And so to the plight of the octopus…yep, you read that correctly; largely considered to be the most intelligent of molluscs, and dubbed the Einsteins of the Sea, everyone’s favourite cephalopod is under threat from octopus farmers, who it is claimed cram them into tiny tanks before slaughtering them in inhumane ways and despatching them to a dinner plate near you.
Enter a new campaign by animal rights charity PETA, the first work through Grey London, which is designed to alert people to the seriousness of the issue and raise awareness of a petition to block the development of the first octopus farm in Europe.
Directed by leading international comedy director Jeff Low, the 90-second spot, called ‘Peta Presents: The Octocurse’, is a pastiche of a 1970s science fiction TV series and opens with the line: “It is said that if you eat octopus, you will be cursed.”
It then goes on to portray the awful things people risk happening to them if they eat octopus, including having three beating hearts, blue blood, displaying extreme emotion, having a head that expands to octopus’ proportions, having the power to expel ink and growing octopus eyes.
It ends with the message: “Octopuses are extremely intelligent, sensitive creatures. If you eat them you’re basically a cannibal. Stay human. Don’t eat octopus.”
PETA anti-speciesism project leader Vanessa Johansson said: “We are busily searching for intelligent life in space while we still eat the thinking, feeling life forms on our own planet.
“Octopuses, for example, are capable of complex thought processes: they can navigate mazes, use tools, and learn how to do such things as unscrew lids simply by watching.
“Yet every year, hundreds of thousands of these clever cephalopods are killed in crude ways for a snack. Because it’s often hard to reach people with these simple facts, PETA has partnered with Grey London – to give viewers food for thought and encourage them to show kindness to these animals by leaving them off their plates.”
Grey London executive creative director David Wiggleworth added: “PETA wanted one thing…for people to stop eating octopus. It’s a serious brief that we tackled with a silly answer; by creating a very ‘real’ curse. And that curse? If you eat one of these creatures, you will turn into one.
“An idea as dark and dumb as this needed one man to bring it to life, my fiendishly funny friend Jeff Low. Huge thanks to him and Biscuit for helping us realise this madness. Stay Human people. Don’t eat Octopus.”
So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?
Well, to be fair, we’ve never been big fans of eating anything with tentacles – let alone blue ink – and while some love nothing better than to gorge on these creatures in trendy Japanese restaurants or even at home, you can keep your octopus sushi, takoyaki and akashiyaki and give us a bowl of cheesy chips any day.
Whether this ad will appeal to your average cephalopod chomper, however, is another matter, it may just be too humorous for such a serious subject.
But if it makes at least some people sit up and think, it will have done its job. Now, where’s that potato peeler and cheddar…
Decision Marketing Adometer: An “eight-limbed” 8 out of 10 naturally
