ABSTRACT
As Back and Quaade observe, the dominant theme of Benetton’s campaign is ‘the accentuation of difference coupled with a simple statement of transcendence and global unity’. Applying the work of Stuart Hall, Back and Quaade further argue that this accentuation of difference is generated within a grammer of race. The overpowering reference point in their imagery is that race is real: racial archetypes provide the vehicle for their message, and racial common sense is overbearingly present in the ‘United Colors’ myth, such that the reality of race is legitimated in Benetton’s discourse. The representation of race as a choice (and of choice as a compulsory act) is central to Benetton’s entire brand image and marketing strategy. This position is clearly elaborated in the fourth edition of Colors, a promotional magazine published by Benetton. In later Benetton campaigns, the stylistic equivalence of skin and cloth was extended to invert a whole series of natural relations and hierarchies.
