Winning Hearts and Minds: Using "Ag-Gag" Outrage and Corporate Rebranding to Achieve a Public Image Makeover for the Animal Rights Movement

<p>Despite limited legal victories—particularly in the realm of companion animal protections—the animal rights movement has failed to make substantial progress in other focal areas, including the acquisition of increased rights for food animals on factory farms. The public image of the movement has taken a hit in recent years, due in part to effective campaigning by opposing lobbies and corporate entities and in part to self-inflicted damage from failed messaging and tactics. The perceived alignment of animal rights advocacy organizations with extremism and the public distrust of activists leaves the movement in need of a critical public image makeover. However, the emergence of factory farming anti-whistleblower legislation (“ag-gag” laws) in many states provides animal rights activists with a critical window of opportunity to reach new, diverse audiences that are freshly attuned to an animal welfare issue. Taking advantage of this window and making concerted efforts to improve the movement’s standing with the public is imperative, and can be facilitated by the use of certain techniques more commonly utilized in the corporate sphere: the unification of animal rights organizations under a set of common principles to engender public trust and attain greater political capital as well as the fostering of helpful corporate and political partnerships to reach wider audiences and pool resources. In addition, there are several communications strategies that would facilitate a positive public image shift that the animal rights movement—particularly the subgroup concerned with farm animal welfare—has failed to use to its advantage, including tactics that have helped companion animal advocates achieve considerable success in fundraising and volunteerism. These tactics include the use of anthropomorphic language, an increased emphasis on emotional appeals in advertising efforts, and the utilization of targeted media campaigns to negatively define opposing forces.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Public Affairs (MoPA)

Level thesis:degree_level

Project/Capstone - Global access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good

Year dc:date.available

2013

Author dc:creator

• Spasser, Alison J

Contributors dc:contributor

• David C. Ryan
• Richard G. Johnson III
• Angela M. Fleekop

• animal rights
• animal welfare
• public image
• corporate branding
• strategic communications
• nonprofit communications
• ag-gag
• Communication
• Public Affairs
• Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration
• Public Relations and Advertising

Repository record dc:identifier

https://repository.usfca.edu/capstone/4

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.usfca.edu:capstone-1003