Time for a PETA Marketing Strategy Shift

I was reading Branding Strategy Insider today, when I saw a post by Mark RItson about the need for PETA to re-invent its brand strategy.  I found the post to be incredibly timely as I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to provide my opinion to PETA about how I thought their marketing strategy has to change for the brand to remain relevant and the organization to make a difference in the future.  Here is what I wrote to PETA:

As a marketing and branding professional, I am not a proponent of shock advertising, which I think PETA has a history of relying on.  I believe there are far more effective methods of communicating messages and shock advertising provides short-lived bursts of awareness but little for long-term ROI.  Additionally, I think the celebrities who endorse PETA aren’t always the best for the PETA brand [e.g., Pamela Anderson].  PETA has a reputation as an all or nothing brand.  In other words, people view PETA as a bit of a cult, “either you agree with us 100% or you’re out.”  I think with a more inclusive approach and message, more people would be supportive of PETA and animal rights would become a less trendy cause (sort of how supporting the environment was in the late 1980s/early 1990s) and more mainstream.  [Read more]