The death row inmates are history. Even the copulating steeds and smooching clergy are gone. In fact, what's most shocking about the latest advertising campaign from Benetton Group is that it features normal, fresh-faced teens in sportswear. It's the first time in almost two decades that the giant apparel and sporting goods company, best known for its off-putting ad images, has put so much of what it sells in its advertising. Its Gap-like ads, which are starting to appear in magazines and on billboards and TV, feature exuberant models frolicking in colorful knitwear against a white background. Tame stuff, but Benetton executives hope the $10 million campaign will help the Italian company revive sales of sportswear in the U.S., which have shrunk 50% to $52 million since 1993. Last year total U.S. sales accounted for only 11% of Benetton's $1.8 billion in revenues. And there are only 150 Benetton stores in the U.S., down from 600 in 1987. "It's back to square one in the U.S.," says Gian Luca Manca, an analyst for HSRC.
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