Classic Controversial Campaigns From PETA

(Part Two)

Yesterday, I blogged about how I was in utter awe of PETA. It's true. They are the largest animal rights organization in the world (with over two million members) and they are by far the most vocal and unforgettable.

I confess that I often can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with next. Their ads are always quite creative and interesting, but they too often cross the line.

Most of PETA’s ads are offensive or sexist, or both. Even though I understand the political undertone of their messages, I shake my head in disbelief because some of them are just plain virulent. It’s like trying to get someone to see your viewpoint by spitting repeatedly in their face.

Still, like them or hate them, PETA generates countless headlines and I admire the group’s relentless tenacity.

Let's take a look at some of their more inspired and inflammatory campaigns:


I think, everybody can agree: all children should
cut class much more often. Thank you, Andy Dick.



Who really wants to see a naked woman covered in magic
marker lines that depict which parts of her will make for
a fine evening of gourmet BBQ? (Um, other than cannibals.)



While I understand the point PETA is trying to make, it
comes across as a weird S&M rape fantasy. Also, I am deeply
disturbed that I find an elephant so damn smoking hot.



Hmmm. Be comfortable in your own skin.
Great message, except after seeing this I’ll
never feel comfortable again.



Foxy lady, here I come... I’m coming to get ya.



Do you really know of many people who don't love to wear
their dog around the house?




This ad was so offensive that PETA eventually issued a public apology to various outlets of the Jewish media on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Not only did this one cross the line, but it pretty much obliterated it.

Speaking of which, I will now leave you with one final questionable PR campaign from PETA. The organization came up with its own “Unhappy Meal” handout a while back in an effort to teach families about the “unhappy” lives of chickens raised to be future McNuggets.

This copy describing it is directly from PETA’s web site:

“The inside of the Unhappy Meal box is stained with "blood" and contains a "blood"-filled packet urging McDonald's to "Ketchup With the Times," a paper cutout of a menacing Ronald McDonald with PETA's parody "I'm Hatin' It" logo, a "bloody" plastic chicken, and a "Chicken McCruelty" T-shirt wrapped up like a sandwich.”



Damn, that's just hardcore.

Personally, this is one of my favorites as it is just plain wrong on so many levels. Anytime I see a psychotic clown wielding a knife on packaging geared toward young children, well, that generally gets my attention.

This campaign was completely unacceptable. It is unspeakably cruel for the poor souls who suffer from coulrophobia, or the fear of clowns. It is estimated that about 8% of Americans suffer from this fear.

That’s only slightly more than the percentage of Americans who are paranoid that the ketchup packets at their favorite fast food restaurant actually contain real blood.

Ah PETA, you always give the public some interesting food for thought.

PETA Strikes Again with Save the Whales Campaign

(Part One)

I am in utter awe of PETA. I really am.

I’m not a member of the group. I’m not even a vegetarian. I can’t say I advocate all of the policies and attitudes of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, but I sure am dazzled by their ability to capture headlines better than any other organization on this planet.

I wholeheartedly support the controversial group’s right to generate promotional campaigns free of censorship... even if their ads sometimes seem free of common sense, as well.

Case in point: PETA recently unveiled a new billboard (above) designed to inform people that vegetarianism is a healthier dietary choice than eating meat.

Unfortunately, the actual message is less than poetic: “Save the Whales. Lose The Blubber. Go Vegetarian.”

Wow. Just wow.

So, if I am to take the ad at face value, it says that fat people are whales, full of blubber, and that they should eat vegetables in order to slim down. This strikes me as particularly odd since there is no such thing as a vegetarian whale.

Anyway, I cannot imagine how anybody could be offended by this message.

Sure, calling an overweight woman in a bikini a whale (i.e. a mammal that typically weighs between 1.8 and 3.5 tons) might be considered profoundly sexist and ostentatiously rude, but when was the last time you saw a PETA ad that wasn’t attempting to be either of those things?

Remember, this is the organization that produced a 30-second “Veggie Love” commercial for Super Bowl XLIII that was rejected by NBC. The network considered it too provocative due to scantily clad women licking, rubbing and generally frolicking with pumpkins, broccoli, asparagus and eggplant.

If you need a visual aide to accompany the previous paragraph, please visit here.

Also keep in mind, PETA is the same group that is known for its scintillating campaigns promoting vegetarianism and condemning the wearing of fur garments. Their ads often feature naked or near-naked celebrities, including Alicia Silverstone, Pamela Anderson, Christina Applegate, Eva Mendes, Kim Basinger and Famke Jannsen.


I think Alicia confused the word nudist with vegetarian.


I think every heterosexual male with working
eyes would rather she go naked, too.


Is there anything more tempting than a sea of
spicy red peppers?

I’ll give PETA credit. They are masters at stirring up public reaction. Unfortunately, it’s too often negative in tone. If they want to draw attention to obesity and healthy vegetable-based diets, I’m all for it.

After all, a large segment (no pun intended) of this planet's inhabitants are considered obese. The World Health Organization reports that there are more than one billion overweight adults globally and at least 300 million of them are obese.

The problem needs to be addressed, but calling overweight people “whales” hardly seems like a constructive or even ethical stratagem.

When you anger the public deliberately, especially by directly insulting them, how much credence will be given to your message?

The current “Save the Whales” campaign is just one more example in a long history of inflammatory ads authored by PETA. Tomorrow, I will take a look at some of the classics.