The animal rights charity People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has been cleared by the Advertising Standards Authority following complaints over an digital billboard that likened consuming fish to consuming cats.
An commercial positioned in Cleethorpes by PETA in April this yr featured a picture of a fishmonger holding a useless fish with the textual content “Sea Things”. But when seen from the facet, the poster modified to characteristic a useless cat changing the fish, whereas the textual content challenged viewers to “Sea things in a different light” and “Respect all life. Go vegan”, above the PETA emblem.
Ten individuals submitted complaints to the ASA after seeing the advert, with critics difficult whether or not its depiction of a useless cat was excessively distressing, and more likely to trigger critical or widespread offence.
Three complainants additionally challenged whether or not the advert had been responsibly focused as a result of it appeared in a public place the place kids might see it.
But PETA argued the purpose of the advert was “to question the widespread assumption that certain species were more deserving of compassion than others”.
The charity additionally mentioned these preconceptions have been evident from the complaints themselves, “given the ad had featured two dead animals, while only the cat’s depiction had been seen as having the potential to cause distress”.
PETA defended the poster on the premise of its view that “there was no rational or ethical difference between eating fish or cats, since both were species of sentient beings capable of suffering”.
The ASA mentioned it accepted PETA’s defence of the poster and its message, in a ruling revealed right now.
The watchdog mentioned: “The ASA acknowledged that some viewers would find the ad unsettling or distasteful.
“However, we considered that viewers would understand that the ad was for an animal justice charity, promoting the vegan diet, and that it aimed to challenge societal norms regarding the moral significance of meat consumption.
“We considered that the cat’s depiction was neither gruesome, nor shocking, and was unlikely to be considered particularly realistic by most viewers. On that basis, we considered that viewers, including children, were likely to regard the image as relatively mild.
“For that reason, we concluded that the ad was not excessively distressing, or likely to cause serious or widespread offence, and had not been irresponsibly targeted.”
PETA UK’s vice-president of programmes, Elisa Allen, informed Third Sector: “The Advertising Standards Authority has made the only logical and just conclusion, and its decision will help sensitive, intelligent fish, who are mercilessly hauled out of their ocean homes by the trillions every year.
“The advert’s message is irrefutable: when it comes to suffering, there is no difference between a fish, a cat, or any other animal.
Allen said the charity now intends to roll the ad out nationwide “as part of our efforts to challenge speciesism and encourage everyone to leave all animals – whether feathered or finned, with four legs, two legs, or no limbs at all – off their plates”.
