The Death Sentence

    The death penalty is a tricky topic to talk about and this ad is not changing that notion. Benetton an Italian clothing company released this ad as well with 26 other ads with different inmates that are on death row. This caused Sears to cancel their contract with Benetton and a lot of negative publicity.

     The most capturing part of this ad is the inmate just looking at you dead in the eye. This connects to you on a more personal level and raises the question on how did he get there. It also makes someone think why is he waiting to die and I’m just living my normal everyday life. This is what Benetton exactly wants you to think, they want you to ponder about the reality of the death sentence. With bold, black words saying, “SENTENCED TO DEATH” it really hits home about the brutality of the death sentence. The font used helps the viewer see how simple the punishment is, none of that life in prison with or without chance of parole but just death. In the bottom right corner of the ad, there is the inmate’s name, birthdate, crime, and sentence.  This is another way for the viewers to get a more personal connection with the convict, and maybe you even share a birthdate.  Benetton puts its full companies name on the right side of the ad, in white font and accompanied by a green background. This is to make sure that you notice and can read the companies name, because why would they make these ads if their name was not on it. The contrast of this picture makes the background really dark, and dull. This is to make your eyes go to the inmates face and look directly into those eyes.   Benetton does a good job in making an effective ad that will make everyday people question the fundamental principles of the death penalty.