The Digital Collegian - Published independently by students at Penn State
NEWS
[ Friday, Sept. 20, 2002 ]

Animal rights organization brews controversy with ad

Collegian Staff Writer

Forget the milk, animal lovers. Douse those Cornflakes with a healthy dose of lager.

Fueled by information from a new Harvard Medical School study, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has decided to bring back its ad campaign that mimics the well-known "Got Milk?" slogan. PETA's ad asks "GOT ... BEER?!" and states that beer is healthier than milk.

PETA decided to reintroduce the campaign after it felt its claims about the harmful aspects of dairy consumption were confirmed by the Harvard study. PETA said the new study presents evidence that beer can be as healthy, if not healthier, than milk.

The ad will run exclusively in college newspapers because PETA believes students will be the most receptive to the ad. The ad ran in yesterday's issue of The Daily Collegian. Collegian Business Manager Megan Janke (senior-advertising and psychology) said there was minimal concern regarding the content of the ad.

"We reserve the right to refuse any ads we deem unfit," she said, adding that PETA's ad did not fall into this category.

The purpose of the campaign is to encourage people to stop using dairy products, said Bruce Friedrich, director of vegan outreach for PETA.

PETA's Web site (www.milksucks.com) contends that milk can contribute to acne, obesity and actually cause osteoporosis.

In spite of what the organization contends, not everyone is in agreement with the new campaign, or what it is promoting.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," said Melissa Martilotta, director of the University Nutrition Clinic.

While Martilotta agreed that beer in moderation can be a part of a healthy diet, she believes that the new ad is off base.

PETA ran a previous version of the advertisement two years ago in several college newspapers but was met with difficulties from organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

MADD was successful in its attempt to thwart the campaign before, but because of the new study, PETA decided to bring it back.

"It was something that had been brewing in our minds for a while," Fredrich said.

A spokesperson for MADD declined comment on the new ad campaign.

The ad campaign will also run at Florida State University, University of Colorado at Boulder and Indiana University, Bloomington. All of these schools are ranked with Penn State in The Princeton Review's most recent survey of the top 10 party schools in the nation.

 



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