Animal rights organization PETA has always produced campaigns that have been the subject of contention. And, with Super Bowl Sunday — the biggest day of the year for advertising — looming around the corner, the group has naturally found itself in a hotbed of controversy. 
NBC has rejected PETA's newest TV spot, aptly titled "Studies Show Vegetarians Have Better Sex." According to the network, the ad — which shows scantily clad women in salacious positions with vegetables — "depicts a level of sexuality exceeding our standards."
The provocative commercial isn't PETA's first suggestive spot. Last year, PETA began its massive campaign linking vegetarianism to virility. Its ads included pictures of women in lingerie with the slogan "Get it up! Go vegetarian." Watch the clip of the banned commercial below, and tell me whether you think NBC was right to pull this suggestive ad.
Was a San Francisco Chronicle columnist on point when he insinuated that PETA is using porn to sell nature? Or is NBC out of line in banning the ad at a time when TV shows run rampant with violence and murder?
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It's just silly. Nothing to get worked up about.
1I think the ad is kind of dumb. I mean is it true? Do vegetarians really have better sex? The only vegetarian I've dated must have been an exception because he was definitely not all that...
2Seems on the same level as some Victoria Secret's ads ads and some beer ads. Not really sure how many people it will convert, but hopefully at least make people think.
Pretty hot though, I actually really love this ad!
3Its not really that provocative - I personally don't feel like defiling a carrot LOL. People get so worked up for nothing.
4LOL Party! I was wondering too how exactly do you um, "measure" this type of thing in order to make that statement. Also, wondering who they "tested" on the meat-eating side. I know PETA tends to only look at really sedentary, overly meat fed people (not really at those healthly omnivores). I mean really, there are sick and fat people on both sides of this fence.
But still, pretty hot ad.
5People will get worked up over anything. Granted, it's a pretty hot ad, it's really no worse than Victoria's Secret ads and such. Hardee's used to have some pretty steamy ads.
6At first I thought " ugh why Peta why" because I feel they give us vegetarians a bad name. And then I saw the ad finally and now I can't understand why it was banned?? The Victoria Secret ads and other ads on tv are just as bad. I think because superbowl is for "big strong meat-eating" men.
7what does that have to do with eating better and being healthy ???
8That was beyond retarded, I'm glad they pulled it because I don't want to watch something that stupid during the Superbowl.
9ew gross. i dislike peta and their ads. i am not saying i like the victoria secret ads either.
10Thats lame. I'm sure there have been racier ads than that which didnt get pulled.
And I wouldnt be surprised if vegie's had "better sex"...even tho I dont really know what that means.
11I don't think that the ad is bad in terms of sexuality but man is it just BAD period. What about people who eat a vegetarian meal once in a while? Do they only have good sex that night? I'd like them to cite their sources please.
12I think PETA needs to focus on the issues of why they are PETA rather than trying "sexy" ads. Their message isn't getting across well and they go way overboard.
13The ad itself is just weird and it I deff could have been showed during the Superbowl. There has been worse on tv.
Also, I think that ever since the Janet Jackson incident the Superbowl has been trying to cut down on the risque ads and go for more family friendly. For example, the Monsters vs. Aliens 3-D commercial that is highly anticipated.
14i always find that PETA although they have a GREAT message to put out there, they are often extreme in how they do things. i'm not one to shock people into changing their habits/behaviors yet that seems to be the route that they take.
i can COMPLETELY understand why NBC would pull it knowing that there are a lot of KIDS/MINORS that will be watching the game.
15Actually, I thought this was much racier than most VS commercials. That said, PETA annoys the s*** out of me so I'm probably biased. And I'd really love to know how they conducted their study. I eat meat, and that part of my life is just fine.
16Where is the sense of humor? It's not suppose to be taken this seriously.
17LOL what's amazing is that there are going to be tons more commericals that are more and most like more provacative than this pushing beer, condoms, erectile disfuntion meds. While I dont' always agree with PETA's tactics or all their views I think this is on some level censorship. NBC man up and show the commercial!
18NBC should just be honest it doesn't align with who they are marketing too on that day, and has nothing to do with race. As long as hot girls are peddling beer, condoms, cars etc then it's okay for them to Air but anything that makes people think can't be shown during the Superbowl!
19race = racy sorry
20Lame. I'm fine with it being pulled - not because it is too provocative, but because I have no desire to see it again =P
21It's a ridiculously stupid ad. By the way, where are all the MALE vegetarians??
22PETA's been more concerned with shock value- and using female bodies to push their agenda- than with education or a sincere desire to help and protect animals for a while now.
I'm a vegetarian, and I'm all for animal rights, but I'm disgusted with PETA.
23It was provactive and borderline offensive PETA is offensive and riduclous. Why can't men roll around like idiots with vegetables or make a tasteful ad.
24Promoting animal rights while objectifying women's bodies, even worse than VS.
