The Guardian

13 articole
UK

Benetton tears down pope-kissing ads

after Vatican legal threat
17.11.2011
Clothing company says sorry and hastily withdraws Unhate poster featuring Pope
Benedict XVI kissing Egyptian imam
Benetton has removed poster ads featuring the pope kissing an imam. Link to video:
Benetton removes pope kissing advert
The Vatican is taking legal action to prevent further distribution or publication of an
image of the pope kissing a Muslim leader, after it was used as part of an advertising
campaign for clothing company Benetton.
The poster, which briefly appeared in various locations around Italy before being hastily
withdrawn after the Vatican's outcry, carries a picture of Benedict XVI doctored to show
him kissing Mohammed Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand sheikh of al-Azhar mosque in Cairo.
There has been tension between the two religious leaders since January, when Egypt
recalled its ambassador to the Holy See for what it called "unacceptable interference in its
internal affairs" when the pope appeared to criticise the government for failing to protect
Christian minorities.
In uncharacteristically swift fashion, and in forthright language, the Vatican condemned
the picture hours after it surfaced and announced a crackdown on its wider use.
Press secretary Father Federico Lombardi said: "We cannot but express a resolute protest
at the entirely unacceptable use of a manipulated image of the Holy Father, used as part
of a publicity campaign which has commercial ends.
"It is a serious lack of respect for the pope, an affront to the feelings of the faithful and an
evident demonstration of how, in the field of advertising, the most elemental rules of
respect for others can be broken in order to attract attention by provocation."
He added that the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, was examining
steps to "guarantee adequate protection for the figure of the Holy Father".

"The secretariat of state has authorised its lawyers to initiate actions, in Italy and
elsewhere, to prevent the circulation, via the mass media and in other ways, of a
photomontage used in a Benetton advertising campaign in which the Holy Father appears
in a way considered to be harmful, not only to the dignity of the pope and the Catholic
church, but also to the sensibility of believers."
Reports say al-Azhar, considered one of the highest seats of learning in the Sunni Muslim
tradition, denounced the poster as "irresponsible and absurd" although Tayeb has not
directly commented.
The Vatican's response forced Benetton to pull the poster. It was the second blow (or
boost depending on your perspective), to the company's campaign, which earlier had to
scrap a poster that showed Silvo Berlusconi kissing Angela Merkel after the controversial
Italian leader resigned.
This poster, along with the one featuring the pope, has since disappeared from Benetton's
website.
The company apologised for the offence caused. "We reiterate that the meaning of this
campaign is exclusively to combat the culture of hatred in all its forms.
"We are therefore sorry that the use of the image of the pope and the imam has so
offended the sentiments of the faithful.
"In corroboration of our intentions, we have decided, with immediate effect, to withdraw
this image from every publication."
Other mocked-up photos have Barack Obama kissing China's Hu Jintao and the French
president, Nicolas Sarkozy, locking lips with the German chancellor.
The current Benetton campaign, entitled Unhate and the company's first major
advertising push for more than a decade, has revived its tradition of using shock tactics to
sell knitwear and coloured denim.
Its previous campaigns have shown a nun kissing a priest, parents grieving over a man
dying of Aids and a black woman breastfeeding a white baby.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/17/benetton-pope-kissing-ads

The reaction to Benetton's pope-kissing

ad lives up to the Christian stereotype

20.11.2011
Symon Hill
There seem to be two subjects that Christian groups complain about loudly sexuality
and the status of Christianity

Benetton's poster showing Pope Benedict XVI kissing Ahmed el Tayyeb, imam of the AlAzhar Mosque in Cairo. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
It would be easy to get the impression that Christians spend all their time complaining
about sex. The latest case of religious outrage doesn't even go that far it's about kissing.
Benetton has withdrawn a series of adverts after the Vatican threatened legal action. They
featured the pope kissing an Egyptian Muslim leader.
The controversy may have done wonders for Benetton's advertising budget. Without
going to the expense of producing all the posters, it has now got far more publicity than it
could have hoped to generate through conventional methods. The alternative explanation
that it was too naive to realise that people would be offended is difficult to believe.
The Vatican has confirmed the popular stereotype of Christian anger.
There seem to be two subjects that Christian groups complain about loudly sexuality
and the status of Christianity.
To be fair, the Vatican sometimes makes relatively progressive statements about
economics and the environment, but the media tend to ignore them, concentrating on the
pope's reactionary views on sexuality and gender. Many churches do speak out strongly
about issues such as international debt, government cuts and corporate tax dodging. There
are also more radical Christian groups, such as those that have backed the Occupy
movement. As a queer Christian, I am delighted there are many Christians who are in

