I am all for positive adoption ads. I have lamented the use of the “DIES TOMORROW!!!!!!!!” approach many times. It turns me off. It overwhelms me. It makes me feel sad and helpless. But as TV commercials go, I never thought the Pedigree adoption ads narrated by David Duchovny were depressing. Apparently many viewers of the Westminster Kennel Club dogs show on TV did and as such, the show has gone with a different sponsor this year:
“The feedback we got from our primary audience was that they were seeing commercials that made them want to turn the channel,” Westminster spokesman and longtime TV host David Frei said Thursday.
[…]
He added: “Our show is a celebration of dogs. We’re not promoting purebreds at the expense of non-purebreds. We celebrate all dogs,” he said. “When we’re seeing puppies behind bars, it takes away from that. Not just because it’s sad, but it’s not our message.”
Have you seen the Pedigree shelter dog commercials? If so, where do you think they rank of the scale of revoltingness? I’m thinking the people who have to turn away from the Pedigree ads must feel obligated to commit suicide when they see the ASPCA’s parade of shivering one-eyed pets. But that’s just me.