This document provides an analysis of the United Colors of Benetton clothing brand. It discusses the company's history and founding in Italy in 1965. Key events in Benetton's expansion are noted such as opening international stores in the 1960s-1980s and sponsoring Formula One racing. The document focuses on Benetton's unique institutional ad campaigns created under Olivero Toscani that featured controversial images addressing social issues like racism, AIDS, and refugees. While generating debate, these ads brought attention to important topics but also faced criticism. The strengths, weaknesses, and effects of Benetton's shock advertising approach are examined.

1. UNITED COLORS
OF BENETTON
A N A LY S I S
BY - D E E PA L I M I T TA L

2. CONTENTS
 INTRODUCTION
 AN OVERVIEW
 INSTITUTIONAL
CAMPAIGNS
 UNIQUE CONCEPT
 CONTROVERSIES
 STRENGTHS
 WEAKNESSES
 EFFECTS
 BIIBLIOGRAPHY

3. INTRODUCTION
• Benetton is a known Global Clothing Brand, based in Ponzano Veneto, Italy. The name
comes from the Benetton family who founded the company in 1965.
• Benetton has a network of about 5,000 stores in the main international markets.

4. AN OVERVIEW
• 1960 The idea of color
• 1965 Benetton Group was established
• 1969 First Benetton Store outside Italy (Paris)
• 1974 Sisley enters group brand portfolio.
• 1978 Group exports 60% of brand production.
• 1980 Opening of the first New York store, in Madison Avenue.
• 1982 Opening of the first store in Tokyo, collaboration with Olivero Toscani begins.
• 1983 The Group enters Formula One as sponsor of the Tyrrel team.
• 1985 Benetton Advertising wins the “Grand Prix de la Publicite” in France. It is the first in a series of acknowledgments that
together with critics and censorship, fosters debate in many countries around the world.
• 1988 The group got listed on Milan and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges.
• 1989 The group got listed on New York Stock Exchange. Entry into East Europe and former Soviet Union markets.
• 1991 Creation of “Colors”, a magazine, on sale in 40 countries and published in 4 languages. 1994 “Fabrica” Benetton
Group Communication research center is created.
• 1998 Fabrica cinema was created
• 2000 Fabrica Music was created

5. Institutional campaigns

6. I N S T I T U T I O N A L C A M P A I G N S
SAVE BIRTH EVEN
HERE
IT’S MY TIME VICTIMS MICROCREDIT
AFRICA WORKS

7. BENETTON’S INSTITUTIONAL
CAMPAIGNS
Under Toscani, Benetton came
out with the campaigns of
brotherhood and peace
addressing the issue of racism.
The image black woman
white baby is the most awarded
image in Benetton’s advertising
history.
These images gathered awards
in Austria, France, Great Britain,
Holland and the United States

8. Toscani’s other advertisements
featured a priest kissing a nun,
children wearing US and USSR
flags kissing each other,
Image of a man dying of AIDS
surrounded by his family shows
the terrifying sight of a body
devasted by the HIV virus and a
boatload of refugees.
Although the ads never
featured any of the label's
clothing, they brought the
Benetton name front as a source
of debate and inspiration

9. UNIQUE CONCEPT
• Benetton’s instituitional campaigns
carry a big idea, a unique concept of
showing shocking images to the
The idea behind using shocking
was an effort by Benetton to
breakthrough the complacency that
exists in our society. By removing
images from their familiar contexts
putting them in a new context, make
the more likely to be noticed, as the
viewer becomes involved in process of
answering the questions:
A. What does this image mean?
B. Why does this image appears with
the Benetton logo?
C. How do I feel about the subject of
the image?
D. What can I do?

10. • With this kind of an audience behavior and scenario, Benetton group very creatively
employs the strategy of using shocking images in its ad so as to break through the
clutter of ads and make its message visible to people.
• Benetton’s shocking ads are designed to raise public awareness of social issues, issues
that are global and universal.
• Using shocking images people are forced to think about the topic. Something
shocking is required to make some people come out of their world.
• Benetton ads carry a power to raise people’s collective consciousness which might also
influence and insist them to take a positive constructive action.

11. CONTROVERSIES OF CAMPAIGNS
 The UNHATE campaign, featuring world
leaders kissing Barack Obama, has hit the
headlines showing the US President kissing
China's Hu Jintao and Venezuelan leader
Hugo Chavez on the lips.
 The adverts have also triggered a protest
from the Vatican.
• President Obama was unimpessed. "The
White House has a longstanding policy
disapproving of the use of the president's
name and likeness for commercial
purposes," spokesman Eric Schultz said.
• Father Federico Lombardi, said the Vatican
has told its lawyers in Italy and around the
world to "take the proper legal measures"
to ban the use of another Benetton's
photo montage showing the Pope
embracing a Egypt's Ahmed el Tayyeb,
imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo and
a leading voice in Sunni Islam.

12. STRENGTHS OF BENETTON
1. They are a worldwide known brand.
2. UCB have sponsored many well know events like Formula 1 as well
Volleyball events.
3. They are known for their good quality fabric and designs.
4. They work in tangent with many other brands with their company.
5. Their clothes have international style that combines energy, colour
and practicality.
6. Branding and marketing campaigns have always generated to a lot
visibility.

13. WEAKNESSES OF BENETTON
• Indeed, in 10 years the company’s turnover has only grown by 2% (2 billion euros) despite
opening thousands shops around the world.
• Its competitors have managed to quickly adapt their collections by launching copies of on
trend clothes from fashion runways within two weeks.
• The company owns only 25% of the whole shops worldwide while companies such as Zara
possess all their stores.
• Advertising is also one of the company’s recent weaknesses
• The company keeps trying to create a new buzz, thinking of it as a winning formula.

14. BENETTON IN INDIA

15. EFFECTS OF SHOCK ADVERTISING
• Anti Tobacco and smoking campaigns where visuals of diseased lungs, or of cancerous
tumours are used to put people off smoking. Visuals of smokers faces and lips being
hooked through with fish hooks were used to show that they were hooked to smoking.
• CHILD Abuse Awareness for instance, show disturbing visuals of an assaulted child to
encourage awareness about this issue
• The Breast Cancer Fund internationally ran a poster campaign that showed women in
lingerie in poses like lingerie ads, but with mastectomy scars in place of their breasts.
• The positive impact of shock advertising, when it deals with social and cultural taboos is
that it can sensitise people to other cultures and ways of life.
• A negative fallout of shock advertising is that continuous exposure to them desensitizes
us to them, and they become blind spots
• To remain relevant, shock advertising should constant innovate, be topical and be
something that touches a core belief or value in a way that shakes up the viewer.

16. THANK YOU