Marketing and Propaganda
Olivetti’s advertising campaigns (1950s-60s) vs. Benetton’s campaigns (1980s-90s)
“Marketing Is no longer about stuff that you make, but about the stories you tell” (Seth Godin).
Stories, stories that tell about something valuable, and this quote fully encloses what marketing is today. Companies today not only have to sell their products, but they must tell stories to attract (but not only) customers, to arouse emotions, and to take part in initiatives to attract consumers to their ideas.
This action happens through storytelling, but what does this term mean? For the National Storytelling Network, ‘Storytelling is the interactive art of using words and actions to reveal the elements and images of a story while encouraging the listener’s imagination.’
Storytelling is not only applied in marketing, but an essential use is also made in propaganda; propaganda is the practice of spreading ideas, information, or rumors to help or harm a cause, political system or point of view finds its definition in the professor’s notes.
Author and activist Alice Walker once said, “Propaganda is amazing. People can be led to believe anything” (Alice Walker, 1997).
For this reason, both terms, ‘marketing’ and ‘propaganda’, have the power to change and influence people’s ideas and behaviors thanks to various techniques and very effective narrative persuasion. That is why these two terms are very often opposed and mixed up, even though they have two different meanings and objectives.
In the following essay, a deeper overview will be carried out concerning the analysis of the relations between marketing and propaganda. Attention will focus on two different advertising campaigns taken by two well-known Italian firms: Olivetti 1950–60 and Benetton 1980–90.
First, Olivetti and Benetton will be introduced with a short presentation. The second section will go deeper into their campaigns, discussing how they succeeded and what techniques they used. In the end, the conclusion will summarize everything.
Introduction to Olivetti and Benetton Campaigns
Before explaining the propaganda techniques of the Olivetti and Benetton campaigns, it is appropriate to review the period in which both campaigns originated and the goals that each company sought to achieve.
Who is Olivetti? Olivetti S.p.A. is an Italian company founded in 1908 by Camillo Olivetti. It is now part of the TIM Group, which operates in the information technology sector. In the past, it was one of the most important companies in the world in the fields of typewriters, computing machines, and electronics.
From the very beginning Olivetti was a so-called enlightened entrepreneur, with a degree in electrical engineering in Italy, then periods of study in England and America, he brought very advanced business ideas to Italy. Olivetti has grown into one of the most recognizable symbols of Italy’s economic miracle and modernization. It became the point of Italian innovation under the guidance of Camillo Olivetti and later Adriano Olivetti.
This step forward in technology was combined with high-quality design. And at that time the communication marketing company was simply focused on the product to be sold. But with Adriano Olivetti, there was a change in thinking, for marketing communication but also something else, a moral commitment, the commitment of the individual entrepreneur to a just world and to improve the quality of life of their employees.
From this point of view, the Olivetti advertising created with the help of the gene of Giovanni Pintori during the 1950s and 1960s was highly representative of the minimalist design philosophy, whereby not only functionality should be expressed in a product but also aesthetic value.
These advertising campaigns were way more than a means to sell the goods; they represented modernization for Italy. Even the ads for common goods like typewriters and calculators, when promoted, were considered manifestations of Italian craftsmanship and its quality to be proud of on the national level.
Such ads positioned Olivetti products as flagships of Italy’s post-war renascence, a sight of what could well be named a modern-to-be-almost-futuristic country.
On in other hand, Benetton Group S.r.l. is a global fashion brand based in Ponzano Veneto, Italy, founded in 1965 by Luciano, Gilberto, Giuliana, and Carlo Benetton. The first shop was in Belluno, Italy.
In the 1980s and the 1990s, Benetton pursued a sharply divergent course, under the guiding creative hand of Oliviero Toscani.
The Benetton campaigns have progressively moved from product-based advertising to strident social commentary: the brand has positioned itself, rather than as a purveyor of clothing, as an agent of activism using stunning visual images to put forward its view on issues ranging from racism to AIDS and war.
Probably the most recognizable example is the “United Colors of Benetton” campaign. The provocative, sharp images of a death row inmate, a nun kissing a priest, and the body of an HIV-positive man would surely stir emotions and make people start thinking.
These ads were not just meant to sell clothes but also to talk about social injustice and global problems in order to make Benetton appear as something more than a fashion brand.
Propaganda vs. Marketing
The Olivetti campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s were propagandistic to build up national pride and a common identity among Italians. The strategic positioning of its brand adverts had thus to reflect Italy’s resurgence in the post-war period a typewriter or calculators exposing their progress in technology, most of all by Italian hands.
To buy Olivetti was not to buy office equipment but to buy into Italy’s resurgence as a nation once again. Since the theme of the promotion deals with national recovery and technological excellence, propagandistic traits found a solid place within Olivetti’s marketing that aimed at influencing Italy’s identity and global imagery.
Advertising, in this case, was not only aimed at selling the product but was intended as art, and in 1958 for the company’s fiftieth anniversary they marked this choice with a publication, ‘Olivetti 1908–1958’: “Olivetti was and is also this: the place where it is possible to attribute to the choice of a color for a cover, an adjective for a slogan, a profile for a stand or a line for the body of a machine an importance not too different from that which is given to the choice of a mechanical solution, of a steel, of a casting process.”
These words are intended to tell that for Olivetti, there has not been a division between function and beauty. Every side of the products and publicity was given equal consideration and importance as technological inventions.
That philosophy raised Olivetti from an office equipment manufacturer to a real cultural icon for Italy’s creative and industrial tenacity. Through art, design, and engineering, the Olivetti campaigns underlined not only the quality of Italian craftsmanship but also supported the nationalistic pride and identity of a nation.
Buying Olivetti products therefore became a symbolic gesture of contributing to the resurgence of Italy as a modern, innovative, and culturally powerful country.
The company was thus turning its advertising into an elegant form of propaganda, where every detail represented the significance of national and technological development.
Olivetti’s main target audience was four categories:
- Emerging middle-class and professionals
- Academics and intellectuals
- International consumers
- Large organizations and governments
Although all of these targets were for commercial purposes, that is, for selling products, there was one category that was not mentioned, and was not mentioned in advertising campaigns, but was convinced by word of mouth, were the employees.
Olivetti was one of the first Italian companies to listen to workers’ rights and to be on their side, an example being the reduction of working hours with the same pay, or the construction of houses near the company paid for by Olivetti precisely or the free canteen for all employees.
All actions are done for the sake of their workers.
For its advertising campaigns, Olivetti used a variety of media, focusing on aesthetics and integration between art and communication. A series of examples:
- Advertisements in national and international magazines and newspapers, aiming to reach a professional audience;
- Advertising posters relying on famous artists and designers such as precisely Giovanni Pintori and Marcello Nizzoli, to reach a mass audience;
- Corporate brochures and catalogs for clients;
- Exhibitions and events in collaboration with art galleries and museums to demonstrate the value of Italian design.
Source: https://designwanted.com/brand-story-olivetti/
As for Benetton, its campaigns made marketing history together with Olivero Toscani, their goal was not simply to make the brand known but almost a cultural responsibility for something impactful in society.
Olivero Toscani started working for Benetton in 1982 and became famous and well known for his provocative campaigns such as The Kiss Between a Nun and the Priest or Blanket,” a photograph with a lesbian interracial couple with a child adoption, issues that in those years were not much considered and were (as they still are today) at the center of a strong debate, remember we are talking about the 80s and 90s of the twentieth century.
Source https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/benettons-best-advertising-campaigns
These campaigns used storytelling to create social commentary, to get people talking, and to inform people about issues that at that historical moment Benetton supported because they were of great importance. The example of the female couple was created to inform people about the importance of rights and to reconsider their ideas when faced with the possibility of homosexual people adopting children.
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In general, between the 1980s and 1990s, many issues hitherto thought to be of little importance received a major boost from the public and others, including gender equality initiatives, human rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and health issues such as HIV/AIDS.
These were not simple to talk about, and Benetton’s campaigns redefined what advertising could and should do as a method of social change, a kind of propaganda, because in the end that was what it was.
The target audience was the mass audience but not only that, because he was going against a good deal of politics and large organizations like the church with his campaigns.
Benetton went beyond traditional advertising and became an ambassador for activism, pushing others to do the same and challenge cultural norms.
In specific, the target audience was diversified:
- Progressive and conscious consumers, interested in social and human rights issues, change, and sensitive topics;
- Middle/upper classes, interested in products;
- Governments and political institutions point fingers at world problems;
- Catholic Church, to directly challenge the church’s position and thinking on certain issues such as sexuality, inclusion, and AIDS;
- Media and opinion leaders create word of mouth and increase outreach.
