Contrarian Marketing at Benettons

Perhaps, with apologies to Dale Carnegie, we should call this article: "How to make enemies AND influence people."

The subject: United Colors of Benetton's campaign to promote its clothing, using photos and stories about death row prisoners in the U.S. It's what journalist James Bone of the Times of London called the "latest in a string of deliberately provocative campaigns".

In an age when most advertisers try their hardest to avoid offending anyone, this company takes a clearly contrarian approach. A cynic might call it a cheap trick to get attention and free media coverage (like this article). But, Benetton has run campaigns like this for quite some time, and important communication lessons come out of them, regardless of how we feel about the subject matter.

Let's start with focus. Obviously, if the company willingly offends the moral sensibilities of many potential customers, it must focus on a particular part of the market, specifically people with liberal social and political attitudes.

In marketing terms, that suggests Benetton segments with psychographic criteria. Psychographics refers to the lifestyles, values, and attitudes of consumers, including social and political viewpoints.

Given that it has run campaigns like this one for some 20 years, we have to believe that Benetton knows this segment well and focuses on it intently.

Turning to positioning, just about every other clothing company uses warm and fuzzy advertising themes. Advertising that makes you feel good about yourself because you look good, which makes you attractive to others, and therefore popular, and all of that should satisfy some of your important goals.

Benetton, on the other hand, apparently wants its customers to feel good about themselves because they have a social conscience, because they feel moral outrage about one of the hot-button issues of our time.

This positions the company very distinctively. While no end of warm and fuzzy strategies may get mixed up in consumer minds, Benetton has a clear and unequivocal position that won't be mistaken or soon forgotten.

Diversity is the next issue: we who live in North America sometimes forget other large markets exist beyond our immediate borders. Benetton, an Italian company, probably recognizes those markets.

Voters in all major industrialized countries, except the U.S., have rejected the death penalty since World War II. That includes people in the powerful economies of Western Europe.

So, from Benetton's bottom-line perspective, it can afford to offend some potential American customers as it builds or maintains markets in Europe and Asia. Not that Benetton has been reticent to offend Europeans either. Another recent ad campaign showed a nun and priest kissing, which raised many hackles among European consumers.

As you can imagine, this contrarian strategy could backfire easily, if used by a firm with that couldn't carry it off well. To succeed with it, you need to know your marketing and markets very well indeed.

In summary, a contrarian positioning strategy like Benetton's, one that might offend some potential customers while increasing the loyalty of others, presents a high-risk, and possibly high-reward, option.

Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott's Communication Letter. Learn how you can use communication to help achieve your goals, by reading articles or subscribing to this ad-supported newsletter. An excellent resource for leaders and managers, at: http://www.communication-newsletter.com

---

Feature Your Benefits

Sales Copy? eventually every small business owner must consider what... Read More

7 Cheap & Easy Ways To Get Prospects

Here are some quick techniques you can put into place... Read More

Distinguish Your Business From The Competition

You followed time-honored online marketing techniques to the letter: you... Read More

Top 10 Benefits of Hiring a Marketing Writer to Write Your Marketing Materials

1. It costs less to delegate to a professional than... Read More

3 Strategies to Market Your Business Even When There?s No Money

Many small and home based businesses know they need to... Read More

Mobile Auto Detailers and Newspaper Companies as Clientele

If you are a mobile auto detailer or mobile car... Read More

Massage Therapists Can Now Make More Money

As a massage therapist, your income is usually limited by... Read More

Whats Your Marketing Weak Link?

Your marketing weak link could be undermining the rest of... Read More

Boost Your Direct Mail Response Rates with Mapping Technology

On Superbowl Sunday, Domino's Pizza delivered more than 900,000 pizzas-and... Read More

Where to Find New Customers Using B2B Direct Mail

The challenge in business-to-business direct mail is knowing where to... Read More

Questioning the Data of Demographic Off The Shelf Marketing Products

I have been working on a direct mail campaign for... Read More

Creative Online Marketing For Salespeople and Business Professionals

New to a sales career? Want to market yourself but... Read More

Are You Playing Checkers or Chess?

When you think about how to attract more clients for... Read More

The Secrets of?

A lot of advertising and mailings promise to reveal the... Read More

Small Business Pricing: Setting A Price For Your Product / Service

The importance of pricing can not be underestimated as incorrect... Read More

Deceptive Marketing and Procrastination

Procrastination is every marketers worst nightmare.This applies on three fronts.Firstly... Read More

6 Simple Ways to Determine Which Marketing Ideas Are Best for Your Business

Did something catch your eye in a direct mailing this... Read More

Web Site Marketing: 10 Little Known Upsell Strategies That Will Magnify Your Profits

What is Upselling?It means pre-selling any additional features of your... Read More

Top 10 Ways to Create and Manage Opportunity

Most of us are used to the concepts of risk... Read More

Measuring the Return on Your Direct Mail Investment

In direct mail lore, there's a rule stating that you... Read More

Blowing Your Own Horn

Opportunity Assistance Business Resource Center At first you must think... Read More

Why Do You Need to be in the SERPS?

Why does your business need to be in the Search... Read More

Marketing Tips - Ten Quick Marketing Actions

It is often difficult to manage to do marketing tasks... Read More

2 Step Marketing

Do it Right.I receive postcards all the time. The other... Read More

Top 5 Kick Butt Marketing Requirements

Cinch your success with 8-second leaders! Step into the saddle... Read More

Uncover Your Hidden Markets

Want a simple, low-cost way to boost your sales? Just... Read More

Corporate Branding and Trade Shows - 8 Tips for Marketing Managers

Trade shows are part of the marketing mix and the... Read More

Competitive Research and Google

It all started out with an email message: "I am... Read More

Practice Marketing: How to Answer What Do You Do? to Increase Prospects, Publicity and Profits

"What do you do?""I'm a CPA. What do you do?""I'm... Read More

The M-Word

It was a real eye-opener to hear the perceptions people... Read More

Mortgage Broker Marketing - Sell Problems, Not Solutions

Are your marketing messages to Realtors® guilty of these promises?-... Read More

Tooting Your Own Horn

"If he who has a thing to sell Goes and... Read More

Marketing Gurus : Do You Need One?

Its become fashionable to bash marketing "gurus" nowadays.There are some... Read More