Advertising has become the single largest source of visual imagery in our society
today. No matter where we look, we see advertisements trying to sell us things. We
see images of youthful, beautiful people enticing us to spend our money on products
we think we need, hoping that by purchasing the product we too may reap the benefits
of owning it. At the beginning of the 1990s however, the Italian clothing company
Benetton changed the face of advertising forever. Instead of showing the company’s
products in its advertisements, they have chosen to show images related to important
world issues in a claimed attempt to raise awareness (http://www.courses.psu.edu/
art/art122w_jlh18/student/knepper/Intro.htm). Between 1990 and 1994, and then
again in 2000, Benetton attracted attention because of its especially provocative
advertising campaigns. Diverse pictures of these campaigns showed situations of
adversity, distress, suffering and death. Oliviero Toscani, the creator of the
advertisements asserts that it is not his function to increase sales of Benetton products.
Toscani claims he uses advertising to raise awareness concerning the issues addressed
and his intention is “to promote peace, tolerance, multiculturalism and to challenge
stereotypes” (http://www.xs4all.nl/~conflic1/pbp/7/5_benett.htm). However, despite
claims by Luciano Benetton and Toscani that profit was never a motive and raising
social conscience was their single goal, Benetton advertisements have been widely
criticised and banned worldwide (http://www.courses.psu.edu/art/art122w_jlh18/
student/knepper/Benetton.htm). This might have resulted anyhow, not only from their
approach of attempting to raise awareness of real problems, but from the means with
which they did it. Everything that diverges from well known, generally accepted
norms appears provocative for the recipient who is used to certain standards.
Nevertheless, the different interpretation of its advertising images in diverse cultures
caused resistance and problems for the Benetton company. Contrary to other
international operating conglomerates that use the same advertising internationally but
modify it in consideration of the cultural context, Benetton advertisements are not
tailored regionally. The company uses the same images and campaigns worldwide
(http://www.karlsruhe.de/Schulen/Ludwig-Erhard-Schule/Projwer/wer4.htm), and
does not consider cultural and moral conceptual differences. [...]
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Corporate strategy
3. Art and strategy: Toscani and his advertising campaigns for Benetton
3.1 Benetton’s (controversy) advertising history: Selections
3.1.1 Children with tongues
3.1.2 Newborn baby
3.1.3 Dying aids victim
3.1.4 Death row
4. Diverse receptions (in various cultural areas)
4.1 Resistance
5. Loss of profits
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Research Focus
This paper examines the impact and reception of Benetton's provocative advertising campaigns created by Oliviero Toscani, focusing on the tension between the intent to raise awareness for global social issues and the resulting negative public response. The central research question explores whether advertising can effectively promote social change or if it is inherently tied to profit motives, leading to consumer backlash when perceived as exploitative.
- The strategic departure from product-centered advertising toward visual activism.
- The influence of cultural differences on the interpretation of provocative imagery.
- The role of "Spiral of Silence" theory in explaining the decline of brand perception.
- The conflict between artistic intention and corporate profit objectives.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Art and strategy: Toscani and his advertising campaigns for Benetton
W. Leiss (1990:309) states: “the role of advertising in modern industrial societies is to verbalize and to image the possible meaning of things, and to facilitate the exchanges of meanings occurring in social interactions.” Contrary to this scheme, Toscani used images for his campaigns that had nothing to do with Benetton’s products. Toscani circumvented one of the conventions of advertising when he created a change in style. The previous approach of advertising aimed to create identifications between consumer and commodity, whereas Toscani developed a pattern in which the customer does not identify with the concrete object but with an abstract idea. The absence of the products in most of the company’s advertisements parallels this pattern.
Toscani’s photographs appear as shocking because the displayed person(s) or situations are neither beautified nor embellished. Furthermore, the images in Benetton advertisements usually appear over a white background, what suggests an appearance that could be interpreted as clinical and stark.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Introduces Benetton's shift toward provocative, issue-driven advertising and the debate surrounding the effectiveness of these campaigns in raising awareness.
2. Corporate strategy: Details how the brand prioritized centrality and high name recognition over traditional product marketing to create a global presence.
3. Art and strategy: Toscani and his advertising campaigns for Benetton: Analyzes the transition from commercial product advertising to abstract, shocking imagery that avoids displaying actual commodities.
3.1 Benetton’s (controversy) advertising history: Selections: Provides a chronological overview of specific campaigns, ranging from racial unity themes to controversial depictions of death and disease.
4. Diverse receptions (in various cultural areas): Discusses how cultural backgrounds influence the interpretation of visual signs and the reception of shocking imagery.
4.1 Resistance: Examines the legal, religious, and social pushback against specific campaigns in different international markets.
5. Loss of profits: Explores the economic consequences of the campaigns and applies the "Spiral of Silence" theory to explain the brand's negative image transformation.
6. Conclusion: Summarizes the legacy of the campaigns, concluding that the brand's failure to respect cultural boundaries ultimately served a profit-driven marketing agenda.
Keywords
Benetton, Oliviero Toscani, Advertising, Provocation, Social Awareness, Cultural Reception, Resistance, Brand Recognition, Spiral of Silence, Global Issues, Marketing Strategy, Media Imagery, Ethics in Advertising.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper examines the advertising history of Benetton, specifically the controversial campaigns designed by Oliviero Toscani between the 1990s and 2000s, and analyzes how these images were received globally.
What are the core themes explored in the work?
The core themes include the effectiveness of using provocative imagery for social causes, the impact of cultural interpretation on advertising, corporate strategy in global markets, and the relationship between marketing and profit.
What is the central research question?
The research questions whether Benetton's shift toward raising social awareness was a genuine attempt to advocate for issues or a calculated marketing strategy, and why such campaigns ultimately caused a backlash.
Which scientific methods were utilized?
The author uses a qualitative approach, drawing on advertising theory, media studies (such as the Spiral of Silence), and comparative analysis of international market responses to specific campaign images.
What does the main body of the text address?
The main body details the evolution of Toscani's style, performs a deep dive into specific controversial advertisements like the "Dying Aids Victim" and "Death row," and analyzes the resulting corporate resistance and profit loss.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include Benetton, Oliviero Toscani, Social Awareness, Cultural Reception, Brand Recognition, and Spiral of Silence.
How does the author explain the resistance to the campaigns?
The author argues that resistance stems from a combination of differing cultural, legal, and religious norms, as well as the perception that the brand was exploiting human suffering for profit.
What role does the "Spiral of Silence" play in the author's argument?
The author applies this theory to suggest that media reporting created a dominant opinion against Benetton, causing individuals who might have supported the brand to stay silent or distance themselves to avoid minority status.
- Quote paper
- Anonym (Author), 2003, The Benetton advertising campaigns: Intentions, receptions and the legitimacy of raising global issues in advertising, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/17210
