Olivene Blake MRKT 354 October 31, 2010
Benetton Case Study Analysis
1.
What are the basic objectives of advertising? What are the advertising objectives of Benetton?
The Basic Objectives of Advertising
The basic objectives of advertisi advert ising ng consist of o f the following: following:
To build brand image ± Brand image is built through brand equity and brand recognition, which involves brand awareness. o
Top of mind - Brands that are almost always mentioned are to p mind brands
o
First
choice ± First choice is the ideal choice that a consumer chooses when making purchasing decisions.
To inform - Informs consumers about the product and additional information regarding the company that can be useful to consumers.
To persuade ± Persuasion is used to convince consumers that a particular brand is superior to that of its its competitors. Persuasion is best best used to introduce new products to the market.
To support other marketing efforts ± any effort that is used to market other than the traditional marketing marketing efforts used by the company. For example, a company might use other marketing efforts to promote the upco ming Christmas Christmas holiday.
To encourage action ± encourages consumers to take action action right away. Infomercials are always encouraging consumers to t ake action to receive a promoti pro motional onal offer
Advertising objectives of Benetton
Benetton¶s main objectives involved channelling the differences seen amongst us worldwide and incorporating those differences into an advertising campaign that we all can relate to. In order for Benetton to convey this message to the world the company used the following advertising objectives to meet their goals: y
Creating an un-conventional way o f advertisement Benetton wanted to stand out and be different from its competitors, so the company used un-conventional ways to advertise by using shock advertisement which was often bold bold and aggressive. This advertisement method method worked for the company because it brought the awareness of how serious Benetton was in regards to some of the issues that we are facing in society.
y
Use
of art to bring brand awareness aware ness
Olivene Blake MRKT 354 October 31, 2010 Toscani used a variety of controversial images to grab consumer¶s attention. For example, there was an image of a newborn baby with the umbilical cord still attached, which most would frown upon. This image embodied a new life and new beginning. y
Benetton¶s informing consumers of their corporate social responsibility Benetton¶s goal was to reach out to consumers on a more personal level by creating an advertising campaign that brought awareness of discrimination, proverty, child labor, death, domestic violence, etc. The ad campaign wanted people to be aware of all the issues that are going on in the world, also to let consumers know that company is aware of these problems.
y
Encourage
action with use of shock advertisement
The shock advertisement that Benetton used definitely grabbed consumer¶s attention to the social issues at hand. There was an ad campaign with four similar human hearts with the words black, white and yellow printed directly on the four hearts; the hearts symbolizes the four different ethnic groups. Even though we are from different ethnic groups, we are all the same o n the inside. y
Benetton¶s change to conventional advertising For the future, Benetton decided to try a new method of advertising that did not involve such harsh and intense advertisement; however, the company would keep the objective the same of highlighting the social problems that exist in the world through their ad campaigns.
2.
Discuss
the pros and cons of the shock advertising campaign that Benetton used for
many years.
Advantages of Shock Advertising y
y
Shock advertisement is used to grab the attention of the audience with a serious message. Remain in the memory long term and not easily forgotten.
y
Uses
extreme content to influence its audience in a positive way.
y
Lastly,
shock advertisement tends to stand out more, than an advertisement that is more traditional.
Disadvantages of Shock Advertising y
3.
Consumers may interpret the message being conveyed in a shock advertisement as offensive and insulting. These advertisements can be very direct and to the point; they are more like a reality check for the audience that details serious and honest information.
Oliviero Toscani has defended Benetton¶s use of shock advertising by noting that it constitutes nothing less than a debate between advertising and art . He argues that potentially offensive images are acceptable in the world of art and journalism while in other realms such as advertising they are not . Do you agree with Toscani¶s position?
Olivene Blake MRKT 354 October 31, 2010 I definitely agree with Toscani¶s position on shock advertising being a debate between advertising and art. I support Toscani¶s notion that art can be used as a form of advertising and does not have to always be about the product itself. He also points out that other forms of media use potentially offensive images that are acceptable to society, but when it comes to company advertisements these images are unacceptable. Advertisement is a form of art, and people should be able to express art freely. Art depicts many emotions that people can relate to. Shock advertising worked for Benetton because it creates a serious awareness and get customers to continue to buy the product, as well as draw new customers in which is what advertisement embodies. Even though Toscani¶s images were bold, intense and sometimes downright harsh, the message that these images depict were understood by consumers. Toscani¶s use of art as a means of advertisement worked for Benetton, and many of their customers got accustomed to the image that was defined by the company which was social responsibility. The same way people use music as art, Toscani found a way to use the environment as a form of art for advertising. Tosacani captured the art of the connection between man and the environment which creates a social awareness that society can relate to.
4.
Can you think of any other companies that use shock advertising? companies might this type of advertising be effective?
For
what type of
I can definitely think of two companies that use shock advertisement, the Truth. Com website that uses intense advertisement to deliver the message that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health. I know many people have seen these commercials and how shocking the content can appear because they show you the dire consequences of cigarette smoking. The other company that came to mind that uses shock advertising is Above the Influence advertisements by National Youth Anti-Drug Media Company to persuade teenagers to say ³no´ to drugs and alcohol. The National Anti-Drug Media Company shows you the consequences of using drugs and end results of drug use; these advertisements are not pretty. These advertisements are meant to give teenagers a reality check. These types of advertisements have to be harsh in order to persuade teens not to do drugs or alcohol. Shock advertising can be effective for companies that aim to persuade a certain group of people to do something. Companies that want to promote the use of alcohol while driving and the effects of drinking while driving would benefit greatly from shock advertising 5.
Do
you agree with Benetton¶s decision to drop the use of shock ads and return to the
use of more conventional ads?
Change is usually very difficult to adapt to, especially if you are used to doing things a certain way for a lengthy period of time. Benetton is known for its shock advertisements that are direct and to the point. These advertisements are geared towards social responsibilities that the company has for its customers. I have never heard about Benetton and just from reading the article I experienced a wealth of emotions and connect ions to the information
Olivene Blake MRKT 354 October 31, 2010 contained in the article. Benetton represents truth and honesty, even if the information contained within the advertisement may be a bit harsh. I believe if Benetton drops the use of shock ads and return to t he use of more conventional ads that this would ruin what the company stands for. The relationship that Benetton has built with their long term customers may be affected because customers may now start to rethink the values and standards that Benetton stood by have now been broken. Benetton should have seriously taken into consideration how their customers may feel about change before diving into making changes.
