United Colors of Benetton

The images below, are a visually documentation of the ‘United Colors of Benetton’. These images are a part of their campaigns.

Background of the company.

       Benetton group is a global clothing brand, based in Italy. The name comes from four members of the Benetton family. Its core business is clothing, a group with strong Italian character whose style and quality are seen in its brand. The company adopted the slogan as its actual logo.

Past campaigns have focused on a variety of issues including:

the death penalty

child labor
race issues
gender issues
cross-cultural issues
world hunger
religion
AIDS and other STDs
mental health
war and violence
environment
immigration
gay and transgender issues
isolation and communication

       In 1984 Benetton group hired photographer Oliviero Toscani, the "bad boy of advertising," to the Benetton family. He had a new vision for Benetton advertising - moving away from the fashion world and toward that of social chang.  When Oliviero Toscani worked for Benetton and created his famous controversial advertising campaigns they were extremely powerful and had the desired affect of increasing Benetton's income immensely.
       Toscani had spent over two years taking photos of prisoners on "Death Row" in American prisons and some of the photos were used in an advertising campaign launched in the year 2000.   However, when this campaign became too controversial Benetton backed down and Toscani mysteriously left. 

Ad campaigns from 1980s to 2000:

                                                      2004 James and Other Apes, James.

                                                                2003 Food for life

                                                   2003 Food for Life, Food for Education

                                                             2001 Volunteers

2000 Sentence To Death

1998 Human Rights

                                                                         1996 Hearts

1996 Horses

1995 Eyes

1994 AIDS Faces

                                                                   1994 Bosnian soldier

                                                      1993 World AIDS Day, Paris 1993

1992 AIDS

1992 Girl with Doll

                                                                   1991 Priest and Nun

1991 Angel and Devil

1991 Newborn baby

1991 Kiss

1991 Condoms

1991 Cemetary

1991 Tongues

    

1990 Black and White hand

1990 Embrace in Blanket

1989 Breastfeeding

1989 Handcuffs

                                                                1988 Adam and Eve

                                                                    1986 Nationalities

                                                                  1985 USA/URSS

                                                          1985 Tutti i colori del mondo

1982 Product Campaigns

The style influenced by Toscani  really shows  how gripping photography can, rather than something that is just physically appealing to the eye but something that truly captures a critical moment within time that has a strong substance or meaning, just as he has done.

http://www.benettongroup.com/40years-press/40_years_timeline.html

http://unhate.benetton.com/unemployee-of-the-year/image-gallery/unemployee_of_the_year_01/

http://top10buzz.com/top-ten-controversial-united-colors-of-benetton-ads/
http://abduzeedo.com/awesome-and-controversial-ads-benetton
http://www.toxicdrums.com/toscanibenetton.htm
http://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/tag/united-colors-of-benetton/
http://www.salon.com/2000/04/17/benetton/