Saturday, July 26, 2008
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Benneton By Laeten Taylor
Friday, July 18, 2008
cradle to cradle v cradle to grave by Laeten Taylor
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Leilani : Olivero Toscani
And as the "quirky", in-house creative director for the Benetton Group, Olivero Toscani has shattered every conventionally held idea regarding the role of advertising. Toscani was hired by Luciano Benetton to exclusively head the company's advertising campaign. Not an easy task. With over 7,000 Benetton stores in over 120 countries and meet an extremely specific communication goal: to produce international campaigns of global concern for global consumers. Thus, Toscani’s campaigns are international, homogeneous and characterized by universal themes. According to Benetton, the advertising has become "not only a means of communication but an expression of our time."
Welcome to Toscani's world.
Toscani's early work presented youthful images from culturally diverse nations. Colourfully dressed in Benetton attire, engaged in a variety of playful acts. By linking the varying colours in the collection to the diverse "colours" of its world customers, Toscani presented a theme of racial harmony and world peace. From these ads grew the inspirational trademark still used today: "United Colours of Benetton."
Toscani assumed a strategy in which social issues played the major role - allowing for a communication on themes relevant to everyone, everywhere. A means to draw attention to important social problems, in an attempt to promote a discussion about issues which people would normally glide over if they approached them from other channels, issues they feel should be more widely talked about.
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1673663,00.htm
Monday, June 23, 2008
LEE: Benetton
The united colors of Benetton is a successful clothing company that focuses not on plain old fashion but tries to connect with the buyer with the same mindset about their common morals and social values. By promoting their products in this way Benetton’s clothing has caused much controversy is nations around the globe, due to its blunt approach to taboo advertising.
The brand developed into the “united colors of Benetton” based on the colours of the youths around the world that the youths were designed for and began to promote things like world peace and racial equality etc.
When I first heard about the “united colors of Benetton” I thought it was some form of united racial movement charity group of sorts based on the pictures I had seen, but when I found out it was actually a clothing brand I became rather sceptical and began to think, while yes I am sure the Benetton’s care about all the stuff they promote, it could just be a way of getting all the “hippies” or “activists” to buy their products because they think it will in some way help the people in need.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benetton_Group
Google image search for united colors of benettonBRAIINZ!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
GEMMA: United Colours of Benetton
This statement, in a way, sums up the way in which Oliveri Toscani and 'United Colours of Benetton' market their fashion and brand to the public. The core business of the company remains in their clothing lines of which they market casual clothing marketed as the "United Colors of Benetton." Additional to this there are also three other divisions of clothing titled “Sisley” (fashion-oriented), "Playlife" (leisurewear), and "Killer Loop" (street wear.) Their products are made to suit the entire community needs, targeting all women’s wear, menswear, children’s wear and underwear.
The company is known for sponsorship of a number of sports, and for the controversial "United Colors" publicity campaign. When photographer Oliviero Toscani was hired by the Benetton team, under his direction, ads were created that contained striking images unrelated to any actual products being sold by the company. These graphic, billboard sized ads included depictions of a variety of 'shocking' subjects. The company's logo served as the only text accompanying the images in most of these advertisements.
The company suggested that they “decided to do something very controversial that people would pick up on - 50% of people thought it was great and 50% thought it was awful, but in the meantime everyone was talking about Benetton." Due to this, Benetton has faced criticism from many organizations.
Benetton Group's advertising campaigns are not only a means of communication but an expression of our time. Through their universal impact, they have succeeded in attracting the attention of the public and in standing out amongst the current clutter of images.Although their newfound ideas of advertisement have been ridiculed, the campaigns have also gathered awards worldwide. They create strong reactions which are often either brutal or simply curious, confirming once again that they are always a central focal point of debate and of confrontation of ideas.
Bibliography:
www.benettongroup.com/en/whatwesay/sottosezioni/campaigns_photo_gallery.htm
http://www.benetton.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benetton_Group
http://www.killerloop.com/
http://www.sisley.com/Site/Index.php
http://www.playlife.com/
www.linkinn.com/_United_colors_of_benetton
http://www.mapuche-nation.org/english/main/benetton/main/info.htm
Monday, June 16, 2008
Kurt-Oliveri Toscani-Benetton
The advertising philosophy of United Colors of Benetton is based on Luciano Benetton's belief that 'communication should not be commissioned from outside the company, but conceived from within its heart.'
The Advertising Campaigns produced by Benetton are controversial, there’s no denying it. I think this full in your face no bullshit photography from Oliver Toscani is an absolutely brilliant tool for communicating so many social and dramatic humanistic issues.
The whole association with value is so strong they are able to tie so many different themes and events into their campaign that is a remarkable marketing strategy.
People are shocked by what they are seeing in the images but at the same time have an immediate connection to what is portrait in the photos.
“Free speech and the right to express it” In the Feb 92 campaign the communication of Benetton raized much controversy and created a global scandal.
The images of a man dying of aids, a soldier gripping a human thigh bone, a man assassinated by the mafia, a car on fire, and a ship being stormed by immigrants.
All these photos were not taken for the advertising campaign but where rather subjects of the real world used for conveying the news.
It raized questions as to weather advertising and marketing for a product should actually focus on subjects other than the companys product?
But in saying this where is the rule book to say or display the guide lines to Advertising?
Bibliography
http://press.benettongroup.com/ben_en/about/campaigns/history/
http://www.berk-edu.com/RESEARCH/oliveriToscani/index.html
http://www.benetton.com/html/index.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benetton_Group
http://sunzi1.lib.hku.hk/hkjo/view/10/1000207.pdf