A Lack of Integrity in Advertising: New Zealand’s Next Top Model

The team at STOPCRUSH.ORG would like to respond to CLEO News in regard to their article, “Anger over New Zealand’s Next Top Model trailer”.

We are well aware that the station in question is based in Australia, however, we encourage everyone to mail both Australia and New Zealand’s Advertising Standards Authority in the event that New Zealand might decide to air such an ad.

We would first like to point out that the maximum penalty in America for animal crush video offenses can be up to 7 years and/or a hefty fine. Second, it is becoming arduous, listening to the media speak in regard to ONLY animal rights activists becoming outraged when someone does something ridiculous or brutal at the expense of animals. It is always “animal rights activists were outraged today, when …”. Before we go any further, let us set the record straight on this, once and for all.

There are people from all walks of life, including animal rights activists who lobbied hard, all over the world, in order to pressure the United States legislature to pass the Animal Crush Prohibition Act of 2010. Countless people, activist or not, were outraged over the existence of animal crush video. Please, do not diminish their diligence or their efforts in placing differences aside in order to band together to make animal crush video illegal in the United States.

The recent ad promoting New Zealand’s Next Top Model has been criticized by countless people, around the globe. This is not because they are all animal rights activists. They are simply human beings who understand some of the basic principles which collectively build the foundation of right and wrong. It would behoove media platforms to discontinue speaking of animal rights activists as though we were not of the human race, as well as make others feel that they can not care about animals, simply because they do not label themselves as animal rights activists.

Anyone who stood with us this past year, whilst we pressured and supported legislators in the United States to generate a new law against animal crush video, would be more than just outraged at your choice of programming. Coming as it does, just after a law was passed to ban these twisted and sadistic prurient depictions, in truth, is simply insulting. People everywhere want to see animal crush video banned as obscenity for the protection of animals, their children and their world.

The network in question, should have realized its mistake by offering a public apology. Their reply to the public’s outrage, “Obviously, it relates to a cuddly toy, not a real animal” is as uneducated in regard to the matter, as was the entire world before the campaign against animal crush video. Promoting the act of crushing an animal is quite simply, not only in poor taste, but blatantly irresponsible. They are promoting animal brutality and the desensitization of our society. Many of their viewers are young and impressionable. Have they no idea when and where future serial murderers begin developing?

On a final note, as the network has not seen fit to recant their stance in regard to this ad being unacceptable, perhaps it has become blatantly obvious that the advert in question is an attempt to drum up controversy in order to heighten flagging ratings. To utilize the plight of suffering animals in such a marketing scheme is not only despicable, but heinous, at best. The ad sends a clear message that animal abuse is “okay” so long as it is fashionable.

Neither NZ Top Model, The New Zealand or the Australian Standards Authorities wish to take responsibility for the advertisement. This is not surprising considering that they haven’t shown any responsibility for its message to begin with. The ad alludes to animal crush video, suggests that animal abuse/suffering is fashionable, and does so at the height of a global movement against this foul practice, how strategically curious. Whom, in their marketing department, or their right mind would wish to take responsibility for that?

The Team at
STOPCRUSH.ORG