Edgy New PETA Ad Mocks SeaWorld’s Multimillion-Dollar PR Campaign
Ad Answers the Question: ‘What If SeaWorld’s Commercials Actually Told the Truth?’
For Immediate Release:
June 18, 2015
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
They look like SeaWorld trainers, but they’re not—something that becomes apparent as you listen to their words. “We used to steal orca babies from the wild, but now we masturbate them and breed mother orcas with their sons,” says blue-suited spokesperson Greg in a blunt new 30-second TV spot— courtesy of PETA. The ad suggests what SeaWorld’s commercials would really look like if the company told the truth about the treatment of the marine mammals held captive by the abusement park. The shockingly honest ad takes aim at SeaWorld’s recent multimillion-dollar nationwide ad blitz—an attempt by the company to bail out its sinking business. “[I]f you come to our park, we’ll tell you a bunch of lies,” Greg continues in the spot alongside colleague Laurie, “Fish Doctor and Stuff,” who replies, “Why do we lie? Because if we told you the truth, you wouldn’t come.”
“Strip away the sheen, and SeaWorld’s newest attempt to prop up its failing brand crumbles to dust,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ad makes it clear that the best thing caring people can do is steer clear of SeaWorld’s cruel parks until the animals it holds captive are no longer forced to spend their lives in tiny tanks.”
In the wild, orcas work cooperatively to find food and share complex relationships, while SeaWorld has separated at least 19 offspring from their mothers. And instead of traversing vast expanses of ocean every day, the orcas at SeaWorld are forced to perform circus-style tricks for food and are even sometimes given the drug diazepam to manage stress-induced and aggressive psychotic behavior. Following the release of Blackfish, attendance at SeaWorld parks dropped and the company was named one of the most hated in the U.S. in a Consumerist poll.
PETA’s 30-second spot is available here. For more information, please visit SeaWorldOfHurt.com.
