I gotta admit, I don’t think about Benetton too much. It was kind of a big deal in my local mall in the mid 80’s. But that’s about it.
So there’s nothing like an ad campaign featuring world leaders kissing to get a little buzz. And promote the brand’s Unhate Foundation, for whatever that’s worth.
USA Today has more:
“The campaign shows that we need to have courage to not hate others,” says Alessandro Benetton, executive deputy chairman of Benetton, and son of the Italian-based company’s founder, Luciano.
So, is it working on you? Because lots of people hate this campaign already.
if i could sue benetton for the visual insult i would!! this ad is so disrespectful and distasteful to all world leaders and their countries. i will not buy anything benetton!!
Agreed. It looks like Benetton would rather burn out than fade away.
Benetton will not necessarily be worried about people hating this campaign. In fact they may well be banking on it. As per my post, my view is that Benetton are hoping that pushback to their campaign translates into a viral storm that in turn pushes those who they may be looking to target to rush the racks to express their solidarity with Benetton’s position. But
this is a 20 – 25 year old technique for the brand and it remains to be seen whether shock
alone is enough to make Benetton the force it once was in a sector that is now much
more competitive and well used to publicity stunts. The concern must be that the
new campaign may gain a lot of attention and swallow acres of media columns but
then, just like its sales over the last
decade, largely flatline.
I discuss this and more in some detail here: http://markdisomma.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/a-killer-app-or-a-sex-tape/