We live in a world where there is an unprecedented push for democracy for same-sex marriage, gender equality, religion, race and in this case even international relations. Benetton’s timing to launch UNHATE campaign was risky, yet the exceptional. They took invitations of what an atmosphere created by fear and chaos from current event such as the war on ISIS, terrorist attacks on Paris, Libya, and Africa, and the Black Lives Matter movement, which has lead to an outbreak of violence and hatred powerful enough to convince nations and communities that volatility is the only solution to our challenge. Outrageous to many, Benetton used this accumulation of events to create Benetton’s UNHATE advertisements to bring awareness to show people that the spreading of love and tolerance of others could overcome these issues but, also for profit. Through visual stimulation and the barrage of media stimulation that blankets billboards or floats across our screens to look, buy, and, react. The UNHATE campaign is employed to persuade us, the consumer, to buy their product and challenge humanity to reevaluate our belief system. The actual act of kissing shown in the advertisement of President Obama kissing Hugo Chávez, for instance, can represent more than the hatred between two nations, the diminishment of peace, but it also be view as same-sex marriage/relationships, brotherhood, and a form submission of power/ego. The UNHATE advertisements utilizes ethos and pathos to create a new culture of tolerance that combats against hate.
Through the use of shock-advertising tactic, the visual marketing campaigns of
Benetton’s label has been successful. Although, I do agree with the driving face behind
the unhate campaign and the social responsibility it strives to enlist amongst the people. I
do feel that it did cross a boundary of social ethics with its approach to this