Business English Study © 2011
Reading Text: How Benetton built value into the brand
Exercise: Choose a suitable word from the box for each gap and then answer the
comprehension questions in your own words.
attention – split - multiracial – gripping - condom – tackle -
whichever – whichever - however – counterbalance
The process of building value into the Benetton brand came in 3 separate phases:
1. The concept of difference
2. The embracing of reality
3. The understanding of free speech and the right to express it
1. The concept of difference
In 1986 Oliviero Toscani created the first United Colours Of Benetton campaign.
Happy groups of kids were replaced by “couples” representing an all-new
interpretation of difference.
way you look at it these conflicts were based on taboos, on a difference
that separates rather than unites. By acknowledging these differences and
prohibitions, the brand appeared more involved. It took sides, rather than presenting
a “safe objective” portrayal of the world. In this phase, the product disappeared from
the advertisements and only the logo remained.
hard the company tried, dealing with difference within advertising is
not easy. Bringing different individuals together can lead to conflict instead of
happiness, and the word “different” can mean “controversial.”
2. The embracing of reality
After equality and the celebration of differences, Benetton turned to the reality of
what is common to all of us. In 1991, during the Gulf War, Benetton used a photo of a
war cemetery. The photo was highly controversial and attracted universal criticism.
To “death” the company created “birth”, with the image of a newborn
baby still attached to the umbilical cord. This caused a scandal, too.
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