favour of equality for LGBT people, although we are failing to speak up as loudly as the
homophobes.
We are not doing enough to reduce the impression that Christians put most of their energy
into opposing homosexuality and defending their own status. The pope laments the
decline of Christianity in Europe. Christian leaders such as the former archbishop of
Canterbury, George Carey, want to take Britain "back" to being a Christian country.
Certain sorts of Christians have been used to privilege and the rise of multi-belief
societies is frightening for them.
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In Britain, they try to cling on to remaining privileges, such as bishops in the House of
Lords and opt-outs for faith schools. Perhaps because views on sexuality have changed
relatively speedily, this has become an issue for them to focus on, along with their desire
for Christianity to have a privileged status as if Jesus taught his followers to claim
privileges for themselves that they denied to others.
Take a look at groups such as Christian Concern. In the last year, it has put out press
releases about homosexuality, abortion and the legal status of Christianity but none
about poverty, government cuts, economic inequality, climate change, Trident, the arms
trade or the wars in Afghanistan and Libya.
This is odd given the group's desire to "infuse a biblical worldview into every aspect of
society". The Bible mentions money, and particularly the exploitation of the poor, far
more often than sex.
Christian Concern might be dismissed as a small, rightwing group, although the ideas it
peddles particularly the absurd notion that Christians as a whole are facing
discrimination in Britain have gained ground far beyond their natural constituency.
What is most worrying is the failure of institutional churches to clearly disassociate
themselves from this rhetoric. This is important if their own work on economics is to gain
the same sort of attention as rants against gay people.
This is not to say that Christians should ignore issues of sexuality. With the Catholic
church gripped by child-abuse scandals, it is vital to speak out against sexual violence.
Christians should also have a lot to say about the commercialisation of sexuality and
marriage. Christians can apply life-centred, Jesus-centred ethics to both sexual and
economic issues, encouraging people to relate to each other on the basis of love and
mutuality rather than selfishness and greed.
This is a challenge to economic and political structures as well as to common attitudes to
sexual relationships. As the Vatican complains about Benetton's offensiveness, there are
other Christians who look forward to the day when nobody bats an eyelid at the sight of
two devoutly religious men kissing each other.

 This article was amended on 21 November 2011. It was originally edited to change the
phrase "queer Christian" to "gay Christian" but the author is in fact bisexual and prefers
the term "queer". The change has now been reversed
If there's a subject you'd like to see covered on Comment is free please visit our You tell
us page
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2011/nov/20/benetton-pope-kissing-ad

Vatican criticises Benetton picture of pope

kissing Muslim leader
17.11.2011
Italian clothing company Benetton withdraws publicity shot of Benedict XVI kissing
grand sheikh of al-Azhar mosque in Cairo
Italian clothing company Benetton has withdrawn a publicity shot of the pope kissing a
Muslim religious leader following a Vatican backlash.
A digitally manipulated picture showed Benedict XVI locking lips with Mohammed
Ahmed al-Tayeb, the grand sheikh of al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, as part of an advertising
campaign that launched on Wednesday and featured unlikely combinations of religious
and political figureheads kissing.
An image of Silvio Berlusconi kissing Angela Merkel was withdrawn after the
controversial Italian leader submitted his resignation last week.
The offending poster of the pope and Tayeb briefly appeared in Rome, but the Vatican
reaction was swift.
Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi criticised the company for exploiting the
pope's image, calling it completely unacceptable.
He said: "We must express the firmest protest for this absolutely unacceptable use of the
image of the Holy Father, manipulated and exploited in a publicity campaign with
commercial ends. This shows a grave lack of respect for the pope, an offence to the
feelings of believers, a clear demonstration of how publicity can violate the basic rules of
respect for people by attracting attention with provocation."
Lombardi also appeared to suggest that the Vatican would try to protect the pope's image
in the future.

Benetton apologised, saying it was sorry the picture "had so hurt the sensibilities of the
faithful".
Egypt recalled its ambassador to the Holy See earlier this year for what it called
"unacceptable interference in its internal affairs" after the pope appeared to criticise the
government for failing to protect Christian minorities.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/17/vatican-criticises-benetton-pope-kissing

Splitting image: Benetton's advert is an

heir to Raphael's pope paintings
So the pope-kissing-imam ad was shouted down? The Vatican has been carefully
controlling the pope's image for 500 years

Kiss off one of the adverts featuring the pope, before Benetton withdrew it, near the
Trevi fountain in Rome on 17 November. Photograph: Tiziana Fabi/AFP/Getty Images
Jonathan Jones
Friday 18 November 2011 11.48 EST
You can understand why the Vatican got so angry with Benetton for creating an image of
Pope Benedict XVI kissing the grand sheikh of Cairo's al-Azhar mosque. After all, the
modern church has such a pristine image to protect it's not as if it's beset by widespread
accusations of clerical abuse or anything like that. A plainly fictional image of the pope
kissing a Muslim man was, clearly, the worst thing to tarnish the Vatican's image in
recent years. Much more serious than anything revealed about such Catholic institutions
as St Benedict's school in London.

