Madison Kerley

Background Information This advertisement was revealed on The PETA Files (PETA’s blog) on August 17, 2009, and it was put up in Jacksonville, FL. It was taken down and replaced not long after, due to many negative phone calls. The purpose of this advertisement was to encourage vegetarianism. This advertisement was dubbed “Save the Whales” due to many prank calls that PETA had received about “beached whales.” The advertisement is a metaphor comparing overweight people to beached whales.

What is your eye drawn to first?

I first noticed the word “Whales” because it is the largest and most central image in the advertisement. Another significant image in this advertisement is the overweight woman in the bikini, because she is outlined to stand out and is not proportional to the advertisement, since she takes up about 1/3 of the advertisement.

Who is the intended audience?

The intended audience of this advertisement is people who are trying to lose weight. The advertisement says to “lose the blubber” by going vegetarian, in the hopes that people struggling with weight loss will stop eating meat.

What are some pros and cons of people following the ad’s message?

Some potential pros include PETA gaining a vegetarian and also saving the lives of animals. Some potential cons include hurting the meat industry and causing animal overpopulation. On the other hand, the advertisement may not have the desired result, causing no changes.

Point of View Vegetarians, vegans, and PETA members would most likely support this advertisement because the advertisement convinces people to go vegetarian and save animals. Skinny people who eat meat would probably disagree with the advertisement because they would say that there is no correlation between weight gain and eating meat. Overweight people may support the advertisement because they may lose weight by becoming vegetarian. However, they may disagree with the advertisement because they believe that genetics, not meat consumption, determined their weight.

Exaggeration If the following was done to the advertisement… …Would the message be as strong?

Exaggeration The message of the advertisement would not be as strong if “save the whales” and “lose the blubber” were changed, because both of these phrases create a hyperbole. No one can literally be as large as a whale and have actual “blubber,” which is implied by the advertisement. Without these words, the meaning would be lost.

Ethical Appeal Where is the ethical appeal in the image?

Ethical Appeal The PETA logo gives the advertisement credibility through giving a well-known source that supports the claim that vegetarianism is a good way to lose weight.

Emotional Appeal Where is the emotional appeal in this image?

Emotional Appeal This advertisement uses words like “whales” and “blubber” to make overweight people feel angry with their current weight and therefore motivate them to lose weight, which PETA says can be done by going vegetarian.

Logical Appeal What is the logical appeal in this image?

Logical Appeal This advertisement uses the common knowledge that vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals than meat does. Vegetables are known to be lower in calories and they don’t contain the same kinds of fats that meats are rich in. Vegetables are also not as common in fast food restaurants, which have contributed to the obesity epidemic.

Comparison The “Save the Whales” ad received very negative feedback, so PETA replaced it with this ad: Is this ad more effective or less effective than the first? Why/why not?

Comparison The “Gone” advertisement, in my opinion, is more effective in convincing people to become vegetarian. Those who saw the first advertisement and then noticed the sudden change, reading the words in the “Gone” advertisement more thoroughly, potentially causing the “Gone” advertisement to make a bigger impact than the “Save the Whales” advertisement. My assumption is that more people went vegetarian after this advertisement than after the “Save the Whales” advertisement.

Works Cited Graffeo, Liz. "Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian." 17 August The PETA Files. Web. 2 October 2012.* Dudell, Michael Parrish. "Update: PETA Replaces Blubber Billboard With New Less Controversial Ad." 24 August ecorazzi.com. Web. 2 October *Both the ad “Save the Whales” and the information accompanying it were found at this source.*