At press-time, the chain was appealing the Category 2 ruling on its Sisley brand's sales poster.
Benetton area communications manager, Serina Lui, said: "We are very concerned with being grouped with other Category 2 cases, which we have noticed are the hard-core pornography DVDs and VCDs. Ours is a marginal case but it will hurt our brand image if we are grouped together with other hard-core pornography products."
Shot by New York-based Terry Richardson, the poster was designed and produced in Benetton's Italian headoffice and distributed worldwide. The chain only carried the poster in its flagship Hong Kong store when it was informed of the Obscene Articles Tribunal's classification.
Although the Benetton chain itself is no stranger to advertising that pushes the envelope, with its moral and social messages, its Sisley brand has opted to focus on storylines in which consumers can identify themselves.
Sisley's advertising manager, Paola Paoletti, said: "Her posture and gesture, shows clearly to the ones willing to see it, the common fashion models' attitude. There is nothing whatsoever which can be interpreted as shameless or intended to offend any Hong Kong citizen both over and under 18."
Sisley's run-in has prompted observersto note that OAT guidelines are too ambiguous.
However, Market Catalyst head of creative, Christine Pong, said tightening up the guidelines could be counter-productive.
"I would rather they not make it too clear, otherwise they might clamp down to the point where we can't show backs or thighs. It could create more hurdles."
Pong believes the Sisley work would have passed without complaint had it run as a print ad in women's titles rather than a poster in its shops frequented by wider segment of the population.