Benetton's adverts are actually a homage to a renowned Berlin wall graffiti painting of
Communist leaders Erich Honecker and Leonid Brezhnev kissing. Everyone finds it
funny to see former leaders of the defunct Soviet bloc snogging, it seems, but when
contemporary figures from the western world are similarly mocked the cannoli hit the
fan.
Why is the Vatican so displeased, and why did Benetton so readily surrender? The image
of the pope is one of the greatest triumphs of marketing in history. A church that is led by
a venerable celibate might seem to have an in-built selling-point problem. How can
popes, who necessarily take the throne of St Peter as old and often ailing men, be made to
seem charismatic and glamorous in a world that values youth and physical vigour?
The papacy tackled this problem five centuries ago by calling in some of the greatest
image-makers in world history. Today's advertising gurus have nothing on Raphael and
Titian. One of the most influential images of power in the history of the world hangs
quietly today in London's National Gallery: Raphael's portrait of Pope Julius II created a
new paradigm for papal portraiture by showing age as dignity, inner wisdom and sad
knowledge. The power of this portrait was emulated and refined by Titian, then by
Velzquez. Popes were reimagined in the Renaissance and baroque eras as men whose
age and restraint conferred great natural authority.
Even in Italy, this cultivated image has been mocked in modern times. Federico Fellini
staged a clerical fashion show that travestied the Church in his film Roma. But the
impression that was crafted by some of the world's greatest artists is still tremendously
potent, in Italy and abroad.
Benetton's mistake was to underestimate how profoundly the church has succeeded in
sacralising the image of the pope, in spite of every modern menace to its authority. No
parliament on earth exerts the fascination of the Vatican as a power complex. The pope's
image truly is infallible, and Benetton realised it had crossed an invisible line that has
endured every onslaught of the secular world.
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/nov/18/benettonadvert-raphael-pope-paintings

Benetton's most controversial adverts

Will a picture of the Pope kissing Ahmed el-Tayeb, Sheikh of the al-Azhar mosque,
encourage fashion savvy shoppers to ditch Uniqlo and buy their brightly coloured
jumpers from Benetton instead? Probably not. But it does remind the public that the
Italian brand has quite a history of provocative campaigns.
Guardian Fashion
Thursday 17 November 2011 11.41 EST

A Benetton clothing store window covered by posters as part of the launch of a

publicity campaign with photo montages showing Pope Benedict XVI kissing
Egypt's Ahmed el-Tayeb, imam of the Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, and Barack
Obama with his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, 2011
Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images

A newborn baby advert, 1991: Benetton says: 'The photo of the newborn baby girl,
Giusy, was intended as an anthem to life, but was one of the most censured visuals in the
history of Benetton ads. In the realm of advertising, traditionally occupied by pretense,
the eruption of real life caused a scandal. In Italy, the protests started in Palermo, where
the Town Council ordered Benetton to take down its advertising posters. In Milan,
censorship was preventive and the vast Piazza Duomo stayed off-limits. The ad was

then condemned by the Code of Advertising Practice Court, the Self-Regulatory

Committee for the sector, which decided that the photo does not take account of public
sensitivity. It was awarded a prize by the Swiss Socit Gnrale dAffichage (General
Poster Association) and the SantOrsola General Hospital in Bologna asked for
permission to display the photo in its delivery room'
Rex Features

A guerilla with human bone, 1992: Bentton asks: 'Can marketing and the enormous
power of advertising budgets be used to establish a dialogue with consumers that focuses
on something other than a companys products? Where was it written that advertising
could only portray the absence of conflict and pain?'
Nicholas Bailey/Rex Features

An HIV Positive advertising campaign in Paris, 1993: Benetton's Aids campaign also
included a picture of David Kirby, an HIV Positive patient, as he lay dying in hospital.
Kirby's parents said: 'We dont feel weve been used by Benetton, but rather the reverse:
David is speaking much louder now that hes dead, than he did when he was alive''
Bernard Annebicque/Sygma/Corbis
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A Benetton anti-racism advert in Rome, 1996

Sipa Press/Rex Features

A Food for Life advert, 2003: An arresting image of an amputee with a spoon attached
to his limb. Benetton said: 'The aim was to show how food can be a catalyst for social
change, a major engine for peace and development that can radically change an
individuals future prospects of life'
PR
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A Food for Work advert, 2003: Benetton says of the campaign: 'It highlighted the
problem of hunger, which is still the greatest humanitarian emergency around the world
even though it has, to all intents and purposes, been forgotten by the media and the
general public'
PR

A still from the James and other apes campaign, 2004: Benetton says: 'This campaign
was made with the support of the Jane Goodall Institute, founded by the renowned
primatologist who is a committed defender of the environment and a UN Messenger of
Peace. Through this initiative, Benetton continued its exploration of diversity as a 'wealth'
of our world, extending it from the variety of human races to embrace the living beings

that are our closest cousins. The portraits of these great apes make us ponder the
fundamental questions of mankind, reflected in the enigmatic gaze of races so close to us
on the evolutionary ladder'
PR
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An advert from the Victims campaign, 2008: A Tibetan monk prays with a Chinese
soldier. Benetton said at the time it was an attempt 'to make a small contribution to
dialogue and engagement between Tibetan and Chinese people'
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/gallery/2011/nov/17/benettons-most-controversialadverts

Fashion Statement: Marilyn is back, and

so is Benetton
This week, talk turns to Michelle William's reprisal of Marilyn Monroe's classic look.
Plus, Benetton are back and Denmark's knitting nanas

Marilyn, Benetton, Lilly. Yet another busy week for fashion Photograph: Ian
Langsdon'Lars Erikson/Reuters/EPA
Guardian Fashion
Friday 18 November 2011 06.09 EST

Boo boo bee doo

Simple, confident and typically America. That's the verdict Jess Cartner-Morley gives
Marilyn Monroe's look in My Week With Marilyn, the film starring a "ravishing"
Michelle Williams as the deceased actress. Readers are divided on whether Williams truly
captured Monroe's spirit- "they should have cast Christina Hendricks", sniffed
mygrimmbrother- , and the film's designer Jill Taylor agrees that, for the most part,
modern actresses have "these tiny boys' hips" in contrast to Monroe's curvaceous bod.
Oh, what's that? What's the film like, you ask? Look, these are the fashion pages, hence
our get the Marilyn look on the high street gallery. If you want to know more about, you
know, acting and stuff, then head to the cinema next week, when My Week With Marilyn
is out. But let's just say: Michelle Williams + tragic movie star = ding, dong, Oscar
calling!

Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in My

Week With Marilyn. Photograph: Laurie Sparham/PR company handout

Benetton drop a controversial ad campaign? Shocking!

Where have you been, Benetton? You don't call, you don't write, and then after years in
the retail wilderness (well, when did you last shop there?) you pop up with one of those
marvellously provocative ad campaigns you used to do so well. This time, it's an image
appearing to show Benedict XVI kissing grand sheikh of al-Azhar mosque in Cairo, part
of a a series called Unhate in which world leaders get a bit snoggy. The Vatican weren't
best pleased, so Benetton have pulled the ad, though not before it had made headlines
round the world and reminded us that the brand still exists. You can see a gallery of
Benetton's most controversial adverts here and, presumably, you can buy some clothes
from their shop too. Not that you'd know what they look like from the adverts, eh?

A fashion article that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside
Lars Erikson brings us an endearing tale of fashion, wool and groovy grannies this week,
straight from the frontline of Copenhagen's Sljfen activity centre for the elderly. While
fashion, whether high or high street, often trails back to underpaid factory workers, this
week's story shows what can happen when designers source their woollen items from the
niftiest knitters in Denmark and make sure the proceeds go make to the pockets of the
women who made the clothes. Erikson writes: "'Many of the women have knitted all their
lives, save for the commitments of family life and work. When Kaffeslabberas started,
Ketty hadn't knitted for several years, mainly because the grandchildren didn't seem to
wear the stuff she was producing. Now she's working on a multicoloured children's
jumper in a futuristic horizontal design. 'Don't you think it's amazing we are making stuff
like this?' she says." See for yourself why the readers were cooing over this one.

Photograph: Lars Eriksson

And while we're talking about being warm and fuzzy

Our friends at Fashion Conscience, the ethical-but-stylish online retailers, have put
together a selection of winter warmers for Guardian readers. They're ideal for gifts or, for
that matter, utterly selfish purchases. If you fancy any of these items, Fashion Conscience
have an offer code for Guardian readers. Simply type WARMERS in when making your
purchase and you'll get 15% off.

Donatella Versace meets shoppers at the Versace for H&M launch in

Regent Street. Photograph: Nick Harvey/WireImage

A wee bit more about Versace's H&M range

It was the subject of last week's Fashion Statement, but we feel duty bound to point out
the Versace at H&M range is now in shops. Actual shops. Well, the ones that haven't sold
out, that is. The glitzy range caused shoppers to queue overnight to ensure they got their
hands on some studded leather, while the ensuing fashion frenzy at 9am yesterday
reduced one shopper to tears. Oh well, we always said fashion was an emotional
business.
http://www.theguardian.com/fashion/fashion-blog/2011/nov/18/fashion-statementmarilyn-benetton

In other news: we are the sons of no one

It's time for Not the Grab Bag again

One of Benettons world leaders kissing ads, this featuring President Obama with
Venezuelan President Hugo Chvez. Photograph: Getty Images Getty
Ana Marie Cox
Thursday 17 November 2011 16.31 EST
People are mad about the world-leaders-kissing ads because they think they're real?
Because they are offended by kissing? Because they can't remember what Benetton
makes? (Loved your 1988 sweater line!)
If you would like to get offended by something, I recommend this column by Nicholas
Kristof about human trafficking.
And you thought occupying a small park was disruptive. This will end great!
(Meanwhile: Occupy Nashville's optimistic approach.)
"'What if the super committee unanimously supported a deficit-cutting deal?' You might
just as well ask: 'What if a blizzard closed the Washington Monument in July?' 'What if
quarterbacks threw croquet mallets instead of footballs?'"

 Please make me this.

