INTRODUCTION
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a non-profit organization aiming to promote animal rights. They are an extremist group known for their controversial, often offensive, advertisements and protests. Among their advocacies include banning of the use of animal products in fashion and cosmetics and promoting a vegan lifestyle. PETA is also known for using sexualized and derogatory portrayal of women in their campaigns.
This paper will review one such controversial campaign – Boyfriend Went Vegan and Knocked the Bottom Out of Me. The following will explore the possible communication process that took place and the reasons the campaign failed to deliver its message. Also included are the results of the campaign, …show more content…
The proximity of its release to Valentine’s Day caused backlash from the public due to its theme.
The video was accompanied by a website containing more information on the “syndrome”. Among them were testimonials from audiences, instructions to start turning vegan and play-safe tips for the girlfriends of those affected by it. Of course, the information and videos on the website were all created by PETA, as part of the campaign.
OTHER CAMPAIGNS BY PETA
Apart from the campaign mentioned above, it’s also important to note that PETA’s campaigns are usually controversial and offensive in nature, and meant to be seen as such. On their website, PETA states “We try to make our actions colourful and controversial, thereby grabbing headlines around the world”.
As such, other campaigns by PETA were very badly received. Below are some examples:
One of the worst received advertisements by PETA, however, is one of their simplest. In 2008, a man was beheaded on a bus in Canada and was partially eaten by the perpetrator. PETA then released a poster attempting to “make people rethink the proposition that it is, rightly so, a criminal act to kill and eat our own kind but that it’s ‘OK’ to kill every other species but our own and eat …show more content…
While PETA’s sexual advertisements certainly garnered more attention, they were, like many of PETA’s other advertisements, rendered ineffective due to the public’s reaction to them.
In addition, PETA often degrades women by objectifying them, which disagrees with their campaign for animal rights. This problematic, as study has also found that “women's dehumanization is associated with increased tolerance for unethical behavior towards women – specifically men's attitudes towards sexual harassment and rape” (Bongiorno, Bain and Haslam, 2013, p. 5).
Based on these advertisements, one can see that PETA does not need to resort to such measures to be able to promote their message. Press coverage is not the only way to reach more viewers. The internet is now a good way to reach large audiences without associating the brand with negativity.
That said, organizations like PETA should be concerned about the way their messages are communicated, as “dehumanizing women not only has negative consequences for women, but also for the ethical causes that traffic in them” (Bongiorno, Bain and Haslam, 2013, p.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is a non-profit organization aiming to promote animal rights. They are an extremist group known for their controversial, often offensive, advertisements and protests. Among their advocacies include banning of the use of animal products in fashion and cosmetics and promoting a vegan lifestyle. PETA is also known for using sexualized and derogatory portrayal of women in their campaigns.
This paper will review one such controversial campaign – Boyfriend Went Vegan and Knocked the Bottom Out of Me. The following will explore the possible communication process that took place and the reasons the campaign failed to deliver its message. Also included are the results of the campaign, …show more content…
The proximity of its release to Valentine’s Day caused backlash from the public due to its theme.
The video was accompanied by a website containing more information on the “syndrome”. Among them were testimonials from audiences, instructions to start turning vegan and play-safe tips for the girlfriends of those affected by it. Of course, the information and videos on the website were all created by PETA, as part of the campaign.
OTHER CAMPAIGNS BY PETA
Apart from the campaign mentioned above, it’s also important to note that PETA’s campaigns are usually controversial and offensive in nature, and meant to be seen as such. On their website, PETA states “We try to make our actions colourful and controversial, thereby grabbing headlines around the world”.
As such, other campaigns by PETA were very badly received. Below are some examples:
One of the worst received advertisements by PETA, however, is one of their simplest. In 2008, a man was beheaded on a bus in Canada and was partially eaten by the perpetrator. PETA then released a poster attempting to “make people rethink the proposition that it is, rightly so, a criminal act to kill and eat our own kind but that it’s ‘OK’ to kill every other species but our own and eat …show more content…
While PETA’s sexual advertisements certainly garnered more attention, they were, like many of PETA’s other advertisements, rendered ineffective due to the public’s reaction to them.
In addition, PETA often degrades women by objectifying them, which disagrees with their campaign for animal rights. This problematic, as study has also found that “women's dehumanization is associated with increased tolerance for unethical behavior towards women – specifically men's attitudes towards sexual harassment and rape” (Bongiorno, Bain and Haslam, 2013, p. 5).
Based on these advertisements, one can see that PETA does not need to resort to such measures to be able to promote their message. Press coverage is not the only way to reach more viewers. The internet is now a good way to reach large audiences without associating the brand with negativity.
That said, organizations like PETA should be concerned about the way their messages are communicated, as “dehumanizing women not only has negative consequences for women, but also for the ethical causes that traffic in them” (Bongiorno, Bain and Haslam, 2013, p.