October 26/04 5:08 am - Litespeed Bikes 'Wins' Peta's Annual Litterbox Award

Posted by Editoress on 10/26/04
 

Litespeed Bikes 'Wins' Peta's Annual Litterbox Award For Ad Disrespecting Wildlife
Courtesy PETA

Annual Award Given to Bicycle Manufacturer for Commercial That Stinks

Chattanooga, Tenn. - Local bicyclemaker Litespeed hasn't won any customers among animal protectionists with its ad showing a dead opossum who has been run over by a bike. The ad went over like a flat tire with sympathetic cyclists like Richard Marks, who was so outraged that he set up an online poll to demonstrate that most bike enthusiasts weren't impressed. For attempting to increase its sales with commercials that truly stink for animals, Litespeed has won PETA's annual "Litterbox Award."

Joining Litespeed were three more losers: Five Star Ranges' ad showing headless turkey corpses dancing toward an oven, Nike's commercial glorifying cruel and illegal dogfighting, and Ford's online ad depicting a car killing a pigeon trying to land on its hood.

PETA is calling on its members worldwide to write to Litespeed and explain that it can win more customers' hearts with ads that have a heart for animals.

For those companies that promote compassion and respect for animals in their commercials, PETA has "Glitterbox Awards."

Credit-card giant MasterCard made a clean sweep of this year's Glitterbox Awards for three heartwarming ads. The top winner urged companies to forgo the usual dead turkey and give employees a MasterCard gift card for the holidays instead. The second ad featured a man on a fishing trip who hooks a huge fish but decides to set the animal free after seeing how much the fish suffers. The final winner was a three-part mini-saga showing how the kindness of strangers is vital to saving a stray's life when a dog named Badger who has been separated from his family triumphs over all obstacles to make his way home.

"Litespeed's ad campaign needs to switch gears," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Until the company stops making light of cruelty to animals, reaching today's compassionate consumers is going to be an uphill battle."

The recipients in both categories are featured in the latest issue of PETA's magazine Animal Times and on its Web site PETA.org