And here is a video of Tommy Ramone and Craig Finn (of The Hold Steady) covering
"Bastards of Young".
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/ana-marie-cox-blog/2011/nov/17/in-othernews-ana-marie-cox

The Sunday Interview: Alessandro

Benetton
After controversy over adverts that showed world leaders
kissing, Alessandro Benetton insists good retailing is not
about making people angry. Its a curious way to sell
jumpers.
2

19

21

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Image 1 of 2
Aged 25, Benetton set up his own private equity business, 21 Investimenti, whose funds
now manage 1.2bn.

By Alistair Osborne
8:40PM GMT 17 Dec 2011
5 Comments
Alessandro Benetton is explaining UnHate the family firms linguistically challenged
ad campaign. A bit of digital doctoring has produced a set of images that even the
paparazzi will never shoot. They show political and religious leaders in unfamiliar guise:
kissing.
US President Barack Obama is mid-smacker with Chinas Hu Jintao. Israels Benjamin
Netanyahu is puckering up with Palestines Mahmoud Abbas. And Frances Nicolas
Sarkozy is getting all smoochy with Germanys Angela Merkel.
But, in a most UnItalian way, the executive deputy chairman of Benetton has also gone
and riled the Pope. The Vatican was predictably incensed by the fake shot of Pope
Benedict XVI planting one on Ahmed el Tayeb, imam of Egypts al-Azhar mosque.
Within hours, the offending image was junked.
Great publicity, no? Benetton, 47, looks pained. It was unfortunate, he says. It was a
disappointment because we didnt want to offend anybody. Really? Offending is
something thats not productive.
Benetton is either deadly serious or a damn good actor. The 10m (8.4m) campaign, he
explains, was the brainchild of the companys Fabrica research centre, peopled with
artists young people.
Our approach has always been to have them tell us what the future looks like, what the
young generation is concerned about. What came out is that this hating thing is something
that worries everybody.
He cites recent events in North Africa. And then across Wall Street, Rome and Athens,
where economic recession has inflamed a growing hostility between the haves and
have-nots. The kiss goes back to the kissing of [Soviet leader Leonid] Brezhnev and
[Erich] Honecker of the German Democratic Republic as a sign of brotherhood, says
Benetton, skipping over the hostility those regimes engendered. Though we were
conscious that the images were very strong, the last thing we wanted to do was upset
somebody, because it would lose the meaning.

But has all this kissing actually helped sell more sweaters? Benetton looks perplexed by
such a grubby question. The company, despite the economic moment, is doing well, he
claims, rather contentiously. But there is no direct relationship with the campaign.
As is becoming clear, Benetton is no ordinary company. And neither is the second son of
joint-founder Luciano Benetton an ordinary boss.
The campaign is part of a relationship between the brand and the consumer that is very
long term, says Benetton, who already has day-to-day control of the 45-year-old
company and will soon succeed his father as chairman. It has 6,400 stores in 120
countries, including 60 in Britain, selling 150m garments a year.
The consumer is worldwide Indian, Brazilian, Mexican, Russian, Turkish. Sharing
values or views or concerns with the consumer has been part of the brand forever. He
recalls the campaign 15 years ago that followed United Colors of Benetton. It featured
Aids victims, Gulf War casualties and death-row inmates. When everyone was saying
the world was fantastic, we were saying, well, maybe its not so fantastic, he says. Some
might say that campaign turned out to be rather prescient on any number of levels.
The Benetton business, which is 67pc owned by the family but quoted in Milan, has lost
its spring of late, struggling against niftier rivals such as Inditexs Zara and Hennes &
Mauritzs H&M. Not only that, the home market is in the eye of the eurozone storm, with
the exit of bunga bunga prime minister Silvio Berlusconi scarcely cutting the odds on a
possible Italian bail-out. And, overlaying all of that, is a crisis of capitalism itself.
Benetton, fresh from a trip to the revamped Brompton Road store, has been running the
business only since 2007 and admits the numbers do not look great. Sales have gone
nowhere, stuck around 2bn a year. Net income is down from 145m in 2007 to 102m
last year. And, over that period, the shares have dived from around 13 to less than 3.
After a 40pc fall this year, the company is now worth just under 530m.
The market has become more competitive, says Benetton, conceding that when it
comes to fashion, its not possible to be at the top of every consumers choices in 120
countries.
He is irked all the same by what he sees as the disposable fashion of some rivals,
pointing out that Benetton is much more than a retailer, designing and making the
garments it sells. Knitwear is something we have in our heritage, he says. We have a
good proposal to the consumer of high quality at an accessible price. He has recently
hired You Nguyen, ex-vice-president of Levi Strauss, in the new role of design and
merchandising chief, to make sure the company has good stores and good merchandise
at the right price level.
Benetton also blames short-term investors quick to sell every eurozone company.
Benetton has chosen the long-term view even when financial markets could rightly or
wrongly disapprove, he says. Today we have real estate in every single most important

