Jordan McCallister
Intermediate English
Professor Amanda Aathon
February 27th, 2012
Rhetorical Analysis
Benetton quickly caught my eye with their provocative and thought-provoking
advertisements. Even though they are an international clothing store that’s located in
Italy, their advertisements seem to speak to more than just their clothing. Often times
using the slogan “United Colors of Benetton,” the company has silently spoken out
against racism, hatred, spoken for acceptance, unity, and challenged modern day
ideologies. Their advertisements are unique and a breath of fresh air, maybe to some
even mildly offensive, challenging the norms of how today’s media operates.
In this particular advertisement where a black and white man are handcuffed
together, Benetton is making a bold statement regarding racism. The advertisement
displays a moving picture of two men’s hands side by side, connected only by a pair of
handcuffs. The particularly moving part of the advertisement is that one man’s hand is
white, and the others, black. Not only that, but their only link to one another is the pair of
handcuffs. An interesting factor is that both men are wearing blue jeans; blue jean pants
as well as a blue jean shirt or jacket, and both men are holding their hands in soft fists.
Featured in one green stripe with white block lettering is their slogan, “United Colors of
Benetton,” written on one side of the ad. How ironic and intentional are those words
paired with that picture. How moving, how challenging, and how convicting are those
words paired with that picture. Benetton provides simple and innovative advertisements
that are effective because they capture new viewer’s attention with their challenging
messages that speak beyond their product, and because they cultivate current
customer’s loyalty and sense of pride in the company. At first glance I’m wondering,
who is Benetton? What is Benetton? What do they stand for? What do they have to
offer? A company that is making a statement that goes beyond their product deserves
respect.
Featured above is the advertisement allegedly marketing for Benetton and their
clothing line. Typically, in advertisements, clothing lines focus on their clothes, and how
the clothes look on the people they are choosing to model them. Oppositely, featured
below is an advertisement from Forever 21 that largely focuses on the bow headband
and/or accessory. Contrasted from Benetton, the words listed on this particular Forever
21 ad focus on the product itself, explaining that their items are both affordable as well
as fashionable.
This is what makes Benetton so innovative and set apart from other clothing
companies. I think Benetton’s advertisement is so catchy and noticeable because the
last thing viewers think about upon viewing the ad, is clothes. For example, what I’m
thinking about is the symbolism behind a black and white man connected by handcuffs.
I’m intrigued, and longing to know more about this so called “Benetton.” I wonder if one
of the goals of the company is to generate curiosity that will cause the consumer to
research for themselves Benetton’s name. This simple mystery that’s added to the
advertisement is completely innovative to the ad industry. Benetton is not putting
everything out there; they are to be further discovered.
It is obvious that this advertisement is speaking about a deeper issue; the issue
being racism and diversity. It is no secret that our country has a cruel history with the
African American race, previously enslaving them to the white colonists and plantation
owners, stealing from them their rights. I think that the handcuffs speak to this
enslavement. What’s interesting is that the ad equalizes both races. No one person
appears greater than the other because they are side by side. Side by side, chained
together. This message is so powerful. In my opinion, Benetton could be speaking
about unity and equality among people of different skin colors. I think that is their main
message. Benetton is taking a huge risk in taking a stance on racism. In this way, the
company is narrowing its’ audience. People who do have a problem with diversity, who
do discriminate against those of different skin colors, and who do hold personal
prejudices, may not continue to shop at Benetton’s store. I personally admire this
confident risk that Benetton is choosing to take, and other consumers like me may begin
take pride in the company that they choose to shop at. Another reason this is risky for
the company is because potential customers may not even know that Benetton is
anything beyond a “Got Milk?” advertisement. The name may go unnoticed or ignored
because the message about diversity is being so loudly delivered. And despite
Benetton’s possible efforts for people to research the company, some may never realize
that Benetton is in fact a clothing store, and so their efforts to cultivate business may be
null. Benetton must be aware of these potential happenings and be willing to risk it for
their beliefs regardless. Again, that is what is so admirable.
The style of the ad is simplistic and minimal. There isn’t a lot going on. There isn’t
a lot to focus on or a lot to process. This is an intentional move on the part of Benetton.
The main focuses of the ad are the two hands and their skin colors. The branding is
smaller and the message is larger. If there were any question about what was the most
important message to receive from the advertisement, the simplistic style approach
would have helped to convey it all.
Even though this company produced a great advertisement with this current
display, there have been other times in which I’ve found Benetton to be offensive. For
example, displays of physical affection between two men, including the President of the
United States, or baring private body parts. These kinds of advertisements may make
other people uncomfortable. There are other ways to communicate the same message
that don’t need to be quite as drastic.
Overall, Benetton is a uniquely impressive company. It has given its name,
Benetton, a value that reaches beyond sales and product. Because of the messages
the company chooses to deliver in it’s advertising, Benetton has taken a great risk in
trying to gain profit. Even so, these risks could potentially gain customer loyalty and
pride. At the same time, new customers may be turned off to the company; the name
and association with a clothing store altogether may go unnoticed, and the
advertisements may be found to be offensive.