When companies export around the world, they normally adapt their advertising to suit different geographic markets. Benetton Group has followed a different path, using single, universal message that is valid for all consumers, wherever they live, whatever the colour of their skin and whichever language they speak.

In the early 1990s, Benetton Group introduced a new approach to corporate communication campaigns. Products were never displayed: the messages were about civil, social and political issues – a strategy which every wise advertising executive of the time would have been careful to avoid. This is because in communication – as in many other areas –Benetton strives to cover new ground, look ahead, experiment and anticipate the times.

By choosing social themes – actively promoting freedom of speech and giving visibility to humanitarian causes which otherwise would not have been communicated on a global scale – Benetton has given meaning and value to its own brand, building a lasting dialogue not only with its customers but with people from all walks of life, all over the world.