town in Europe, maybe the world. We own the building. This is probably a value well
over a billion [euros]. You could look at this in two ways reassurance that there is a
long-term view, or you could say its financially inefficient because you dont need all
those fixed assets.
He admits his approach may not be compatible with someone who wants to buy the
shares for 12 months or 12 days, before adding spikily: We have learnt from the last 20
years that being finance-driven just by short-term considerations can be very risky for the
real economy.
That he is in charge was no foregone conclusion, whatever the filial connection. Aged 25,
Benetton set up his own private equity business, 21 Investimenti, whose funds now
manage 1.2bn. He was also then president of the Benetton Formula One team for the 10
years to 1998, winning two drivers championships. But he admits he had to think hard
about immersing himself full time in pullovers.
First you want to understand what the problem is at the company. Then the strategy and
the team. These considerations do not take one night, he says. Then you come with the
idea of being able to do things. I think today Benetton has a project.
He defines that as reinvigorating the brand in developed markets and taking advantage
of the reputation and the roots that have been put into emerging markets. Which sounds
appropriately woolly.
Wasnt there an emotional pull? Thats not in my nature, he says. When I was
president of Benetton Formula One people would say: You must have so much fun. You
go to the races and see girls and go to parties. For me it was very simple. We made an
investment into a vehicle where, first, we had to leverage brand awareness and, second,
that investment was the beginning of our diversification.
It was a way of saying, if Benetton is credible and can win a world championship, it
means it can do something other than sweaters. It was fun to have a challenge. But I
didnt take the job because I wanted to go to Grand Prix. I never look at it from that
perspective.
His current challenge has been made harder by the eurozone crisis, in which Italy is
playing a starring role. I am very concerned about Europe, says the father of three, who
lives in Treviso with his wife, Deborah Compagnoni, a three-time Olympic gold medalwinning skier.
We are counting very much on [Italys new technocrat prime minister] Mario Monti to
get us out of this terrible stage. We have a lot of good companies, we have a lot of
entrepreneurs. But we are only going to get out in a final manner if there is a European
project not just a single currency but some shared economic and political strategy. If we
dont do that, I dont see any good news for any single state.

His solution, though, sounds a bit Italian a sort of fiscal union adaptable enough to cater
for the differences between the German and Greek economies. How would that work? I
would pose the question in a different way. How can you pretend it can work unless you
implicitly take into consideration that you need a certain flexibility.
As for Italy, the economy is in a right spaghetti. But Benetton does not only blame
Berlusconi. I think we have a structural issue on the income statement. We have been
living above our abilities for the past 30 years.
He reckons that with relatively high savings rates and family wealth, Italy can handle
austerity cuts. But he worries that young people will not accept them.
The problem, he says, is that 20 year-olds end up paying for the decisions of people in
their 70s.
In Italy one third of people between 25 and 35 have no job and are not studying. They
say: What do I have to do with derivatives that are toxic? Its not my problem. I didnt
cause it. Why should I pay the price? Is it such unfair thinking? I dont think so.
He would like to see cost-cutting accompanied by investment in research and
development, infrastructure and the younger generation, but is anxious not to give the
wrong impression. Im not a statesman, Im not an economist, Im an entrepreneur. In
recent years, we have seen too many people confuse their roles. If, despite the risks
associated with being an entrepreneur, you try to enlarge this business, that will be good
news for the younger generations.
With that, he is off to sell more jumpers. And, luckily, without any goodbye kiss.

Benetton cant pull the wool over our eyes

The ad mens shock tactics wont work now the public knows
too much to be taken in.

Double take: Sarkozy and Merkel feature in one of the new ads Photo: REUTERS

By Cristina Odone
8:38PM GMT 17 Nov 2011

168 Comments
The Pope is kissing an Imam. Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy are in an amorous
clinch. Oh, and theres Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, hugging Mahmoud
Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority.
No need to rub your eyes or check your reading glasses: this is the newest ad campaign
by Benetton, the Italian clothes company. Its called UnHate, and its banners and
billboards are being unveiled all over the world, to cries of outrage.
The Vatican leads the critics. It has complained about the offensive image which was
yesterday withdrawn. How dare these rag traders misrepresent the spiritual leader of the
worlds one billion Catholics? Dont they know Benedict XVIs position and the
Catholic Churchs on gays? Dont they realise how sensitive relations with the Muslim
world are?
Of course they do, Your Holiness. This is the shock-jock approach to marketing outrage
the public, and theyll beg for more. Its been used in promoting everything from The
Satanic Verses to Big Brother. And, though I hate to say it, its always worked: offence is
taken, but books sell and viewing figures swell.
May I suggest an alternative approach for the Holy See? Instead of making a fuss
counter-productive, as publicity is oxygen to the marketing men Benedict XVI should
take a lead from Sir Cliff Richard. When the crooner discovered that a new rock station
had promoted itself as a Cliff-free zone and banned his music, he just called their
bluff. Its a great scam, he said of the publicity stunt before laughing all the way to
the bank, as his Cliff Richard The Soulicious Tour CD shot up to number three on the
Amazon sales chart.
The Pope can rest easy: we the public are like Sir Cliff. Were on to the advertisers, PRs
and Benettons of this world. Were no longer the media ingnues of the Eighties. Back
then, Benetton caused a stir with its rainbow nation billboards, featuring beauteous boys
and girls of every race. They were arresting images certainly in monochrome Italy,
where the clothing retailer started out. Consumers like me (I was living in Rome at the
time) felt that by purchasing a Benetton T-shirt we were buying into a progressive
mindset of inter-racial lovey-doveyness. What a clever ruse, to disguise consumerism as
right-on campaigning.
Now, though, wed walk right past those ads. Not only because Somalis and Poles and
Russians live cheek by jowl in Manchester as well as Milan, but because were not just
multi-cultural, we are media-jaded. No wonder: weve experienced a decade of Tony
Blairs spin, when appearance trumped reality, from political rhetoric to sexed up
documents. Weve learnt how tabloids work: the phone hacking, detectives, and brown
envelopes. We know about digital enhancement and air-brushing, whereby Kate Winslet
looks wasp-waisted and Helen Mirren wrinkle-free. We know that Hollywood censors its
stars private lives, lest the gay escapades of the matinee idol affect his box-office

