In a previous blog post, Heather Moore explained how PETA—the largest vegan advocacy organization in the world—regularly holds colorful demonstrations, food giveaways, and other outreach activities to promote vegan living and help chickens, pigs, cows, turkeys, and other animals who are killed for food.

These events not only reach consumers directly but also attract reporters, journalists, and camera operators who cover the story for the media, reaching countless others. Many of PETA’s activities are specifically planned to generate media coverage, helping to keep an issue in the news and perhaps focus on an animal-related angle that wasn’t previously discussed in the media.

Here are just a few of PETA’s media campaigns that garnered widespread attention in recent months:

• After China announced its plans to cut meat consumption by 50 percent, PETA published an op-ed challenging U.S. residents to do their part for the planet by eating vegan foods.
• PETA featured Bellamy Young, star of the hit television show Scandal, in an ad reading, “Being Vegan Keeps Me Young.” This resulted in media stories encouraging people to go vegan.
• When we learned that 100,000 bottles of milk would be distributed at the Indianapolis 500 (it’s a tradition for the race winner to drink a bottle of milk), PETA erected a billboard and started a public discussion about the suffering that calves and cows endure because of the dairy industry.
• PETA released a “Not a Dairy Queen” ad featuring gay vegan actor Alan Cumming before Pride events. We even put the ad on a billboard in Wisconsin—a state with many dairy farms—to ensure that the issue would not be ignored!

• PETA persuaded Sprouts Farmers Market to take action against the cruel dehorning of cattle in the dairy industry, prompting media coverage that noted that the only sure way to end animal suffering in the food industry is to eat vegan.
• On National Milk Day, PETA put the suffering of cows used for dairy foods front and center on social media, and our posts were viewed by more than 300,000 people.
• Since the finalists in PETA’s 2016 Sexiest Vegan Next Door contest included a soldier and a member of the Air Force Reserves, military publications reported on ethical vegans. And because a transgender candidate won the contest, it generated widespread media coverage.
• After PETA proposed placing a provocative Super Bowl ad about vegan living on national TV, a massive media frenzy erupted and more than 1.6 million people watched the ad—many of whom went on to check out vegan recipes and other resources. Spanish-language media giant Univision linked to PETALatino.com, and PETA’s 2009 ad titled “Veggie Love” was featured in a front-page USA Today story about great ads that never aired.
• Vegan NFL player Griff Whalen appeared in a pro-vegan video for PETA before the Super Bowl. It generated great stories that sent people to the vegan recipes and other features on PETA.org.
• A vegan advocacy group in Canada was pushing for protection under Ontario’s human rights regulations, and some media outlets showed file photos of unrelated PETA demonstrations.
• When Pamela Anderson suggested, on PETA’s behalf, that Louisiana could save money by serving only vegan meals to prisoners, media outlets nationwide reported on the issue, giving PETA an opportunity to direct people to our many free vegan resources.
• PETA asked California Gov. Jerry Brown to make state prison meals vegan, which resulted in media coverage mentioning the cruelty that animals endure in the food industry and how healthy and ethical vegan options are.
• When a cow escaped from a slaughterhouse and ran through the streets of New York City, PETA made sure that the millions of people following the story couldn’t miss the connection between cows and brisket or burgers.

• When Mississippi passed anti-LGBT legislation, PETA promoted compassion for all with one of our many pro-vegan billboards. Media coverage reached millions of people, and several reporters retweeted PETA’s message about the billboard. 

•  PETA promoted peace after a severed pig’s head was left outside a Philadelphia mosque, by proposing that a pro-vegan banner be erected at the site. Some online stories linked to PETA’s website, allowing readers to view all our vegan resources. PETA kept animals in the spotlight by increasing the reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.
• After a Young Life (a Christian youth group) chapter abused chickens, PETA persuaded Young Life’s national leadership to issue a statement apologizing for the cruelty and pledging to ensure that no more animals would be abused. When the Houston Chronicle reported on the issue, it used a file photo of a PETA vegan hot-dog giveaway.

• PETA arranged for outspoken animal rights advocate and celebrity Steve-O to travel to Columbus, Ohio, to promote the black-bean burger that Wendy’s is testing there.
• By proposing to erect a “Meat Stinks” billboard in Iowa following a massive manure spill, PETA was able to educate people about all the reasons why meat consumption is harmful. 

• Another PETA billboard proposal, following a bird-flu outbreak on an Indiana turkey farm, generated great print and online articles.
• PETA wrote to the White House asking that plastic or wooden eggs be used in the annual Easter egg roll. Our request called attention to the intense suffering of hens in the egg industry, and some media outlets shared PETA’s information on dyeable vegan options.
• An Oxfam report on the abuse of slaughterhouse workers was widely reported in the media, as was PETA’s point that chickens are also denied rights, just so that humans can eat their flesh.
• After vegan rocker and beloved PETA pal Prince died, we made sure that the media reported on his compassionate efforts to promote vegan living.
• When a homeless shelter in Portland, Oregon, opened in a building that was formerly a vegan strip club, PETA donated vegan jerky strips to keep the vegan angle in the news.
• Paul McCartney joined PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews in presenting PETA’s Most Vegan-Friendly City award to Portland, Oregon, Mayor Charlie Hales. This generated many pro-vegan stories. PETA’s list of other vegan-friendly cities was also spotlighted in the media.

Stay tuned to PETA Prime to learn more about PETA’s work to promote vegan living and help farmed animals.