No more "family connection": Controversial milk advertisement is canceled
The Swiss Fair Trading Commission has ruled: The proceedings regarding a controversial Swissmilk advertisement have been dismissed. The advertisement had claimed that dairy cows had «family ties.» In reality, they are separated from their calves. That is why Animal Rights Switzerland filed a complaint. Swissmilk will no longer use the controversial ad in the future—a move that pleases animal rights activists.
In the future, Swissmilk will refrain from using a controversial motif: In 2017, the lobby organization advertised with the claim that dairy cows are "happy thanks to family connection". According to Animal Rights, however, dairy cows are separated from their calves, and the social animals suffer as a result.
The animal protection organization then filed a fairness complaint on the grounds of misleading advertising. Swissmilk responded with an unconditional waiver: the campaign complained of would no longer be used. The Fairness Commission is now holding Swissmilk to this waiver and is terminating the complaint proceedings on this condition. It is thus a done deal that the subject with the word "family connection" will no longer be used in Swissmilk advertising.
Human and cow family?
The Fairness Commission had rejected the complaint in the first instance because it understood "family connection" to mean the farmer family, not the cow family. Animal Rights Switzerland appealed - the public clearly understood "family connection" to mean the cow family, as a survey by the Tagesanzeiger had also shown. In addition, Swissmilk had repeatedly depicted calves and cows as families in other subjects of the campaign. The Fairness Commission acknowledged this as an argument - but the proceedings were terminated because Swissmilk refrained from using the controversial sujet without restriction. "With our complaint we have achieved the most important thing, namely the guarantee that absurd claims about "family connection" are banned from milk advertising," says Pablo Labhardt, Executive Director of Animal Rights Switzerland.
The Fairness Commission will soon be dealing with Swissmilk and the marketing organization's advertising again. The current campaign is also a thorn in the side of animal rights activists. (Werbewoche.ch reported). The association Swissveg considers the communication measures created by Jung von Matt/Limmat to be misleading and therefore filed a complaint with the Swiss Fairness Commission in March - criticizing the Swissmilk statements and presentation in ten points. (hae)
