there's still significant need for help. Stephen Colbert and Bing have partnerned to help ease the burden a bit. Colbert said on his show,

"When I see these images of the coastal environment and wildlife being devastated, I just wish there was some way I could donate -- someone else's money."

Bing donated $100,000 to Colbert's charitable fund, The Colbert Nation Gulf of America Fun, with is managed by the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, to aid cleanup. Grants will be issued to charities that work directly to help the people and natural environment affected by the spill. On Monday's show, Bing promised to donate $2,500 every time Colbert said Bing. In a funny twist, Colbert pointed out that Bing is a great Internet search engine, something he found out when he Googled it. It's nice to see that Bing has a sense of humor s well as a good heart.