121 thoughts on “Benetton Takes on Bruises – UPDATED”

1. To be honest, I’m kind of relieved that Benetton has taken this on. I really don’t think the goal was to match bruises to the colors in the clothing line. The only thing that is strange, or least kind of nagging at the corner of my brain, is how they’ve used their own trademark/logo to subvert and comment? I guess I am used to seeing this style of public commentary art used by artists who are commenting on the company itself (e.g. if Benetton owned maquiladoras).

   I guess, kudos for bringing up the topic, but I’m not sure I’m sold. Not because it isn’t important or that it isn’t good that this was brought up, but just because there’s something unsettling for me.

2. It personally bothers me. I don’t like the ads, but I’m sure their hearts were in the right place.

3. It personally bothers me. I don’t like the ads, but I’m sure their hearts were in the right place.

   Part of me can’t decide if it’s cruel to echo the bruise’s coloring with the sweater, but I agree– heart in the right place. Maybe they wanted maximum impact? The jarring effect of all that purple does make me pause and most ads don’t, so mission accomplished, I guess.

4. Thanks for posting this ,Anna

   I saw it on the news tab but it really left me cold.

   What is the message here : if you are a victim of DV, dress up well, arrange your hair to show your bruises?

   It seemed exploitative but maybe I am seeing things?

5. What is the message here : if you are a victim of DV, dress up well, arrange your hair to show your bruises?

   I don’t know if that’s the message…but that’s kind of what she does.

   There is something empowering about wearing your wounds vs. hiding them. For me (and only me, I’m not judging others) it’s a truth-over-shame thing, but I don’t think that’s right for everyone and I don’t judge anyone for how they handle such awfulness. I hate invalidating other people, so if this makes some of us uncomfortable, I am sympathetic and I respect that. I didn’t hide when my lip was split because I didn’t do anything wrong and I had nothing to be ashamed of, especially since I immediately walked away…this image reminds me of that incident.

6. I guess my own feelings will evolve as I ruminate over this more and analyze it in my head. However, my initial reaction is ‘Eeeks’. At the moment on a first look this seems to be bothering me and the thought of using the shock value of something as grave and serious as DM to create brand awareness disturbs me. The people behind the ad will obviously show it as a ‘win win’ situation (or more possibly a Win situation for DM) and we will hear a lot of talk of how Benetton being a ‘socially conscious’ company is doing this etc etc. However, maybe due to my own prejudiced perceptions of how profit centric ads should be, I am ok with a NPO using ads and shock value to spread it’s message but I don’t feel comfortable with a commercial campaign piggybacking on a issue such as this.

   That does not mean I was not a big fan of their United colors campaign – I guess while that used something socially relevant too, it was more of a positive spin and thus did not evoke the same emotions.

7. didn’t hide when my lip was split because I didn’t do anything wrong and I had nothing to be ashamed of, especially since I immediately walked away…this image reminds me of that incident

   Kudos ,Anna, you are really brave!

   Not that I was suggesting that there is something shameful about wounds inflicted by the heartless …

   more that the idea of Benetton using DV to sell their products( thats what it came across to me !) was unsettling in some way

8. The true colours of Benetton.

9. Hmmmm. Interesting ad. It seems that they got there point across if so many people have reacted with a comment. DV victims are afraid to speak out. Are we also afraid to listen?

10. However, maybe due to my own prejudiced perceptions of how profit centric ads should be, I am ok with a NPO using ads and shock value to spread it’s message but I don’t feel comfortable with a commercial campaign piggybacking on a issue such as this.

    I’m with Ardy. The point of a Benetton ad is to sell clothes and make money. They have to use domestic violence to do that? It gives me the creeps. I don’t think it sends a messsage of empowerment at all; to me, it’s completely tasteless.

11. I don’t think their heart’s in right place. It’s just one more in a long line of exploitative ads. Their sales exploded after they started pimping social issues. Old numbers from Economist: Link In 1990 sales rose by 25% to 2 trillion lire ($1.7 billion); in 1991 they are thought to have increased 15%.

12. Perhaps the UCoB ad should be juxtaposed with the Dolce & Gabbana billboards. They’re all in it for the shock value and money as far as I can tell.

13. One more time w/ feeling. Link.

14. Regardless of its taste, the ad certainly makes you sit and think, which makes it successful. I’m not sure whether it was stated in one of the links or not, but I am assuming these are “real effects”. If so, that’s pretty brave of these women and kudos to them.