potential. We even know, thanks to the US TV hit series Mad Men, that the advertising
world is built on a legacy of seedy, rapacious men determined to part we suckers from
our money. Yes, we know it all.
A knowing public, like a knowing child, is an unsettling prospect especially for
advertisers and promoters. They feel, and in many cases, genuinely have been, abused;
and those around them must proceed with caution. This is where Benetton made an error
of judgment with its heavy-handed provocation. Todays shoppers have cracked the code.
They can tell the difference between a real kiss of peace and a Judas kiss with a price tag
attached. The first might intrigue, but the second is a real turn-off.
Yet there is scope still for clever marketing. Not in the Gerald Ratner mould, where the
salesman announces that the product is worthless, but pretty and sparkly none the less. A
new marketing ethos, which taps into old-fashioned feel-good sentiments, rather than
right-on political theories, might just sell.
John Lewis seems to have cottoned on, with their ad in which an angelic little boy in
pyjamas, thrilled and wide-eyed, rushes into his parents bedroom on Christmas morning
with a huge, wrapped box. Better to give than to receive. The counter-intuitive (not to
mention positively Christian) ad has proved a huge success on Twitter and has received
more than a million YouTube hits. Yes, John Lewis is manipulating us through this little
boy; but so was Charles Dickens with Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol. If the retailers
marketing men can stir our better emotions, let the puppeteers tug our heart strings. The
worst that can happen is my husband will receive a John Lewis tie he doesnt need and
the boys slippers they dont want.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8896703/Benetton-cant-pull-the-wool-overour-eyes.html

Vatican to take legal action against

Benetton
The Vatican and the White House have both condemned an
advertising campaign by Benetton showing world leaders
kissing each other, with the Holy See announcing that it will
take legal action against the clothing company.
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Image 1 of 7
Benetton's Unhate advertising campaign featuring Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel
in a clinch with French president Nicolas Sarkozy

By Nick Squires, Rome

5:00PM GMT 17 Nov 2011
171 Comments
The Holy See said it wanted the offensive image of Pope Benedict XVI kissing a Muslim
imam removed from magazines, newspapers, websites and Benetton shops around the
world, saying it was in extremely poor taste.
The image shows the Pope kissing the lips of Ahmed el Tayyeb, the imam of the AlAzhar Mosque in Cairo and a leading authority of Sunni Islam.
A statement from the Vatican said it would instruct its lawyers to take action in Italy and
abroad to prevent the circulation in the mass-media and elsewhere of the photo montage
produced as part of Benettons publicity campaign.

The image was insulting not only to the dignity of the Pope but also to the sensibilities
of the faithful, the Vatican said.
The legal threat came despite the fact that Benetton, which is based in Treviso in northern
Italy, announced that it would withdraw the image following the furore.
The White House criticised the image of President Barack Obama kissing his Chinese
counterpart, Hu Jintao. The White House has a longstanding policy disapproving of the
use of the presidents name and likeness for commercial purposes, said Eric Schultz, a
spokesman for the US government.
The clothing company said it was sorry that the Pope picture had so hurt the sensibilities
of the faithful. The advertisement was also criticised by the Al-Azhar Mosque in the
Egyptian capital. Mahmud Azab, an adviser to the imam, said it was irresponsible and
absurd.
He said it went far beyond the boundaries of universal values and freedom of expression
as understood in Europe.
The image of the Pope was part of a campaign, launched on Wednesday, called Unhate
which features leaders from opposite sides of the political and religious divide
exchanging kisses in digitally manipulated montages.
Other photos showed Nicholas Sarkozy smooching the German Chancellor, Angela
Merkel and Benjamin Netanyahu, Israels prime minister, locked in an embrace with
Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader.
Benetton had defended the provocative campaign, saying its purpose was to stimulate
debate on reconciliation and mediation in politics and religion.
Its aim was to contrast the culture of hatred and promote closeness between peoples,
faiths, cultures and the peaceful understanding of each others motivations. The central
theme is the kiss, the most universal symbol of love.
But the Vaticans spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, said on Wednesday that the
image showed a grave lack of respect for the Pope and an offence to the feelings of
believers. Benetton is well known for its controversial publicity campaigns, which in the
past have included the image of a nun kissing a priest and parents grieving over a man
dying of Aids.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/vaticancityandholysee/8896631/Vati
can-to-take-legal-action-against-Benetton.html

