Ponzano, 4 July 2011.Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, You Tubeand an international superblog, United Blogs of Benetton: Benetton is increasingly turning to social media, as a result of a carefully planned digital communication strategy, capable of achieving significant results in a short time.

The people - fans and followers - are the centre of it all: each initiative has begun with a dialogue with users, bringing the number of fans on Facebook to 500,000, an increase of 50% since January 2011, with more than 55 million viewed posts and approval ratings up by 115%. Active and viral participation on the Net that has materialized into numerous successful initiatives.

United songs of Benetton is a Facebook application that allows users to listen, download and share the latest electro-dance songs written by Francesco Novara. The Benetton Spring-Summer 2011compilation, launched on June 21 during the European music festival, has already had 2000 downloads and 4000 hits. A link - Benetton and music – set to become one of the cornerstones of the brand’s image.

I’m Unique, the online casting for all children in Italy, which has its owndedicated blog and Facebook page, has been viewed over 60,000 times since May 9, 2011.

Great emphasis on the Facebook page has also been placed on themed products and games, which have allowed fans to share their favorite items on the bulletin board - like in the case of Blue Denim, Valentine’s day or the most recent Personal Styles - or to color the world of the Web thanks to applications such as Colors of you. All successful initiatives, as confirmed by more than 50,000 views overall.

Let’s also take a closer look at the Sisley brand, whose page on Facebook has increased by tens of thousands of fans thanks to viral activities such as Don’t call me doll; flash-mobs organized in major cities across Italy and abroad, which have generated the enthusiasm of the fans; as has the new collection by Milo Manara, whose designs can be downloaded as screensavers and wallpaper from the Sisley Facebook page. Almost 5 million viewed posts and approval ratings up by 1,375%, these are the numbers that testify to the growth of the brand.

Recent developments also include a totally new look for Sisley.com and the launch of a brand new blog/magazine, that makes independence the key to its name and ideology,independentpeople.com.

Consequently, Benetton, is becoming ever more social, working with all the tools and 2.0 platforms available on the Web:  Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, You Tube, and now, United Blogs of Benetton and Independent People.

The future is online and Benetton is too.