E-bulletin – 2012 5E 31LUI HOI MAN
Question1: To what extent does Benetton’s “unhate “ global advertising campaign help to foster peace and ‘global love’?
To a small extent the Benetton’s “unhate” global advertising campaign helps foster peace and ‘global love’. The first reason is that audience of the advertising campaign is not corresponding to the stakeholders affecting peace. The second reason is that the campaign violates the comfort-zone created by hostility, particularly significant for religion.
First of all, target audience of such a global advertising campaign can only be limited to the general public around the world, instead of particular stakeholders which perceived particular strong sense or belief. This campaign shows edited image, which seems to arouse interest of the general public. However, it is common to find young people treat it as kind of fun only, while not being accepted by adults regarding them as unserious motivation, most of the people will not think deeply about the ideas of peace and ‘global love’ brought behind. In other words, the effectiveness of raising concern for peace and ‘global love’ is actually low. Even if enlightened audience can think deeply about fostering peace and ‘global love’, it is not easy for audience to accept and become motivated in foster peace and ‘global love’ in reality as that requires long cultivation.
Moreover, collective effort made by numerous of individuals is not comparative to influences brought by particular stakeholders. As long as stakeholders usually have their own sense and logic to consider the circumstances, the campaign, in fact have no affection on them and definitely they will not be the targeted audience. I.e. those stakeholders can do nothing to help foster peace and global love after reading the advertisement.
On the other way round, despite the rising awareness of the peace and global love brought by the campaign, it may worsen international relationship. Take the image of the Pope kissing an imam as an example. Kiss generally tells intimacy. But in Muslim skin contact between man and woman is not allowed, not to mention kissing. The two religious head represent their own interest and stance of the 2 religion that certain kind of hostility is present. The edited image is kind of insult into the comfort zone for the 2 religion, a symbolism of damaging the interest of the both sides. In such a way, tension and conflict may stir up.
In a nut shell, to a small extent the Benetton’s “unhate” global advertising campaign helps foster peace and ‘global love’.