 |
Pier 1's elephant ad isn't a hit with PETA
12:00 AM CDT on Friday, May 29, 2009
Using Kamba the elephant in its spring ad campaign has earned Pier 1 Imports Inc. a "Baddy" award from animal rights group PETA.
Kamba was filmed at a Pier 1 store in downtown Fort Worth, not far from the company's headquarters. In the 15-second spot, she looks over an elephant umbrella holder approvingly and then appears in a backyard that's decked out with new furniture and accessories from Pier 1.
PETA received a "deluge of complaints from viewers" who opposed the training and use of exotic animals "just for a few laughs," said Kristie Phelps, a PETA spokeswoman. She said Pier 1 refused to pull the commercial, which stopped airing Memorial Day weekend.
Pier 1 spokeswoman Kelly Keenum said the company followed accepted procedures, hiring a third party to monitor the elephant's treatment. Pier 1 hired the American Humane Association, which provided a letter verifying that Kamba was treated humanely.
This year, PETA has replaced its Litterbox and Glitterbox awards with the Baddy and Goody designations. PETA recently awarded Kia Motors a Goody for its hamster commercial because the furry critters are computer-generated.
Mutual of Omaha and Ask .com received Goody awards for promoting animal shelters. Kraft and Sprint received Baddies for using chimps in ads.
Create A Screen Name
Screen names can only consist of letters and numbers.
Your screen name will appear to everyone.
NOTE: You cannot change, delete,
or edit your screen name once you hit "Save".
RSS
E-Mail newsletters
- Internet Explorer 7+
- FireFox 3+
- Safari
If you are using Internet Explorer 7, make sure Phishing Filter is turned off by going to Tools / Phishing Filter / Turn Off Automatic Website Checking. If you are using Internet Explorer 8, make sure InPrivate Filtering is turned off and InPrivate Filtering data has been cleared. To turn off InPrivate Filtering go to Tools / InPrivate Filtering Settings, select the "off" button and click "OK". To clear InPrivate Filtering dataYou must be logged in to contribute. Log in | Register Now!
You are logged in as screenname | Log Out
You are logged in, but do not have a "screen" name. Create a Screen Name