‘Compare The Meerkat’ Wins PETA’S Goody Award For Best Advert Of The Year

For Immediate Release:
29 December 2009

Contact:
Sam Glover 020 7357 9229, ext 229; [email protected]

London – Insurance company BGL Group has won PETA’s GOODY Award for Best Ad of 2009 for its “Compare the Meerkat” ad series featuring aristocratic Russian meerkat Aleksandr Orlov. Instead of exploiting animals or risking harm to them, the ads use computer-generated imagery (CGI) to portray Aleksandr, who has grown increasingly frustrated that people looking for BGL’s website, CompareTheMarket.com, keep landing on his site, CompareTheMeerkat.com, by mistake. BGL and the ads’ creator, VCCP, will each receive a framed certificate from PETA.

Since the ads debuted in January, Aleksandr has become an internet sensation. He has more than 600,000 Facebook fans, and CompareTheMeerkat.com is now one of the most frequently visited websites in the UK.

PETA is a fan of BGL’s ad because it uses creative alternatives to live animals, sparing them from the confusion, fear and risk of injury that go along with being on a film set. Animals used in the entertainment industry are often subjected to rigorous and abusive handling and training methods – including electric shocks – to force them to perform tricks that are confusing and even frightening to them.

“Real animals used as ‘actors’ are invariably scared, confused and deprived of everything that’s normal, natural and important to them”, says PETA’s Poorva Joshipura. “The overwhelming popularity of fake meerkat Aleksandr and CompareTheMeerkat.com proves that BGL’s creative ad is a genuine winner.”

PETA also gives out BADDY Awards to companies that attempt to increase sales with ads that disrespect or risk harm to animals.

To submit a company for a BADDY, please e-mail [email protected].

For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.