In line with the spirit of active participation and concrete action that drives the UNHATE project, the pictures of the United Colors of Benetton campaign are central to a billposting operation: a plan of unannounced live actions. Groups of young people will post the manifestos showing kissing leaders on the walls of locations symbolic of the desperately-needed peace process: Tel Aviv, New York, Rome, Milan, Paris.
Benetton’s in-house communication agency Fabrica doctored pictures of leaders–without their permission. Mr. Benetton says he doesn’t expect them to complain because it promotes a message of peace. However, last year after outerwear brand Weatherproof mounted a billboard of Mr. Obama wearing its jacket in Times Square, White House lawyers contacted the company asking them to take it down because the president objected to his image being used for commercial purposes.
