PR Week ran a short profile in September of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ Bruce Friedrich. As PETA’s director of vegan outreach, Friedrich is responsible for many of PETA’s more outrageous public relations campaigns.
The article by Anita Chabria was generally favorable to Friedrich, nothing that, “No matter where you fall on the political scale, most people are aware of PETA’s efforts, due in large part to its innovative and relentless public relations.”
On the other hand, PETA does not usually receive the sort of publicity that most organizations would like to receive. Yes, people are aware that PETA thinks there is no qualitative difference between the Holocaust and animal agriculture, but PETA’s “Holocaust On Your Plate” campaign has hardly turned out a new wave of vegans.
Which doesn’t bother Friedrich at all. He tells Chabria,
I believe that how we present animal rights and veganism to journalists or civic leaders should not differ in any substantial way from how we would present it to our friends. I try to apply the golden rule beyond the species barrier. I think the chickens would want us to not worry about winning popularity contests, but rather to worry about what we can do to alleviate their suffering. We at PETA have an attitude that we would rather go too far than not far enough.
Certainly you will not find any criticism of that strategy here. The more PETA spends on campaigns likening animal agriculture to the Holocaust or meat eaters to serial killers, the more it will remain marginal and help ensure the animal rights movement remains marginalized.
Source:
PETA PR man Friedrich practices what he preaches. Anita Chabria, PR Week, September 22, 2003.