15. Forgot to mention that I loved their Colours cologne back in the ’80s!

16. “Regardless of its taste, the ad certainly makes you sit and think, which makes it successful”

    If that’s all it’s making you do, then I don’t think Benetton would consider it one bit successful!

17. I would love to know what other DV-survivors think of the ad. I hate to try and out-cynic some of you, but I think this has less to do with dismissing a company as profit-seeking and more to do with your discomfort at looking at a woman with a black eye. Maybe there’s shame involved too, since this violence is over-associated with our community. Also, resentment that it isn’t a blonde model, since they get battered as well.

    I just think it’s a little too simple to say “It’s like, so tasteless!” Do you really think someone is going to look at a woman’s broken face and feel inspired to go buy a sweater? Come on.

18. Thanks for the links, Shodan. I was first made aware of this company after their highly controversial use of death row inmates back in 2000. (Read the VP’s lame cop-out about the ads being solely about “building brand awareness.” Unbelievable.) If there’s any doubt that the latest ad campaign is a continuation of the ignominious exploitation Benetton is infamous for, read this.

19. Benetton’s so-called public awareness ads, rather like Kenneth Cole’s, are a self-conscious, and self-indulgent attempt at branding, similar to those silly names for expensive jeans and clothing lines, like “Citizens of Humanity” and “Anthropology” and so forth. It’s an attempt to tug BoBo heartstrings. If they actually do donate money to domestic violence advocacy, I can respect them for that. Though even that, like fashion designers taking on a “cause” that allows them to have high-society “benefit” events, has more to do with them and their desire to project a certain image to the world and hob-nob with fellow noblessse-oblige types than with any serious commitment to the cause (remember the SATC episode when Samantha takes on the Javier designer guy’s memorial foundation)?

20. Thanks for the link, Shodan. I hadn’t realized that Benetton capitalizes on “social issues” in this way.

21. interesting how there’s a lot of the holier than-thou attitude coming across here in this benetton-bashing. as far as i can see (which, i will admit, is probably not too far), benetton’s only crime so far is capitalism. i didn’t think there were that many socialists around any more. guess i was wrong.

22. Slate had an article about the man behind Benetton’s campaigns.

    An excerpt from this article…

    This is because ad execs fancy themselves to be gifted artists trapped by the mundanities of commerce. Some of Toscani’s ads really do enter the realm of pure art—totally divorced from the stink of any marketing imperatives—but he got away with using such provocative and stylish shots only because he linked the Benetton brand itself to shocking imagery not tethered to any product. Good luck to the modern ad guy who puts mating horses in his next toothpaste commercial. Anyway, one can go only so far down the Toscani path before the trail peters out. It’s no surprise to learn that one of Toscani’s most notable post-Benetton accomplishments is Cacas: a coffee-table tome containing his photographs of human and animal excrement. “Nine-color printing,” Toscani enthused this weekend, discussing the book. “Shit is something we never copy from anyone else. We do it every day, and it is true creativity. Learn from this!” he exhorted the assembled ad workers.

23. DNA, where on earth did you get the impression that this was capitalism-bashing? It’s hypocrisy-bashing. There are companies that take their social responsibility campaigns seriously, and donate part of their profits to hunger relief (Calphalon used to) or a range of liberal causes (like the long-distance company Working Assets). And then there are those that use “socially conscious” advertising for no other purpose than to brand themselves. That’s the difference. Truth in advertising, in a sense.

24. Anna, if DV means your husband beats you up, the solution is pretty simple.watch WWF. WARN him that you are watching wwf and that you will beat him back. next time he tries to hit you, give him 2.i punched him twice.plus its nice if you have a neice around who will convey the message to his mother. i was ready for the consequences 1. i had a job(that means i was financially stable) 2. I had taken my dad into confidence 3. i was emotionally ready to leave the marriage if this didn’t work.

    hubby has never touched me after that. We have a difficult marriage, but we are working on it. to all the victims out there. we encourage DV by not reacting. React. Stand up for yourself. stand outside the lines sometimes

25. This is not the first time Benetton has come up with something controversial.

    This reminds me of a Dolce and Gabbana ad which they had to pull down. The first place I read about that ad said: you gotta hand it to the Italians, they sure know how to make gang rape look sexy.

