People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have launched a campaign against the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and their owner Steve Bisciotti. over the team’s sponsorship deal with fast food giant KFC.
The animal rights group is urging the Ravens to reconsider their official chicken sponsor and to drive home their argument have launched a media based campaign.
PETA have publicly promoted their campaign by seeking publicity for their position through the local newspaper The Baltimore Sun. To gain further word of mouth they have also seeded a letter the organisation has sent to Bisciotti titled ‘PETA Calls Out Steve Bisciotti’s Unholy Partnership With KFC’.
Here’s the letter in full:
Dear Mr. Bisciotti,
Greetings from PETA, where there are many admirers of not only your team (I live in Baltimore and am a huge Ravens fan) but also your charitable work with Catholic Charities. We’re hoping that you also have a place in your heart for animals. We heard about your recent partnership with KFC — which refuses to heed its own advisory panel’s call to switch to a less violent slaughter system that has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture — and hoped that you might reconsider your partnership.
As you can see at KentuckyFriedCruelty.com, chickens killed for KFC live their entire lives in cramped factories, mired in their own waste. At the slaughterhouse, the birds’ throats are cut while they are still conscious, and they are often scalded to death in defeathering tanks. KFC’s profits depend on the deaths of these gentle birds, yet the company refuses to make even basic improvements for chickens despite the advice of its own animal welfare advisors.
PETA’s Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign isn’t just for vegetarians; it’s for anyone concerned with the cruelty that flourishes simply because of corporate greed. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that we owe animals kindness and that it is “contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly.” After watching the video footage, we hope you’ll agree that this cruelty is not in line with the Catholic value of kindness toward animals.
Would you consider ending your partnership with KFC until the company takes action to end the worst abuses of chickens?
You would be in good company: Personalities ranging from Sir Paul McCartney to Pamela Anderson have helped us keep this issue in the public eye. Please let me know if you have any questions; I can be reached at [contact information redacted].
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Bruce Friedrich
Vice President
The protest campaign comes hot-on-the-heels of KFC being named the “Official Chicken of the Baltimore Ravens” and to activate this partnership recently launched a promotional campaign called the KFC Ravens Mock Draft 2011. A matching campaign was released by rival NFL side Washington Redskins – also backed by KFC.
Comment:
We are unsure of the details in the case of this partnership, but it does go to show that before signing and sealing sponsorship deals teams should always research current issues around the brand carefully. And vice versa too of course.
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