United Colors of Benetton scores with its shockvertising

Benetton has differentiated itself by politically aligning with consumers, rather than just talking about style & colours

e4m by Twishy
Published: Feb 19, 2013 8:01 PM  | 3 min read
United Colors of Benetton scores with its shockvertising

Did it integrate opposites, has it united differences under a common flag, did it break down barriers or has it sparked controversies?  Be it the white girl with blonde curly hair and an African American girl embracing each other or an attempt to fight world hunger or pulsing hearts of three different races, United Colors of Benetton has defined a new era of fearless and provocative ads.

Italian art director and photographer Oliviero Toscani is credited with creating Benetton’s daring advertising campaigns. Breaking the age-old advertising tricks, Benetton has always pushed sensitive subjects and challenged realities.

‘All the colors of the world' was the first slogan that appeared; it was later replaced by the famous ‘United Colors of Benetton’, which became the actual logo. By 1984, Toscani's work started creating buzz with ‘All the Colors of the World’ campaign that focussed on young people of multicultural groups wearing the brand’s apparels. A political alignment with consumers rather than just talking about the style and colours has helped in creating a movement against various social taboos.

Showcasing the message of unity in 1991, the brand portrayed one figure from three different continents warmed by a single blanket. The ad looked like a family portrait and gave the message of spreading love between people of different races. In order to fight world hunger in 1997, the brand used one of the most astonishing images to depict how hunger can consume human body. The most controversial ad was the ‘Death Row’ campaign that aimed at drawing attention to the controversy around capital punishment in the US. Convicted criminals were used as models and the photos were stamped with the words ‘Sentenced to Death’ and ‘We, on Death Row’.

Right from bravely using HIV AIDS to the colourful mix of condoms and the Cold War campaign with a photo of two black children kissing and wrapped in different flags, the brand doesn’t shy away from sparking debates.

The iconic image of an umbilical cord still intact to a baby and featuring a real AIDS patient on his deathbed was an unusual sight in the advertising space. To some it appeared distasteful and insensitive but it generated awareness about the disease and number of infant deaths.

Raising the bar of controversies again, Benetton recently launched the ‘Unhate’ campaign featuring religious leaders, prime ministers, presidents kissing each other as an attempt to foster global love and creation of a new culture of tolerance.

The campaign also took the Lion Grand Prix in Press; however, Benetton had to withdraw the photograph featuring Pope Benedict XVI kissing a senior Egyptian imam. The campaign generated more than 500 million hits and was among the top trending topics on Twitter.

The ‘Unhate’ campaign was followed by the launch of ‘The unemployee of the year’ communication campaign, set up under the aegis of the UNHATE Foundation, that seeks to challenge clichés about youth non-employment and asserts a belief in the creativity of the world’s youth. The campaign aimed to support youth to become actors of change against indifference and stigma. Young non-employed people, between the ages of 18 and 30, were invited to submit outlines of projects to be supported and the 100 most deserving projects received support from the UNHATE Foundation to turn these projects into reality.

UCB campaigns have been bold and the brand has been able to spread awareness. Some call it marketing brilliance while others blame the brand for sparking controversies; however, the ads have given the brand an edgy image and helped in creating a dialogue in the society. We await what comes next!

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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur

The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:15 PM  | 1 min read
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With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.

The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.

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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out

The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'

e4m by e4m Staff
Published: Oct 27, 2023 6:07 PM  | 1 min read
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Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."

The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."

COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.

Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.

He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 11:48 AM  | 1 min read
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e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.

According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.

As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.

A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.

Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.

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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall

The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 26, 2023 10:54 AM  | 1 min read
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Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.

“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.

“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.

"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."

"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."

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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias

Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments

e4m by exchange4media Staff
Published: Aug 24, 2023 3:35 PM  | 1 min read
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KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.

Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy

Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.

Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."

Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."

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