Bravo! United colors of Benetton prove they know what good branding is with their new brand ad campaign ‘unhate’. They’re definitely making a statement and the whole world is talking about the provoking images of world leaders getting it hot and steamy in the Benetton spots.
What does UNHATE mean? Unhate is a message that invites us to consider that hate and love are not as far away from each other as we think. Actually, the two opposing sentiments are often in a delicate and unstable balance. The campaign promotes a shift in the balance: don’t hate, Unhate.
The central theme is the kiss, the most universal symbol of love, between the world’s political and religious leaders.
The UNHATE communication project includes a series of coordinated initiatives and events, starting yesterday in the main newspapers, periodicals and websites around the world. Like a global unhate day and a UNHATE DOVE that will carry the message of tolerance: the Unhate DOVE, by the cuban artist Erik Ravelo, will be built by recycling used war bullets for a 4 meter long dove that will then be donated to a country that has recently faced conflicts.
It may not come as a surprise Benetton pissed a whole lot of people off and they were forced to back down and pull the photo of pope Benedix XVI kissing a leading Egyptian Imam Amehd ell tayyab from the campaign. The Vatican expressed the ‘firmest protest for this absolutely unacceptable use of the image of the Holy Father.’ The company defended the campaign, saying its purpose ‘was solely to battle the culture of hate in all its forms.
The Vatican protesting is probably exactly what Mr Benetton hoped for, this creates an even bigger hype.
Mr. Benetton declared:
At this moment in history, so full of major upheavals and equally large hopes, we have decided, through this campaign, to give widespread visibility to an ideal notion of tolerance and invite the citizens of every country to reflect on how hatred arises particularly from fear of ‘the other’ and of what is unfamiliar to us. Ours is a universal campaign, using instruments such as the internet, the world of social media, and artistic imagination, and it is unique, in that it calls the citizens of the world to action.
I have no idea what the clothes look like, and actually, I don’t care. I want to wear Benetton because I will represent what the brand stands for. They show they’ve got guts and are not afraid to try to change the world. I want to be a part of the unhate movement. Now, that’s what I call branding!
Like the Unhate campaign Here to support them!
