Posted on 16 February 2012 at 11:19h

Many of you may be familiar the Benetton ads from the 1980s and 1990s. Their ads have always been controversial and bold, exploring themes of race, AIDS, poverty and religion. In November 2011, Benetton launched their 'Unhate' campaign, which has placed them in the news again (see film below and image right).

The relevance of Benetton ads to Language and Literature

Why are the Benetton ads perfect for the Language and Literature classroom?

• We should explore visual texts in preparation for Paper 1.
• Because these texts are so devisive, they lend themselves well to the further oral activity, where discussion and criticism are vital. 
• For written task 2, you will find prescribed questions that are particularly relevant to these ads. We suggest you check out a sample written task 2 which deals with the controversial ad 'La Pieta'. This ad was written after a lesson on HIV and the (visual) language of taboos, a Part 1 topic.
• The 'Unhate' campaign also raises the question of the role of editing (i.e. Photoshop), which is a very relevant topic for Part 2. Did Barack Obama and Hu Jintao give their permission to Benetton to be included this way in this image? The Pope has already asked for his image in the 'Unhate' campaign (where he kisses Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb) to be banned. 
• We are bombarded with ads daily. Part of developing good media literacy skills includes the deconstruction of ads. Benetton ads are particular interesting because of their daring themes, use of camera angle, lighting, mis-en-scene, and more. 

Discussion questions and video

Finally, let us not forget Benetton's use of moving image. The recent 'Unhate' campaign included this video which also created quite a stir. This video, like the print ads, raises several important questions about advertising in general, which are worth discussing in class.

1. Can advertising lead to social progress?
2. Are advertisements the pulse of a nation?
3. What is the difference between propaganda and advertising?
4. How do advertiser sell an abstract ideal or emotion? How might this help sell physical products?