rti iC ki9Q11 r ecyc l es Ads With A Conscience aerosols Visually arresting and verbally daring, some advertisements woo consumers by taking a stand. LIZ STEVENS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS Recycle empty aerosol cans along with other steel cans. A Message from The Michigan Department Of Agriculture *tc.. POTTERY ♦ PAINTINGS ♦ JEWELRY ♦ FURNITURE UNIQUE ACCESSORIES FOR THE HOME MESA ARTS GALLERY COLLECTION 32800 FRANKLIN ROAD ♦ FRANICLIN,MI 48025 TUESDAY - FRIDAY 10 A.M. - 5 P.M. SATURDAY: 11 A.M. - 5 P.M. (810) 851-9949 c/D LL1 c/D LLJ — 3 CC Lt.) CD :U 90 29203 Northwestern Hwy. • Southfield • (810) 356-5454 M ost companies want to sell a product; some com- panies try to sell an im- age; and a few companies, like Kenneth Cole, hope to sell a product, an image and a political ideology. "We think women should have a choice when it comes to being pregnant," reads a mag- azine advertisement for the shoe designer. "Barefoot is an- other story." Since Benetton paved the way in the mid-'80s, numerous companies have taken to im- buing their advertising with so- cial and/or political messages, a strategy that has occasional- ly backfired but more often than not drawn attention for its chutzpah, daring or sensitivity. The Kenneth Cole market- ing campaign, an irreverent marriage of liberal values and old-fashioned commerce, takes a bold step in that direction. And by doing so, it receives prominent attention in the Cen- ter for Creative Studies' new ex- hibit, "Ads with a Conscience," at the Center Galleries. The show traces the history of this so-called "point-of-pur- chase politics" trend in adver- tising over the past decade with examples from clothing de- signer Moschino, Tanqueray gin, Diesel jeans, Microsoft, Miller Brewing Company and others. It also delves into the controversy that often arises when capitalism co-opts social causes to help sell a product. "Peoplettre fascinated with how we're manipulated (by ad- vertising)," says Gallery Direc- tor Dennis Nawrocki. "And all of it's manipulation, even these social-cause things." Nawrocki has spent the past five years in particular follow- ing the cause-related market- ing trend, sifting through mainly alternative publications (such as Interview and Out) where the most controversial of the ads naturally run. His curiosity was piqued, like many, in the '80s when Italian clothing company Benetton be- gan running ads featuring mod- els of different races hugging and holding hands. In 1985, some American Jews took ex- ception to a Benetton billboard featuring young Arab and Jew- ish boys embracing, while dol- lar bills stuck out of their pockets. The company's outspoken cre- ative director, Oliviero Toscani, went on to create ads showing a black woman nursing a white baby and a nun kissing a priest. It's so nice that homosexuals, Jews and terrorists have a_ newspaper to read. The '90s saw Benetton use some- times shocking news photographs to capture attention: South Amer- ican children being exploited as la- borers, a car engulfed in flames on Above: This AIDS- awareness ad, by Italian designer Moschino, features the elegant director of research for the French National Institute of Health. The bodice of the dress is covered with condom packets. Left: The New York-based Village Voice makes fun of its liberal reputation in a new series of ads.