AIDS: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Attempt to Increase Dwindling Sales?

In an attempt to increase sales, businesses will sometimes collaborate with an organization devoted to helping people with some kind of serious illness. Doing this oftentimes evokes some kind of emotion from its potential customers, while simultaneously advertising their merchandise. This grabs the attention of consumers and gives them an urge to help people in need. The advertisement allows both the business and the charitable organization to profit from the increase of sales and also leaves the consumers with a proud feeling of altruism. However, in rare cases, a company will attempt to use this advertising strategy and will not achieve its desired outcome. In the 1980's, people were slowly learning how serious of a disease and how common AIDS was becoming. The clothing company United Colors of Benetton decided to buy the picture of a family grieving over their dying, AIDS-infected relative. The family consented to selling the photograph to the company and the United Colors of Benetton decided to make this image a part of their advertising. This image, contrary to what the company tried to achieve, did not appeal to consumers.
The first thing I notice when I look at the picture is the man in the bed who appears to be dying. I stare and stare at the man trying to figure out if this man is a real person or if he is some kind of sketched caricature. My next thought is why he is the only one in the picture that is not an actual person. My mind is on everything but the intended target. The overall message of this image evokes a feeling of sadness and sympathy that averts my attention away from the company's logo on the bottom of the picture and onto bigger issues concerning health. My first time ever hearing of this company was when I looked at the photo, and I couldn't even tell what was being advertised. The fact that this photo was an advertisement for a clothing company was the furthest thing from my mind. I thought it would be advertising a hospital, a type of medicine, or a support group, but certainly not clothing. Instead of buying a photo of a real family grieving, they should have perhaps reenacted this scene and put some of their products in the advertisement. In addition to not showing any of its products, the ad also does not say anything about donating any of their profit to help AIDS patients. If the ad had mentioned something about a portion of the proceeds going towards helping victims of AIDS then it would have been more appealing. Since the ad showed no proof of it making this picture part of its advertising for the benefit of those suffering from the disease, it merely just appears as though it's exploiting this family. The family is shown at a time when they are expressing real grief for their relative who is perishing right before their eyes. I don't see how this is supposed to get people to want to shop at the advertised store. It seems that the only ones that monetarily profitted from this advertisement is the family that sold the picture to United Colors of Benetton. In this case, AIDS stands for Attempt to Increase Dwindling Sales moreso than Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome