BENETTON SUED OVER DEATH ROW CAMPAIGN
By Adnews Staff
Italian clothing company Benetton is being sued by Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon for fraud and trespassing. The suit is in connection with Benetton's new advertising campaign featuring pictures of Missouri death-row inmates. Nixon believes Benetton Group SPA misrepresented the purpose of the interviews with death-row inmates and made false claims that those gaining prison access for the interviews were from Newsweek magazine. Nixon also alleges the company misrepresented the project as being sponsored by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. "Instead, we find out that the project is part of a Benetton advertising campaign and the photographs and interviews are being used in an ad campaign that includes billboards, videos and a 90-page supplement to be distributed nationwide in magazines," Nixon said in a release. According to a report from Reuters, Benetton is defending its controversial ad campaign by saying its aim is to spark debate not sell sweaters. Company spokesperson Federico Sartor said the campaign was a success. Sartor told Reuters the company has had hundreds of responses and letters about the death penalty. He added it's been in all the newspapers and TV stations around the world have talked about it.