What? Would you rather have U.S. President Barack Obama bending over or kissing world leaders when greeting them?

You’ve already seen the furor it causes whenever he bows down. So the bowing is out. But there’s nothing wrong with a little peck on the lips — as long as his lips are closed.

Actually, the above images of Obama kissing Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, and Chinese President Hu Jintaoare, are part of Benetton’s newest controversial ad campaign, according to the Washington Post:

“It means not hating,” Alessandro Benetton, deputy chairman of Benetton Group and son of the founder of the family company told the Wall Street Journal. “In a moment of darkness, with the financial crisis, what’s going on in North African countries, in Athens, this is an attitude we can all embrace that can have positive energy.”

Skepticism abounds, though — the company’s sales have been dragging, and some are speculating that the ad campaign might just be a way of jolting consumers into remembering the Benetton name. The campaign is the first part of a three-step plan to revive the Benetton brand. According to the WSJ, the brand is also rethinking its clothing lines.