key people 44 Oliviero Toscani Oliviero Toscani s career was characterised by shots able to arouse controversy and provoke censorship; his creative strength radically changed advertising communication techniques, marking the history of Italian advertising and significantly contributing to the diffusion of the Benetton brand in the world. The company s objective, when Benetton appointed him as head of corporate communications, was to overturn stereotypes, subvert the previously known communication style, give a new interpretation to differences, merge and integrate oppositions and prohibitions, fight diversity under a unique flag, that of the United Colors of Benetton. In 1991 Toscani presented an advert that caused discussion and shook consciences, creating a scandal: a priest and a nun kissing. In Italy the image was censored due to pressure from the Vatican, in France due to requests from numerous religious associations. For the photographer it represented the love that normally blossomed between a man and a woman, which transcended the barriers of status and uniform. In the image there was no reference to the product, only a chromatic and symbolic correspondence to the contrast, to the pure and essential colour typical of the brand. Toscani s research and experimentation through his following shots went beyond advertising because he succeeded in conveying ideas and highlighting social problems such as racism, sex, AIDS, ecology, human rights, and equality: a fine line between art and provocation, political messages, and simple communication. Abraham Maslow The use of verbal language and the fact that it does not only respond to primary needs, but also to more advanced ones, distinguishes communication among human beings from that of all other living species. Communication is essential to meet those needs and can satisfy more than one at the same time, in an intertwined and complex way. To understand this concept, we may refer to the classification of human needs formulated by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow. Maslow s theory (1943, A Theory of Human Motivation) maintains that human needs are ordered according to a pyramidal hierarchy, which sees the primary ones at the base and the secondary ones at the highest levels: once a level of needs is satisfied, the mind moves to the next level and so on, until self-realisation is achieved. As the years passed, Maslow made some important revisions to his initial theory and suggested the order of the hierarchy is not always so rigid, but rather flexible, based on external circumstances and individual differences. Whatever the order, humans have needs and being able to recognise and speak to these different needs is key in marketing. This is the reason why Maslow s theory is well-known by whoever aims at engaging customers: knowing what needs of consumers are to be satisfied is crucial in determining one s communication strategy and brings about more chances of success. Communication AND PSYCHOLOGY Adapted from: https://www.collettivoclan.it/liberarticlantoscani-censura-innovazione-e-realta/