26. Now, note that I’m not saying that there isn’t considerable domestic violence in the South Asian community, but is there a particular reason why this series of ads seems to feature only women who are not white?

27. My initial reaction is disgust with this ad campaign. This is the first time I’m seeing it. I’ve loved Benetton clothes forever and loved their Colors magazine that highlighted social issues.

    But this ad seems to look like her bruises are a fashionable accessory to her clothes.
    I think this is a distasteful way of highlighting the problem of DV and I think the end result could be negative.

28. Another DV organization to add to the list, that provides linguistic and cultural competent services for survivors —-

    API – DVRP (Asian Pacific Islander Domestic Violence Resource Project) http://www.dvrp.org/

29. Years ago, Benetton did an ad that was criticized for somewhat glorifying members of death row, To me, Benetton has put themselves in a win win situation. If people like the ad, they get a rep for being “dangerous, and unafraid to tackle subjects that are taboo”, if people don’t like the ad and cause a stink, they get more attention, and media publicity. Each of which translates into higher sales.

30. i wonder if benetton “shares” any of their “capital gains” with organizations that do anti-domestic violence work.

    5

    “I didn’t hide when my lip was split because I didn’t do anything wrong and I had nothing to be ashamed of, especially since I immediately walked away…this image reminds me of that incident.”

    there is definitely nothing to be shamed of. a little concerned with the clarifier “especially since i immediately walked away” — i worry that some people might take this to mean that there is nothing to be ashamed of as long as the victim/survivor leaves the relationship. there are many similar reasons why survivors of domestic violence may stay in or leave a relationship (and the risks of leaving or staying in a relationship are similar too).

    24 – DV is definitely more than physical violence. beating someone back would not solve DV, which is about people maintaining power and control over someone else by using emotional, verbal, physical, sexual and economic tactics. “to all the victims out there. we encourage DV by not reacting.React. Stand up for yourself. stand outside the lines sometimes” — only the perpetrator can stop the actual tactics of DV, the responsibilty of the violence falls on them. but as a community members, we could and should stand up against DV, support survivors and hold abusers accountable.

31. Re: Cynicism / socialism / whateverism. Nobody’s going to rush to stores after seeing broken faces and death row inmates. Excuse my marketing-speak, but let’s look at, uh, big picture.

    How many people remember Banana Republic ads? How many people remember Benetton ads — say five years after the release? I’m sure the good samaritans at Benetton never think of vulgar terms like mind share.

    I have no issues w/ people making zillions, nor do I want to get on moral high-horse. But let’s not confuse clever marketing w/ altruism.

32. So I guess this proves the old adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity?

33. Nobody’s going to rush to stores after seeing broken faces and death row inmates. Excuse my marketing-speak, but let’s look at, uh, big picture.

    No. but that’s not what they want right away. All they want is your attention. I’d imagine they’d rather have someone “boycotting” their stores, rather than be indifferent. Because at that point, they have your attention – and opinions and beliefs can always be reversed. It may be rare, but I’d say in fact, a reversed opinion is likely to be 10x stronger than one reached lackadaisically.

34. if Benetton truly issued this ad “in the public interest“, we’d see the victim, but not the branded, $120 sweater. but where’s the capitalism in that??

35. At the least, the picture brings back memories!

    Life begins as a narcissist, supremely egotistic grandiose self. She can never match up to your intelligence. You are munificent – didn’t you condescend to marry her? She has simple dreams – chinna chinna aasai. You transplant her from her comfort zone and teach her the difference between salad fork and dessert fork, changing lanes and wearing stockings to interviews. You enjoy the repartees when she is possessive as you flirt with the blonde colleague at christmas parties. You lay down the rules of the house – she is a housekeeper, cook and pleasure device. You notice that she is watching Sleeping with the Enemy yet again.

    There are arguments and you think you are ceding too much simply by engaging. You threaten. She cries. Verbal escalation – you hit the nuke button and slap. She cries more. She leaves you for a few months. You stalk her and call her numerous times to convince her it will never happen again. She returns.

    She wants to feel useful – she sends $49.99 to some unknown address in Florida to get a kit to start home-based business. You know its all a rip-off but indulge nevertheless. She goes to her first interview in Manhattan in a Polka-dot below-knee length skirt and unmatched top – she has no suits and convinces them to pay her $25000 a year. She is lapped up by the anonymous crowds of the City and she wisens up.

