Those were the kisses that’s gotten people talking. No, it wasn’t on the big screen during a sweeping romance. Nor, for that matter was it on the grainy pages of a tabloid. The Italian fashion company Benetton recently released a controversial “Unhate Campaign,” consisting of various political and religious leaders locking lips. The campaign is composed of series of advertisements that includes, among others, images of Obama kissing Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez and Germany’s Angela Merkel kissing France’s Nicolas Sarkozy.
For a advertisement campaign that relied on traditional channels, like print publications and billboards, Benetton enjoyed enormous success. As Drew’s Marketing Minute pointed out, marketers shouldn’t dismiss traditional platforms quite yet. These simple, but jarring images, were more effective at attracting audiences than many elaborate digital advertisements.
While the campaign’s distribution strategy was impeccable, the ethics of Unhate is another matter. It’s hard to find fault with a message promoting to undo the hatred between people of different race, orientation and creed. However, the link between compassion and the clothing manufacturer is strenuous at best. Does Benetton really want to ignite an authentic discussion or do they just want to sell more v-necks? The campaign seems too calculated.
Benetton must have known they were playing a high risk hand when they unveiled the image of Pope Benedict XVI kissing Sheikh Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb. The resulting furor of the Vatican has forced them to pull it. It’s now up to their PR team to prove that all publicity is indeed good publicity, that the increased interest will offset the loss of consumers deterred by these smooches. Benetton is playing a dangerous game.
