Benetton ‘Unhate’ Ad Campaign Features World Leaders Kissing
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(Photo credit: Fabrica)
At first, the images are shocking. President Obama planting a kiss on Chinese President Hu Jintao’s lips. German Chancellor Angela Merkel smooches French President Nicolas Sarkozy, her nation’s economic rival.
These images aren’t the latest political scandal. They’re a new ad campaign from Italian clothing company United Colors of Benetton called “Unhate.”
The images are digitally manipulated but they send a pointed message. The newly unveiled UNHATE Foundation seeks to promote a culture of tolerance and combat hatred around the world, the company said in a news release.
Click here to see all the images.
The campaign was launched today in Paris.
“Unhate is a message that invites us to consider that hate and love are not as far away from each other as we think,” the campaign’s website said. “Actually, the two opposing sentiments are often in a delicate and unstable balance. Our campaign promotes a shift in the balance: don’t hate, Unhate.”
The website features photos of people holding large banners of the images “on the walls of locations symbolic of the desperately-needed peace process: Tel Aviv, New York, Rome, Milan and Paris,” the news release says.
The ads have already become a source of controversy.
After the images went up, the Vatican quickly denounced an image of Pope Benedict XVI kissing Egyptian Imam Ahmed el Tayyeb on the lips.
Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi called the digitally altered image an “unacceptable” and offensive manipulation of the pope’s likeness, according to the Associated Press.
Benetton removed the image shortly thereafter and it is no longer on the website, but the Vatican is taking legal action against the company in an attempt to prevent the image from circulating, according to the Associated Press.
Benetton is known for its striking, and often controversial, ads. Past ads have shown a priest kissing a nun, a white baby breast-feeding from a black woman and three human hearts with the words “white,” “black” and “yellow” printed over them.
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How in the heck is this ad campaign going to make STR8 PEOPLE kissing in photos their target in an ad campaign. Did they ask these leaders if they wanted to be photoshopped in that way. Do they have permission. I would sue to shut it down before I let this mess stand on Political Correctness. How is anyone gonna make str8 people be the focus of your gay ad campaign.
Posted by: Jstate83 | November 16, 2011, 3:35 pm 3:35 pm
That is so offensive, please post more.
Posted by: patrick | November 16, 2011, 3:38 pm 3:38 pm
JSTATE83 said “I would sue to shut it down”.
Good luck with your lawsuit. You can’t sue someone because they photoshopped a public photo of you. No more than you can sue someone for writing a biography about you.
Posted by: Max | November 16, 2011, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm
That is sickening. Has no appeal whatsoever and certainly does more to keep me away from their business than attract me to it. What does unhate mean anyway? It can be easily interpreted as a false accusation, especially since neither of these world leaders personally approved such message or would ever be caught in such a distasteful pose. Tacky, tacky, tacky
Posted by: dre | November 16, 2011, 3:42 pm 3:42 pm
Max………….. If someone use my photo or likeness in an ORGANIZED PUBLIC AD CAMPAIGN like this crap, I could sue because they did not get my permission. This ad campaign is crap. What str8 person want to be shown in a ad camp[aign like this. What str8 person want to be shown like this period.
Posted by: jstate83 | November 16, 2011, 3:51 pm 3:51 pm
Gee, now I think gays are normal since I saw this ad. Wow, this advertising really works.
Idiots!
Posted by: Seriously | November 16, 2011, 3:55 pm 3:55 pm
Is that a little tongue action I see? Lovely!
Posted by: Gunner_59 | November 16, 2011, 4:03 pm 4:03 pm
Mmmmm… sexy! Meowwwww !
Posted by: Sweetie | November 16, 2011, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm
I’m just lost my lunch.
Posted by: viv | November 16, 2011, 5:10 pm 5:10 pm
Mmmmm… sexy! Meowwwww !
Posted by: Sweetie
________________
Barf!!!!!!!!
Posted by: spike | November 16, 2011, 5:14 pm 5:14 pm
I stopped buying their crappy clothes years ago. All the colors ran. Looks like lots of other people stopped too considering their need to shock people into noticing them.
Posted by: doeslovetoread | November 16, 2011, 5:48 pm 5:48 pm
ROFL!!!!!….Priceless
Posted by: Whining Occupier | November 16, 2011, 5:53 pm 5:53 pm
They should have Bruno as the spokesperson
Posted by: Eric Redstone | November 16, 2011, 8:00 pm 8:00 pm
If you take out the fact that many of the pictures depict men kissing and if you take out the fact that the people shown are all political leaders, when you only look at these images as reflections of the problems they’re portraying, they make a very interesting statement. I’m not sure what it has to do with fashion, however I do like the concept overall.
Posted by: Lillian | November 16, 2011, 9:54 pm 9:54 pm
LOVELY……. heal the world… gay strain virus is now air borne
Posted by: ace | November 17, 2011, 2:25 am 2:25 am
Of course the Vatican objects. Hate is the only thing the Pedophile Church has left to offer.
Posted by: thomas mc | November 17, 2011, 10:10 am 10:10 am
Get a grip. It’s a kiss. What’s the big deal? I think these are great ads and a great message. We’re all talking about it, aren’t we? I wish people would become so offended at all the violent images that are thrown at us on a daily basis. Our society’s morals have become so twisted. Not all kisses are sexual. The negative reactions show more about how twisted we are, and not how twisted Benetton is, and they have just proved that.
Posted by: Macelroy | November 17, 2011, 10:40 am 10:40 am
DONT ASK DONT TELL
Posted by: doug | November 17, 2011, 1:01 pm 1:01 pm
Both presidents Hu and Obama are married men with very respectful wives. This picture grossly illustrates how much the Unhate Foundation and Benetton respect women.
Posted by: YNK | November 23, 2011, 10:12 am 10:12 am