Vatican condemns Benetton 'Unhate'

advert
A new Benetton advertising campaign - 'Unhate' - which
includes a highly provocative image of the Pope kissing an
imam has been condemned as a "grave" act of disrespect
by the Vatican.
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Image 1 of 7
Benetton's Unhate advertising campaign featuring Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel
in a clinch with French president Nicolas Sarkozy
By Nick Squires, Rome
8:09AM GMT 17 Nov 2011
160 Comments
The Italian clothes company launched a campaign called 'Unhate' in which leaders from
opposite sides of the political and religious divide appear to exchange kisses.

One of the pictures, which will be used on billboards, in Benetton shops and on websites
worldwide, showed Benedict XVI kissing Ahmed el Tayyeb, an Egyptian imam and a
prominent figure in Sunni Islam.
In pictures: Benetton's most controversial ads
"This shows a grave lack of respect for the Pope, an offence to the feelings of believers, a
clear demonstration of how publicity can violate the basic rules of respect for people,"
said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican's spokesman.

He said the Holy See was considering taking legal action against the fashion company.
The image, which is guaranteed to offend Catholics around the world, briefly appeared on
a banner which was draped over the side of a Renaissance stone bridge near the Vatican,
in the centre of Rome.
Hanging the banner was part of a series of "guerilla actions", the company said, which
included the unveiling in Paris of an image of Nicholas Sarkozy smooching Angela
Merkel and the unfurling of a banner outside Milan Cathedral depicting Barack Obama
kissing his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao.
"Is it not possible that Benetton could have come up with anything better?" said Luca
Borgomeo, the head of the Association of Italian Catholic Television Viewers.
The provocative advertising campaign also included digitally-manipulated images of
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, locked in an embrace with Mahmoud
Abbas, the Palestinian leader.
Alessandro Benetton, the deputy head of the company, acknowledged that the
advertisements were provocative but said the campaign was designed to give publicity to
"an ideal notion of tolerance."
"The central theme is the kiss, the most universal symbol of love, between world political
and religious leaders," he said in a statement.
Benetton has become well known for its controversial publicity campaigns, which in the
past have included the image of a nun kissing a priest and parents grieving over a man
dying of Aids.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8895639/Vaticancondemns-Benetton-Unhate-advert.html

Benetton's new 'Unhate' ad campaign

condemned by the Vatican
The retailer's new adverts featuring a highly provocative image of the Pope kissing an
imam has been condemned as a "grave" act of disrespect by the Vatican.
BY Nick Squires | 17 November 2011

Benetton's Unhate advertising campaign featuring Germany's chancellor Angela Merkel

in a clinch with French president Nicolas Sarkozy
The Italian clothes company launched a campaign called 'Unhate' in which leaders from
opposite sides of the political and religious divide appear to exchange kisses.
One of the pictures, which will be used on billboards, in Benetton shops and on websites
worldwide, showed Benedict XVI kissing Ahmed el Tayyeb, an Egyptian imam and a
prominent figure in Sunni Islam.
"This shows a grave lack of respect for the Pope, an offence to the feelings of believers, a
clear demonstration of how publicity can violate the basic rules of respect for people,"
said Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican's spokesman.
He said the Holy See was considering taking legal action against the fashion company.
The image, which is guaranteed to offend Catholics around the world, briefly appeared on
a banner which was draped over the side of a Renaissance stone bridge near the Vatican,
in the centre of Rome.

Hanging the banner was part of a series of "guerilla actions", the company said, which
included the unveiling in Paris of an image of Nicholas Sarkozy smooching Angela
Merkel and the unfurling of a banner outside Milan Cathedral depicting Barack Obama
kissing his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao.
"Is it not possible that Benetton could have come up with anything better?" said Luca
Borgomeo, the head of the Association of Italian Catholic Television Viewers.
The provocative advertising campaign also included digitally-manipulated images of
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, locked in an embrace with Mahmoud
Abbas, the Palestinian leader.
Alessandro Benetton, the deputy head of the company, acknowledged that the
advertisements were provocative but said the campaign was designed to give publicity to
"an ideal notion of tolerance."
"The central theme is the kiss, the most universal symbol of love, between world political
and religious leaders," he said in a statement.
Benetton has become well known for its controversial publicity campaigns, which in the
past have included the image of a nun kissing a priest and parents grieving over a man
dying of Aids.http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG8896097/Benettons-newUnhate-ad-campaign-condemned-by-the-Vatican.html