Gabriella Schofield / Visual Culture BA(Hons)

Benetton poster of two women and a baby

 

Postmodern culture is regarded as ‘consumption-oriented’, as noted by French sociologist Jean Baudrillard. Where consumption has become intricately embedded in our navigation of culture, the boundaries between the areas of information we intake have been blurred. Brands have disregarded the product-image text format and have begun to incorporate issues of a socio-political nature, imitating news articles. The United Colors of Benetton, a global fashion brand founded in Italy in 1965, is the ‘most globally visible corporate exponents of business ethics’. It aims to raise awareness through advertising of global issues dismissed by mainstream media. Advertising director Oliviero Toscani generated controversial advertisements, with some being banned in various countries. The publicity received due to these led to Benetton being regarded as a ‘cultural icon’ in the 80s and 90s. Examining Benetton’s campaigns regarding the AIDS crisis, India’s monsoons and the USA’s death penalty, this dissertation proposes Benetton’s commodification of socio-political issues as one of the first and most influential of its kind.

Utilising archival imagery of Benetton’s campaigns, this dissertation will provide information regarding critical theories surrounding the visual elements of postmodern advertising, dissecting Benetton’s advertising strategy. It will examine the cultural and political contexts within which most of these controversial campaigns arose. Building upon this research, this dissertation will reflect upon Benetton’s legacy, identifying its influence on advertising methods, leading to the widespread use of commodification of ethical issues within advertisements to aim ultimately to prove Benetton’s place as one of the pioneers of this movement.

 

3 human hearts

Oliviero Toscani, Hearts, 1996. Photographic advertisement. The United Colors of Benetton Archive.