«Werbemist» platform denounces advertising that is harmful to animals
Four Swiss animal welfare and animal rights organizations are launching the «Werbemist» platform to expose advertisements that downplay animal suffering or convey a false image of animal husbandry. On its website and on Instagram, the project highlights problematic campaigns and evaluates them based on facts.
Advertising may exaggerate and ironize - this is permissible and often even desirable. However, it becomes problematic where depictions of animal husbandry or animal products trivialize animal suffering, convey a distorted picture of actual husbandry conditions or violate legal or ethical advertising standards.
Animal Rights Switzerland, Sentience, the Stiftung für das Tier im Recht (TIR) and Tier im Fokus (TIF) have launched the «Werbemist» platform to highlight the reality of animals behind such advertisements. On the website and on Instagram, the organizations document advertising campaigns that are harmful to animals, classify them and provide a fact-based explanation of why they are problematic.
The public can report advertisements
The public is called upon to submit photos of advertisements that trivialize or misleadingly depict animal husbandry via the «Mistmelder». The submitted advertisements will be reviewed. In the case of content that is harmful to animals or misleading, the organizations seek dialogue with the advertiser, involve the Swiss Commission for Fair Trading and consider legal action.
Reality versus advertising promises
In Switzerland, many farmed animals live in confined spaces and without access to the outdoors. In addition, mother animals are routinely separated from their young, which continues to cause considerable animal suffering. Painful procedures such as dehorning are also practiced. However, advertising for animal products often conveys a romanticized image of animal husbandry that has little to do with the reality of most animals. According to the organizations, this trivializes these abuses and shapes social perceptions more than many are aware of.
The aim of the project is to draw attention to euphemistic advertising for animal products and to raise awareness of this. In the long term, the aim is to rid the public sphere of images that trivialize animal suffering or promote the consumption of animal products. This is because advertising that is not formally misleading also helps to increase demand for animal products - and thus stabilize a system that is associated with considerable burdens for animals and the environment.
The organizations involved have many years of experience in educational work as well as legal expertise and have already submitted several complaints that have led to high-profile decisions by the Swiss Commission for Fair Trading.
