Madison Kerley
Background Information
 This advertisement was revealed on The PETA Files (PETA’s
blog) on August 17, 2009, and it was put up in Jacksonville,
FL. It was taken down and replaced not long after, due to
many negative phone calls.
 The purpose of this advertisement was to encourage
vegetarianism.
 This advertisement was dubbed “Save the Whales” due to
many prank calls that PETA had received about “beached
whales.” The advertisement is a metaphor comparing
overweight people to beached whales.
What is your eye drawn to first?
What is your eye drawn to first?
 I first noticed the word “Whales” because it
is the largest and most central image in the
advertisement.
 Another significant image in this
advertisement is the overweight woman in
the bikini, because she is outlined to stand
out and is not proportional to the
advertisement, since she takes up about 1/3
of the advertisement.
Who is the intended audience?
Who is the intended audience?
 The intended audience of this
advertisement is people who are trying to
lose weight. The advertisement says to “lose
the blubber” by going vegetarian, in the
hopes that people struggling with weight
loss will stop eating meat.
What are some pros and cons of
people following the ad’s message?
What are some pros and cons of
people following the ad’s message?
 Some potential pros include PETA gaining a
vegetarian and also saving the lives of
animals.
 Some potential cons include hurting the
meat industry and causing animal
overpopulation. On the other hand, the
advertisement may not have the desired
result, causing no changes.
Point of View
 Vegetarians, vegans, and PETA members would most
likely support this advertisement because the
advertisement convinces people to go vegetarian and
save animals.
 Skinny people who eat meat would probably disagree
with the advertisement because they would say that
there is no correlation between weight gain and eating
meat.
 Overweight people may support the advertisement
because they may lose weight by becoming vegetarian.
However, they may disagree with the advertisement
because they believe that genetics, not meat
consumption, determined their weight.
Exaggeration
 If the following was done to the advertisement…
…Would the message be as strong?
Exaggeration
 The message of the advertisement would
not be as strong if “save the whales” and
“lose the blubber” were changed, because
both of these phrases create a hyperbole. No
one can literally be as large as a whale and
have actual “blubber,” which is implied by
the advertisement. Without these words,
the meaning would be lost.
Ethical Appeal
 Where is the ethical appeal in the image?
Ethical Appeal
 The PETA logo gives the advertisement credibility
through giving a well-known source that supports the
claim that vegetarianism is a good way to lose weight.
Emotional Appeal
 Where is the emotional appeal in this image?
Emotional Appeal
 This advertisement uses words like “whales” and
“blubber” to make overweight people feel angry with
their current weight and therefore motivate them to
lose weight, which PETA says can be done by going
vegetarian.
Logical Appeal
 What is the logical appeal in this image?
Logical Appeal
 This advertisement uses the common knowledge that
vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals than
meat does. Vegetables are known to be lower in
calories and they don’t contain the same kinds of fats
that meats are rich in. Vegetables are also not as
common in fast food restaurants, which have
contributed to the obesity epidemic.
Comparison
 The “Save the Whales” ad received very negative feedback,
so PETA replaced it with this ad:
 Is this ad more effective or less effective than the first?
Why/why not?
Comparison
 The “Gone” advertisement, in my opinion, is more
effective in convincing people to become vegetarian.
Those who saw the first advertisement and then
noticed the sudden change, reading the words in the
“Gone” advertisement more thoroughly, potentially
causing the “Gone” advertisement to make a bigger
impact than the “Save the Whales” advertisement. My
assumption is that more people went vegetarian after
this advertisement than after the “Save the Whales”
advertisement.
Works Cited
 Graffeo, Liz. "Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian." 17
August 2009. The PETA Files. Web. 2 October
2012.*
 Dudell, Michael Parrish. "Update: PETA Replaces
Blubber Billboard With New Less Controversial Ad."
24 August 2009. ecorazzi.com. Web. 2 October 2012.
*Both the ad “Save the Whales” and the information accompanying it were found at this source.*