25The "funny" part is that it won't be shown during the Super Bowl but I have seen so much coverage on it not being shown that I feel I have seen the ad, in its entirety, several times.
26PETA are going overboard and too manipulating... They like to do those stuff to caught everybody's attention on them. I stopped supporting them because of it. They also kills animals that they're rescuing btw..
27Oh yeah! That was my impression when I first saw the commercial too! It's even worse than VS. After seeing it, I've realized VS commercial are actually sexy and classy. It's all about being confident, selling the clothes and proud of being a woman.
28They can pull whatever ads they want, but I think they're obviously being biased. I'm upset that PETA wouldn't make a more hard-hitting ad for the Super Bowl though. Better sex? THAT'S what you're going to put in the spotlight?? What about animal cruelty, or uh, DOG FIGHTING, or puppy mills, or factory farming??
29i dont think it's too inapropriate... but it's kind of stupid
30That's seriously raunchy, and I was under the impression that the Super bowl was a family affair. And once again PETA objectifies women to get their 'point' across. Can that organization do anything right?
31"Can that organization do anything right?"
Nope.
32Is the campaign actually true?
33PETA's tactics are all wrong. I agree. Objectification of women is a lot worse than eating meat .............
I am not going to disagree that it is no worse than other ads--but I still think it is wildly inappropriate and it was right of them to pull the ad. I don't want to see that!
34Besides just being rude- it is catering to an audience that I'm guessing is not going to give a sh*t and still want their big manly steak. Could be wrong.
Letter to PETA:
It is a shame when an organization decides to try to make a point by preying on base sexuality rather than making an intelligent point. You have stooped to a new low PETA.
Although I support much of PETA’s effort to educate the world regarding your causes, I have to wonder now what lengths you would go to in order to get your point across. I fully support the ban on your recent ad campaign by NBC.
I think that somewhere in your advertising, especially these newer commercials – the ‘Ethical’ part of PETA has gotten lost.
What about the Ethical treatment of families, who are affected so negatively by our society’s addiction to pornography? Your commercial is nothing more than that – soft core porn meant to get attention by exploiting sex. How unintelligent and uncreative.
Look at the statistics on how many families are affected by sexual addictions because we are constantly visually assaulted by organizations that apparently can’t make an intelligent point without sexual imagery.
On your website, in order to post a message on the forum, you require adherence to the following guidelines:
Thanks for wanting to join PETA's forum! Before you join, take a quick moment to read over the sorts of activities that will get you kicked off (hopefully there won't be any surprises):
• Posting any information that is vulgar, harassing, hateful, threatening, invading of others' privacy, sexually oriented, or in violation of any laws (Does that shock you? Then you probably shouldn't be posting here.)
• Posting sexual solicitations, personal ads, arrangements to meet in person, invitations to "cyber," or any message with extremely sexual content or links to pornography
• Posting off-topic content or "spam" (PETA's forum exist to help animals. If you're here to be a "hater," just save us the trouble of deleting all your posts by leaving now.)
• Registering with a user name that is offensive
What hypocrites you are. PETA’s slogan is ‘Animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.’ But apparently, women are fair game for entertainment, whether standing at the roadside in bikinis and cages, or in these offensive commercials. When placing these ads on television, you are “posting a message with extremely sexual content”. That’s cruelty to families, and unethical.
Congratulations. You got some attention. Your commercials will be circulated among scores of porn addicts and teenage boys. They will live on forever in video files – where they will be watched in secret by people with no concern for your cause. They will not be shared by families trying to teach their children about the ethical treatment of humans or animals. What useless trash you have created with my very last donations to your organization.
35PETA is ridiculous and has lost any credibility what so ever with the world.
36NBC has every right to pull the ad. I'm sure it was more about them covering themselves than anything. There could have been tremendous fallout had they shown the ad. Additionally, I agree that it does differ from Victoria's Secret ads. I had read that the reason they gave is that it looks like the women is about to pleasure herself with the asparagus t the end.
On a side (but related) note, my roommate and I were discussing ads in general last night. I remember just 5-10 years ago, birth control ads featured married couples exclusively. And, you never saw ky jelly, etc. advertised on network tv. Now, we have the Plan B ads where the women are alone the next morning. (And I in no way take offense to those ads. I just think it's interesting how much things have changed in such a short period of time.)
37According to studies, consumption of meat in excess is linked to impotence in men. The average vegetarian/vegan is thinner than the average person, which might lend itself to more self-confidence in bed. So it's believable.
38Everything Peta does is intended to shock. How else would they stay in the news? Would you really care if it were just a slightly sexy ad? No. This wouldn't have been posted and it hardly would've stirred a notice. The ad airing on a major cable network would receive TONS less attention than having it pulled.
It's called marketing. *shrug* They're not idiots, they're kind of brilliant.
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