Racy PETA ad sparks controversy

Some thought it was a condom ad. Others saw it as soft pornography. In the end, it turned out to be the latest teaser from PETA that has people debating whether the NGO may have sexed things up a bit too much.

Some thought it was a condom ad. Others saw it as soft pornography. In the end, it turned out to be the latest teaser from PETA that has people debating whether, in a bid to raise awareness about their campaign, the group that stands against cruelty to animals may have sexed things up a bit too much.



The ad, which stands for PETA’s campaign, ‘Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’, features singer Miley Cryus’ ex Justin Gaston, model Giglianne Braga and actor Ben Elliot. "This campaign implies that the fur industry is so bloody and cruel that we’d actually rather go naked than wear any fur," says Poorva Joshipura of PETA.



While the teaser has fulfilled PETA’s objective — "get people talking" — the buzz is not positive. "They should drop the animal rights pretense and register as pornographers," says Kimitake Hiraoka. "Pointless and pathetic," says Harsh, 22. "Looks like a pervert filmed these three after getting high on drugs," says Jatin, 21, while Tina said, "It’d work better as a condom ad."

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Nude PETA

Ad gurus feel such campaigns work only in the right context. "If the logic is genuine, it’s fine to use such hard-hitting advertising, but if not, the effort fails. For our society, the concept needs to be clear," says Sukesh Naik of Ogilvy and Mather. "In India, I think 50 percent under the age of 25 will love it, but the old fogies will object," said ad-man Alyque Padamsee.