    The next time there is an argument and it escalates, she brings out the kitchen knife. You retreat.

    Fast forward – She now makes much more than you and leads a busy life. You are in awe of the transformation.

36. I’m falling into the camp that doesn’t like this ad. It seems awkward and uncomfortable because she’s wearing the cute clothes. They’re mixing their altruistic promotions with brand marketing. It doesn’t jive. They could have approached this a number of ways. For example, we don’t know if this model is a survivor or not. Photograph a real person with a snapshot of her history and HOW Bennetton helped (e.g., supported XYZ women’s shelter).

    Also, it reminds me of some weird runway fad in the early 90’s where models were going for ‘bruised’ looks.

37. I am in a situation now and although educated, I am far from my family and confused. What is wwf?

38. I might be one of the few who feels this way, but I don’t think altruism is really at play here. That is, Benetton is using DV to be provocative and get their ads (and indirectly, their products) noticed in a big way…I don’t think there’s any intent to bring attention to domestic violence, or help DV victims.

    It’s all $$$ in the bank for Benetton either way.

39. I don’t think there’s any intent to bring attention to domestic violence

    I think that’s wrong, for obvious reasons. They intended to create this ad and they are bringing domestic violence to our attention– we are discussing it. Anyone who sees this ad/the altered logo is going to pay attention to domestic violence, even if only for a split-second. I’m not saying Benetton is altruistic or that this wasn’t motivated by profit/market-share/mind-share.

40. What is wwf?

    I think they are referring to what is now known as WWE.

41. people, look up the definition of altruism (I mean the technical definition); to qualify as altruism any act must come at a cost to the actor performing it with no expectation of benefits (beyond psychological satisfaction). Now corporations by law cannot perform acts of altruism. Any “social services” they perform are(indeed have to be) justified as increasing stockholder value in some way (customer goodwill, image etc.). So to talk about “corporate altruism” is an oxymoron. Therefore it is even more of a stretch to expect marketing campaigns (of all things!!)to be motivated by a desire to perform social services without an expectation of monetary benefit. So Shodan et al. are obviously absolutely correct in their stance.

42. There is a very important Desi women’s organization called Manavi who do wonders for South Asian ladies.

    check it:

    Manavi was founded in 1985 by six South Asian women. It is a non-profit organization for women who trace their cultural heritage to Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Manavi’s goal is to increase awareness of women’s rights in society and encourage social change to end all violence against them. Its approach is nonjudgmental, nonreligious , and nonsectarian. Manavi is committed to the empowerment of South Asian women and thereby, dedicates its major efforts to facilitating women’s quest for self-reliance and autonomy everywhere.

    There are many others, certainly. But Manavi is very involved with our community in New Jersey.

43. brownie, wwf (actually WWE referring to a wrestling show on TV) was presumably a tongue-in-cheek remark made by a poster; her other comments though are spot-on. I suspect some of the other posters here will be more helpful regarding your situation, but here’s a link that might be of some assistance: http://www.domesticviolence.org/plan.html

44. By the way the above does not include individual business people in their individual capacities (Tatas,Rockefeller) donating money etc for various causes (through charitable institutions specifically set up for such purposes). Also “law” refers specifically to U.S. corporate law.

45. No. but that’s not what they want right away. All they want is your attention. I’d imagine they’d rather have someone “boycotting” their stores, rather than be indifferent.

    True. Remember Howard Stern movie? People who hated him outnumbered his fans in listener surveys. There’s a reason you see food, babies and sex in ads. Of course, we’re too jaded and need to be jolted out of our media saturated revery. Enter controversy.

46. This is evil in it’s most sophisticated form.. There is no way that those bruises are real, I doubt any marketing company would be that evil as to use a real victim, I think they used make up on her to make it look like that..

47. ANNA means elephant in malayalam.

48. Many issues are brushed under the carpet in the media-frenzied world unless there is a celebrity index case. Benetton is to be commended for buying your mind-share to think about DV. The symbolism of Benetton sweater draped and comforting an apparent DV survivor is a strong message on where the firm stands on the issue. The question is do you think it is an issue and on which side do you fall in supporting it?

    Take-away from this customer segmentation marketing case study – “Decent Brand”.

49. Oh my god, Honey. That so matches my bruise. Can you cut me on the cheek with the kitchen knife so the blood matches my red Benetton pants!

50. ANNA means elephant in malayalam.

    What is your point?