Benetton gets world leaders smooching in provocative ads

— -- Benetton is about to out-Benetton itself.

Today, the socially forward clothing retailer rolls out a new ad campaign that features fake but convincing computer-generated photos of top world leaders — including Barack Obama and Chinese leader Hu Jintao— kissing.

These aren't just pecks on the cheek, either. They are major eyes-closed, body-embracing, mouth-to-mouth smoocheroos.

The ads also include Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu kissing Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. Benetton had planned to run an ad of the Pope kissing Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb, Imam of the Al-Azhar mosque, but dropped it from the campaign Wednesday following protests from the Vatican.

For Benetton, which once had more than 800 U.S. locations but now has only 61, it's about trying to re-ignite its social message — and maybe even its sales — at a time the Occupy Wall Street movement has put social action back at the forefront of consumer thought.

"The campaign shows that we need to have courage to not hate others," says Alessandro Benetton, executive deputy chairman of Benetton, and son of the Italian-based company's founder, Luciano. The Obama bussing Jintao ad is scheduled to appear next week in issues of Newsweek, New York magazine and The Economist, says Benetton spokesman Luca Biondolillo.

But is it legal? Probably not, says Doug Wood, an attorney specializing in advertising law. Even then, he says, Benetton has little to lose, because unlike movie stars who regularly sue for misuse of their images for commercial purposes, politicians rarely take such serious actions. Usually, they request that an ad be removed, as the White House did last year when The Weatherproof Garment Co. installed a billboard ad at Times Square showing Obama wearing one of its coats.

Alessandro Benetton insists he hasn't heard from the White House. But in an e-mail, White House spokesman Eric Schultz says, "The White House has a long-standing policy of disapproving the use of the president's name and image for commercial purposes."

Biondolillo insists the ad is not for commercial purposes. "This is not a product advertising campaign. It makes no reference to our products."

Trend-spotter Marian Salzman says the kissing campaign is culturally lame, at best. "This message would be more relevant coming from Hershey."