Animal Rights When They Are Media Stars
The latest trends in advertising and networks turn animals into true media stars. The domestics and those who know themselves savage are the protagonists of the advertising campaigns of large companies.
In the same way, the ‘artistic’ images of these animals uploaded in their profiles generate great economic income for their owners. At first glance, nice and attractive, but how many rights are violated in these productions?
The use of wild animals as media stars
It is increasingly common to see tigers, lions, monkeys and elephants in the advertisements of major commercial firms. These and many others represent various characteristics with which they want to sell their products: strength, courage, drive, joy… But what is behind the scenes?
Most of these animals are taken from their natural habitat and forced to live in an environment that is harmful to them. They lose contact with their peers, which profoundly affects their ability to socialize and, in general, they are locked in small cages that are unsuitable for their development.
Beyond the apparent goodwill of those who own them, there is mistreatment of animals when they are media stars. At least, in most cases. Isolation, training with physical violence or lack of food, the stress caused or the mutilations that they sometimes suffer from accidents are a violation of their rights.
Pets, family artists
Pets are also ‘hired’ by major brands and by their own owners as media stars. It seems that its presence in the different media has a high profitability. Some even have their own managers and make profits that exceed the salaries of their owners.
Marketing and communication specialists are creative and always on the lookout for innovation. This is how they incorporate animals into their campaigns, and have even started running exclusive advertisements for dogs and cats. The most recognized brands of pet food are the pioneers with the use of ultrasonic sounds and other stimuli.
When it comes to social media, there is no doubt that Instagram is the queen of images with high content traffic. Many pets are leaders in number of followers and their profiles attract new sponsors . Those responsible for managing these accounts are their own owners, the same who benefit from their publications.
Animal defense foundations
It is true that not all animals suffer from abuse, but the vast majority do, even without their abusers knowing it. The foundations that work in the defense of animal rights are very attentive to the routines and use of these media stars.
One of the main arguments of the foundations against the use of animals for advertising is the irreversible damage that is generated in the mental and physical. They have rescued several of these actors with severed claws, injured and with irreversible consequences in their behavior.
It should not be forgotten that the mere fact of being forced to act against their will with actions that are not part of their nature is a detriment. The consequences can be unpredictable for their mental health, especially when the animal gets old.
In addition, it is noteworthy that many are at risk of extinction and these practices are negative. The need to acquire certain types of animals is a cause of traffic and sale that goes beyond the allowed limits. An illegal parallel market for buying and selling is opening up, which is very difficult to stop if you are not aware of reality.
Examples of animals as media stars
The monkey Tiby is a clear example of a chimpanzee that has lived in captivity for years and has been used as an actor in which it represents a banker. A major world hotel has a cat as the main promoter of its cat hotel. As many dogs appear every day on the screen to ‘sell’ other people’s products.
For its part, on social networks Toast is one of the dogs with the largest followers, an excellent attraction for those who want to expand their brand visibility and an example of animals as media stars. The consequences for the psychological health of the pet will be a separate issue, but they must be considered.
