You may have heard about the controversy surrounding the latest Benetton ad, which features world leaders kissing on the lips under the headline “Unhate”. In one of the ads Obama is kissing Venezuela’s dictator Hugo Chavez.
The thing about this ad is that it’s not too far from reality. I mean look how warmly Obama treated Chavez back in April of 2009.
But what’s really offensive about Benetton’s new ad campaign is the fact that it mistakenly positions the company as a company with a social conscience. Setting aside the moral relativism that the ads are peddling, Benetton operates stores in Cuba where it sells its high end merchandise to tourists while it exploits Cuban workers who are limited to making $20 a month.
Benetton REEKS, but not as badly as those who buy into it.