Three ways to look at Benetton: the cause, the creative, the controversy

In The Age of the SWARM*, when every news outlet, blogger and tweeter jumps on the story of the moment, its no surprise that on November 16, we saw thousands of Benetton-related headlines telling us that the Vatican threatens legal action, and Benetton pulls pope-kissing ad. After all, that was the day that all hell broke loose over Benettons new ad campaign featuring global leaders kissing each other. But if you looked beyond the echo chamber of RTs and redundant posts there wasnt much in the way of real analysis. Sure the Pope was POd. But was the campaign any good? Is the cause it supports worthy? Was the controversy a surprise or the objective of the campaign in the first place? It strikes me these are all questions worth considering for those of us interested in branding, advertising and social media. So I thought Id weigh in. The Cause: UNHATE fits perfectly with Benettons history of social advocacy These days its common for marketers to jump on the social cause bandwagon in an attempt to generate good will. But taking a stand and supporting causes has been part of Benettons DNA for decades. The brand has a long history of social responsibility (or in some cases advertising disguised as such). Its run campaigns and launched programs to subvert stereotypes, protest war, fight famine and challenge the death penalty. There was even a campaign to encourage entrepreneurialism in Africa. If you havent checked out Benettons new initiative, you should. Benettons inhouse agency Fabrica (working with outside agency 72andSunny) didnt just launch an ad campaign for the sake of generating buzz, it created the UNHATE foundation and introduced a series of programs it hopes will contribute to a culture of tolerance. The effort appears to be much more than lip service. It includes educational programs and support for international NGOs that teach tolerance, a Global Tolerance Index, efforts to promote human rights and support for art programs that bear witness or contrast hatred.

UNHATE may or may not be its biggest or best effort to date its too soon to tell, despite the fact that SWARM thinking wants instant conclusions but perhaps we should credit the Italian apparel maker; it chose both to speak out and to put resources behind a worthy cause and message. (I did come across one face worth noting in writing this post: while Benetton is a brand that prides itself in social responsibility, it ranks rather poorly in certain related behavioral traits youd expect the company to do well in, including carbon emissions, environmental policy and labor conditions.) The Creative: Not the best effort

If the main job of a creative execution is to get noticed, then this campaign works brilliantly. But if we want to apply higher standards taste, cleverness, originality then the kissing campaign does not rank among Benettons best. Take a look at some of the United Colors of Benetton ads of the past. The integrated family. The vials of leaders blood, all of it the same color. The white baby nursing from a black breast. The images were not only startling, but less expected. Theres something about the kissing joke that feels a little too easy and obvious.

Past Benetton campaigns were more clever and charming and still unexpected for the time in which they ran.

Then again, it does give a nod to another great Benetton kissing ad featuring a priest and a nun, produced 20 years ago. I suppose that for the few of us familiar with Benettons history you could argue its an inside joke. We all know its easier to be critical than to come up with a better idea yourself, but it doesnt help that Oliviero Toscani, the photographer who created the most famous Benetton ad images slammed the campaign, calling it pathetic and the product of a beginners art class. Ouch. On another note, the website is pretty good. Its clean, well designed, easy to navigate and invites participation via the Kiss Wall. Perhaps what this effort and campaign really needs is just some time. The Controversy: Intentional or accidental?

If you want your next ad campaign to generate millions of media impressions just add a picture of the Pope in a compromising position. Search Benetton Pope and you get pages and pages of coverage. Its hard to imagine a better viral scenario. The cynical among us have already ventured that the entire campaign was created for no other reason to generate press coverage. Its unlikely that Benetton will admit whether or not they sought such a reaction, but its hard to imagine it didnt cross their mind to expect comments like Father Federico Lombardis declaration that the doctored photo exhibited a grave lack of respect for the Pope, an offense against the sentiments of the faithful and a clear example of how advertising can violate elementary rules of respect for people in order to attract attention through provocation. Marketers often find themselves deluged by unexpected reaction, whether in response to a calculated risk or a innocent mistake. Just witness Qantass #qantasluxury fiasco yesterday. But in Benettons case the brand had to know from past experience. In response to Benettons Death Row ads in 2000 Sears removed all Benetton products from its stores and terminated its contract with the company.

Last year Benetton net income fell 33 percent, a fact Benetton attributed to the economy. Perhaps a little free publicity and controversy is just what the brand needs to jump start business and stay top of mind. It may not be a strategy for all brands, but it seems to work over and over again for the Italian company. Read more: http://edwardboches.com/#ixzz1eXKl5w7v