The Benetton Advertising Campaigns
In the early 90's Benetton were at the heart of a groundbreaking
advertising campaign, daring to challenge the average Joe's views on
various matters that are normally seen as taboo.
The advertisements in question could be seen in various situations,
billboards, magazines etc. They used Binary oppositions to highlight
social issues. Many have found the various images offensive,
disturbing and blasphemous. Some are even believed to only 'fuel'
disputes. But in this modern day we are constantly bombarded with
information on the way we should live our lives, and therefore taught
to ignore these social issues. Issues such as racism, conflict in LEDC
countries and homosexuality are being highlighted by Toscani and
Benetton. These would normally be spoken about behind closed doors,
where they would not offend and not cause complication. But when
Benetton decided to highlight these factors to the public some would
say it was a good idea to make people think about their views on
Racism, or violence etc. The connotations of some of the adverts,
mainly the ones about racial equality, show the public that we are all
human, and other than aesthetically we are all the same. Therefore if
the audience understand the advert and agrees with the message then
the campaign must be a positive thing for society.
The reality campaigns were made to highlight the real problems, rather
than the fictitious world portrayed by the media.
But although the adverts could be seen as positive for society,
opening up the publics' eyes to the fact, many did find the various
posters offensive.
[IMAGE]
This advert of the newborn child raised over 800 complaints resulting
in it being withdrawn by Benetton. But this very same advert won
awards in Switzerland for its originality and strong statement. This
shows the varying views of the public in different countries. Another
advert featuring a model pinned to a cross was also highly complained
about. It was seen to be mocking the Christian religion, connoting
Jesus was a woman and was therefore highly blasphemous.