... Blood-stained furry hats

I’ve blogged before about my support for PETA and their tendency to churn out ads that are likely to offend (yet get noticed as a result) (see here and here)

So they’ve only gone and done it again, but this time, they have tackled a far more prominent and controversial topic: The helmets worn by the iconic Queens’ guardsmen.

They launched some really graphic and impactful posters on the side of a handful of London buses, which have caused a bit of a stir in more than just the marketing press. (I heard a rumour they had already been pulled, but can’t find this confirmed anywhere..)

The ads show a guardsman wearing a bear’s head instead of his traditional furry hat; blood is streaming down his face with the slogan ‘MoD: Go fur-free’ displayed alongside.

PETA want the MoD to swap to fake fur for their iconic guard’s hats as each is claimed to use the entire skin of a Canadian black bear. The bears are also killed in the cruellest manners… shot in hunts or ensnared in painful traps. Some escape wounded, and die later on. Mother bears, with nursing cubs can even be shot, leaving their babies behind to starve (that’s what really gets me… the hunters obviously have no concern at all for what they are shooting at, causing more suffering and death than they realise!)

The MoD are claiming that they cannot switch to a synthetic fabric as they haven’t yet found an alternative material that is adequate enough for all weather conditions, however they say they are not opposed to using an alternative should they find a suitable one. I think that’s just nonsense, and it’s an excuse that the MoD has been using for 20 years now. PETA even went so far as to source high-tech synthetic materials from leading faux-fur manufacturers around the world, which they made to the MoD's own specifications, but these were not well-received, with the MoD saying it ‘lacks life.’ Well if by ‘lacks life’ you mean it’s not been bloodily torn from one of nature’s creatures, once alive and carefree, now skinned for the creation of one measly hat, then yes, I guess it would lack life!

More than 200 MPs have signed EDM 1756 which points out that this iconic caps serve no military purpose whatsoever, and are purely ornamental– one of the MPs pointed out, they are not even bullet-proof – that’s insane, how can the MoD claim that synthetic materials couldn’t match up to the qualities of fur?! Hello, bullet proof vest material nested inside faux fur anyone?!

This campaign has gained loads of celeb support from TV personalities, authors, comedians and models so far, with many bearing all… showing once again, how the issue of fur continues to get people talking.

Spokesperson Poorva Joshipura has rightfully said: "'Tradition is no excuse for cruelty, and we plan to make this the year that everyone hears about how slowly the British military adapts to change."

PETA are good at causing a stir with this kind of advertising, and with their protests etc, but it would be fab to see this campaign picked up by the mainstream public for a change; it’s not the usual animal-testing/meat-trade kind of topic, so is more accessible and less ‘crazy’ I guess! I’m really looking forward to seeing the parliamentary EDM go further, and seriously hope that the MoD start their change into using less cruel (and more sustainable) fabrics for their iconic guardsmen.

(all info borrowed from ThisisLondon site and PETA campaign site)

p.s If you were a lovely caring person you would sign the petition on the PETA site please…

p.p.s Have you heard about popstar Kelis' recent dig at PETA via her myspaceblog? They wrote her a letter asking her to stop wearing fur, her response is nutty: Check it out.

p.p.s I am very aware that this entry was more of a rant, peppered with observations/opinion, as opposed to being a more insightful consideration a campaign.. I’ll try harder next time to keep this blog on track!

... a vitamin-infused Facebook experience

I’ve taken a 10 week break from blogging, time to get back on the wagon (despite my realization that my topics aren’t very original, my narrative-style sucks, and I don’t have enough dedication to the blogosphere to push my tales to the masses… oh well, gives me something to do eh!?)


Anyway, what better way to ease myself back in, than with a story all about one of my favourite websites… Facebook!


Have you ever wondered what Facebook tastes like? Well wonder no longer! Those lovely, ethically-questionable, people at coca-cola have only gone and created a 'Facebook' flavour Vitaminwater (called ‘Connect.’) Now I’m not a fan of Vitaminwater, and have blogged about it before but it seems that the die-hard fans have had their say.


In September, Vitaminwater launched a Facebook application on the site to crowd-source ideas for their next flavour. It monitored online buzz about different flavours on the market, and then users could vote for their favourite via the ‘flavor creator tab’ on the million-strong Facebook fanpage. Then came the fun part; users could design & write the blurb for the bottle’s label, which was then voted on by celebrity judges including spokesman/shareholder 50 cent himself. The winning designer got a cash prize, and the chance to see their design on this new flavour bottle instores. All of this activity was promoted via a Youtube ad by NBA’s Steve Nash, showing how integration amongst social networking sites can really work at supporting your brand in any marketing activites.


Crowd sourcing really isn’t a new thing in adland, with some brands even encouraging fans to make their entire ads for them for some form of cash reward/prestige. Voting for your favourite flavour of something isn’t that new either (remember Gary Linekar’s promotion of the ‘tasty Walkers’ squirrell crisps last year?) But Vitaminwater have combined the two, in an official, brand-supported way, via the magical medium of Facebook (with Youtube support,) encouraging both creativity and voting-power amongst fans, and I think it’s worked. 


I would have maybe upped the prize a little for the winner though and jumped on the opportunity for some more brand PR. The winner could have been invited to some kind of launch party, meeting the celebrity backers of the brand... fiddy could have even got a wee rap on the go. By dreaming up this new flavour online, with a niche group of tech-savvy energy drink fans, Vitaminwater will still need to put the effort in to market it offline, to ensure the whole concept and excitement translates properly. 

So as the US Facebook-geeks eagerly await these branded bottles entering the market in spring, the rest of us will have to wait and see if the fad comes over the pond to reach us. I, personally, will not be squirming with anticipation… the idea of a drink described as ‘a tasty black cherry-lime flavour made with caffeine and 8 key nutrients’ is pretty minging. Give me a bottle of tooth-rotting, nuclear Irn Bru anyday!