Benetton’s campaign utilized different types of media:
- Photography, the most impactful
- Fashion magazines and consumer magazines
- Television
- Billboards
- Events, exhibitions, and art installations
- Launch of ‘Colors’ magazine
Source https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/benettons-best-advertising-campaigns
Although Benetton’s intent was not explicitly propagandistic in the political sense, but rather a provocative and cultural intent, a way to open people’s minds, various propagandistic techniques were used in the advertising campaigns to attract, stimulate attention, emotions, and reflections on the proposed issues.
One of the techniques used was that of ‘Source and credibility’, in fact, Toscani and Benetton were very important, authoritative, and well-known figures in the world.
And because of their credibility, they were accepted as carriers of social messages. Another ‘technique used was that of ‘opinion leaders,’ in the sense that through their campaigns, they attacked politicians, the church, and governments pushing them to respond and consequently amplified Benetton’s message, functioning as a sounding board.
Two other techniques were those of ‘Visual symbols of power’ and ‘arousal of emotion,’ through the use of powerful visual symbols, often universal, without the use of words they were able to express a very powerful concept.
As a result, these campaigns aroused strong emotions, such as compassion, shock, or outrage, all to attract attention and stimulate discussion and debate.
Conclusion
To summarize, both advertising campaigns represented an important step in the history of marketing and beyond; they emphasized the relationship between marketing and propaganda, united in the common project of creating and manipulating society’s opinions and behaviors for a just cause.
While Olivetti’s campaigns were focused more on the rebirth of the company as an industry leader, technological progress, and national pride; Benetton was interested in upsetting public opinion and large institutions, using strong storytelling and images of emotional and evocative impact, for social change.
Despite being two different cases, both companies succeeded in telling a story using highly effective propaganda and marketing techniques, of capturing minds and hearts using the power of images and creating messages that resonated in Italy and around the world.
The campaigns demonstrate that whatever the commercial or social desire, the result sought by advertising tends to be just to tell stories that connect well with people and organize their perceptions, orienting them toward desired purposes.
Both companies have shown that effective storytelling about mass opinion can push society to evolve and even renew the direction of advertising.
References and Biography
Olivetti S.p.A. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivetti
Benetton Group. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benetton_Group
Financial Brand Forum. (2025, January 8). Seth Godin: Marketing is storytelling. https://financialbrandforum.com/seth-godin/#:~:text=As%20Godin%20is%20fond%20of,is%20storytelling%2C%E2%80%9D%20Godin%20says
We build Buzz. (2025, January 8). Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make. https://webuildbuzz.com/buzz/marketing-is-no-longer-about-the-stuff-that-you-make/
Quote.org. (1997). Alice Walker quote: “Propaganda is amazing. People can be led…” https://quote.org/quote/propaganda-is-amazing-people-can-be-led-157737
App Salon. (2025, January 8). The difference between propaganda and advertising. https://appsalon.com.au/propaganda-advertising/#:~:text=Marketing%20persuades%20consumers%20to%20buy,their%20points%20memorable%20and%20convincing
Academia. (2015). Olivetti: A work of art in the age of immaterial labor. https://www.academia.edu/11913993/Olivetti_A_Work_of_Art_in_the_Age_of_Immaterial_Labour
Advertising. (2024, May). United Colors of Benetton. https://www.brandvertising.ch/2024/05/united-colors-of-benetton/
The Brand Hopper. Exploring Marketing Strategies of United Colors of Benetton (UCB) (2024, August). Placehttps://thebrandhopper.com/2024/08/04/exploring-marketing-strategies-of-united-colors-of-benetton-ucb/
Design Wanted. (2024). Brand story: Olivetti. https://designwanted.com/brand-story-olivetti/
Fast Company. (2015, March 2). Olivetti’s legacy is more than just typewriters. https://www.fastcompany.com/3060625/olivettis-legacy-is-more-than-just-typewriters
Swystun, J. (2024, January 7). Benetton’s confusing legacy of brand activism. Medium. https://jeffswystun.medium.com/benettons-confusing-legacy-of-brand-activism-6156b4c0384c
Vogue. (2024, January 6). Benetton’s best advertising campaigns. https://www.vogue.co.uk/gallery/benettons-best-advertising-campaigns
Advertising101 Wiki. Benetton Advertising. https://advertising101.fandom.com/wiki/Benetton_Advertising
StoryNet. (2025). What is storytelling? https://storynet.org/what-is-storytelling/
Fondazione Adriano Olivetti. (n.d.). Una campagna pubblicitaria per la Studio 42. https://www.storiaolivetti.it/articolo/121-una-campagna-pubblicitaria-per-la-studio-42/
