You've got to admit that PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) knows how to generate buzz. A TV ad PETA sought to purchase for $3 million from NBC for Sunday's Super Bowl was rejected by the network for being too sexy. It features a number of models really enjoying vegetables and was titled "Veggie Love." The ad (at www.peta.org) probably does violate NBC's standards. But not only did PETA save the $3 million ad cost, it generated many millions more worth of earned media coverage, including millions of hits on the ad online, due to the controversy the NBC rejection caused. Almost every online news site is featuring a streaming version of the ad (as are many blogs) and the story generated headlines and coverage worldwide, at a time when Super Bowl ads are traditionally one of the key non-sports-related stories leading to the NFL championship game. Some media criticized PETA for demeaning women ("I guess they care more about animals than about women," one Seattle Post-Intelligencer reporter wrote). But PETA has staked out that territory since its "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" ads, so this was a consistent strategy. While risky, it also turned out to be a winning one.
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