Ask Megan

Why does PETA use certain tactics to ensure that campaigns grab media attention and headlines?

PETA’s purpose is to stop animal suffering, and we use all available opportunities to reach millions of people with powerful messages. We have found that people pay more attention to our more provocative actions than those with a more serious tone. Sometimes this requires tactics, such as naked marches and colorful ad campaigns, that make some people uncomfortable, but part of our job is to grab people’s attention and even shock them in order to initiate discussion, debate, questioning of the status quo, and of course, action. The current situation is critical for billions of animals, and our goal is to make the public think about these issues.

Unfortunately, getting the animal rights message out to the public is not always easy and straightforward. Unlike our opposition, which mostly consists of wealthy industries and corporations, PETA must rely on getting free “advertising” through media coverage. We often do outrageous things to get the word out about animal abuse because, sadly, the media usually do not consider the facts alone “interesting” enough to cover. Colorful and controversial gimmicks, on the other hand—such as activists’ stripping to “bare skin rather than wear skin” and jumping on stage at a fashion show to protest a model’s shameless promotion of fur—consistently grab headlines, thereby publicizing the animal rights message to audiences around the country and, often, the world.

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