Benetton has a long history of controversial campaigns: death row inmates, a nun kissing a priest, a man dying of Aids... In the last few years they have lost an important share of the market to other clothing companies such as Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) and Inditex (Zara), and this new campaign is nothing else but a new attempt to draw attention. Nonetheless, they have committed two mistakes: the first one and more obvious is the illegitimate use of the image rights of these people, the second one is the naive idea that we are going to be scandalized by a tacky photosophized kiss; three decades of agressive marketing campaigns have desensitized us completely. If they really want to regain their place in the clothing industry, they will have to work on innovation, on new designs and on new market techniques, leaving people's feelings and beliefs aside.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15778377
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the two mistakes that you are pointing out, David. Benetton doesn't gain anything positive with such controversial campaigns. Even if the company claims that the message they wanted to transmit was to fight any kind of hate- they support the Unhate Foundation- using the image of these important and well known people was not the best option.If they want to attract attention they should try to find another way instead of provoking with these kind of advertisements. It would be better if they focus on the development of new market techniques or strategies if they want to be competitive in the clothing sector.
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ReplyDeleteI do not believe that Benetton aimed to scandalize us with its campaign, but rather to promote tolerance and condemn hatred. Obviously, the pictures had to attract our attention, and a mere shake of hands between the leaders would´nt have done that. The fact that the Vatican is the only institution to have expressed its disapproval is, in my opinion, quite revealing.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do agree with the fact that they were not in their right to use their images. It is also true that they could use campaigns in which the message they try to promote has a direct connection with their brand.
I think that the fact that you are talking about this new means that indeed they have capture your attention which was the purpose of the campaign.
ReplyDeleteControversy is just another promotion tool and Benetton not only uses it as a way to gain attention but also to promote tolerance and equality. Throughout Benetton advertising history we can see that this company has always focused on showing the other side of the coin, bringing different and maybe confronted or separated spheres of society all together. Disable with healthy kids, black and white people and now it just presents the utopia of world peace.
And I must say, I see no damage on doing or seeing that!
Maybe we are not looking at this In all its depth. Probably, Benetton's publicists don't know about the tense relations between the pope and the al-Azhar imam since the Muslim attacks to the Coptic churches in Egypt. A spokesman of the mosque has already stated that this ad will interfere with the inter-religious talks between the two leaders. The sad conclusion is that the worst affected will be the Christian minority in the country of the Nile.
ReplyDeleteFinally, I would like to point out that not only the Vatican has expressed it's disapproval, the al-Azhar mosque, the White House and the Israeli government have also condemned the advertising campaign.
It's obvious that this advertisements goal is to capture attention, but do you really think it's to promote promote tolerance and condemn hatred, i'd rather say to sell jackets and t-shirts... If it really were to promote tolerance, i have to disagree with Paula because i think a handshake would have been enough, i honestly think it would have provoked sympathy instead of controversy and they could have used pictures that are already available.
ReplyDeleteAbout the Vatican decision to take legal action, i say: FINALLY. I've think catholics have already put up with enough caricatures and mocking without saying anything. It's about time they stand up and let people know that's it's enough and things like that can hurt peoples feelings.
Why is there such a controversy when the Vatican reacts but we see completely normal the reaction of the muslims after Muhammad's caricatures? ...