Ritual

“I declare you man & wife. You may now kiss the bride.” These are the words which came to my mind as I saw at this ad for the first time.

The holy tradition. The ritual of marriage. The man in black & the lady in white.

But something is contradictory here.

A priest and a nun.

Benetton has ever & again produced ads depicting something together, which otherwise is considered taboo. Its campaigns show various colors from across the world. They show black & brown alongside white, light alongside dark- people from all ethnicities intermingling, oblivious of their cultural differences. Apart from carrying this theme in its clothing ads, it also chooses to take into its hands the matters of social concern, and advertises to raise awareness for the social causes & human rights like AIDS, domestic violence etc.

I chose this ad as I consider this advertising technique a very powerful one. They are clearly disputable, but clever at the same time. They bear negative tones but carry an appeal. Specifically, they serve a very critical purpose. They constantly add to the positioning statement of the brand. They reinstate unity in diversity and reinforce that Benetton is a brand which stands for the united colors of the world.