Kids (i.e., tomorrow’s consumers) are the primary target, as evidenced on the campaign’s Web site (http://www.peta.org/sea_kittens/about.asp). Cartoon illustrations, under-sea sound effects, sea kitten stories and a section that lets kids design and name their own sea kitten set the stage to deliver PETA’s messages. The site includes a request for visitors to sign a petition urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to "stop promoting the hunting of sea kittens.”
A New York Newsday report on the campaign notes that PETA is well-known for its no-holds-barred activism, including the infamous red-paint attacks on people wearing fur coats and its 2003 "Holocaust on Your Plate" campaign, in which the group compared factory farming to the Nazi genocide. Some campaigns have failed but others, like "McCruelty" and "Murder King" have raised awareness and even brought change, the group says, taking credit for new animal welfare practices at the two fast food companies.
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