Propaganda or Persuasion

Benetton’s advertising campaign, while outlandish, was valuable to society in that it brought largely unacknowledged issues into the public eye. Through advertisements, Benetton highlighted controversial subjects such as integration, the death penalty, and AIDS.

Each ad consisted of a controversial photo and a single box that read “United Colors of Benetton.” The ads have been criticized for various reasons, and many people have found them offensive, but these ads are hardly more offensive than other ads that are commonly seen today.

Benetton was accused of using sensationalized photographs to attract controversy and publicity for the store, but what capitalist company does not stretch the truth to attract consumers? While Benetton may have been biased in the portrayal of issues, it was the specific issues, rather than the misrepresentation, that people offended many people.

Others argued that the Benetton ads were demeaning to specific groups of people. For example, in one ad where a biracial couple is shown, some argued that the way the couple is portrayed emphasizes the Anglo-American man as being in control of the African American woman. However, when compared to other ads, these objections lose their sting. Is portraying women in a way that suggests one can only be happy if one is blond and thin, as many late 1990’s ads did, demeaning? Many would say that it is. Benetton’s ads, while biased and potentially offensive, were not more biased or potentially offensive than other ads, they were just biased and potentially offensive in a different way.

Benetton found the issues no one wanted to talk about and brought them into the spotlight. While Benetton was, no doubt, attempting to gain some publicity and profit from the controversy of the ads, these ads had a social purpose as well as a financial one. Through these shocking images, Benetton encouraged a dialogue about taboo topics. All companies are in the business to make a profit, but when a company tries to benefit others in the process, these efforts should be praised, not condemned. Benetton understood something very important about people and used that to his advantage and the advantage of society: The fact that people don’t want to see something doesn’t mean they shouldn’t.