The graphic below demonstrates PETA’s deceptive strategies. This ad was posted in 2014 on PETA’s Facebook account.

The first issue worth examining is with the ewe itself. Based on the markings of this sheep, it is clear to anyone with any knowledge of sheep production that it is a Suffolk. The interesting thing about Suffolk sheep is that they are bred for meat production. Unlike wool or dual-purpose breeds their fiber is of such poor quality that it is virtually useless- certainly not the breed any producer would choose when making wool products. Secondly, the sheep was obviously shorn improperly. I have seen sheep shorn by beginners and professionals, and with care and attention the process is neither painful nor stressful for the animal.

I wish that I could say that blatant misrepresentations such as this were rare, but unfortunately this is a common strategy from PETA. Below is another example released in 2015 from PETA.

This image insinuates that sheep are killed for wool. Come on PETA… really? Australian celebrity Jona Weinhofen admitted the sheep was fake but was apparently under the impression that sheep were killed for wool. Once again, PETA used a graphic image and celebrity endorsement in the hopes that they could exploit public ignorance in their favor.

I have included an image of a half-shorn sheep below because it’s cute, I am sure that none of my readers are dumb enough to believe their wool socks caused the death of a lamb.

Does he look in pain, stressed or dead? I didn’t think so.

“Back to the Start”

Chipotle Mexican Grill demonstrated their first controversial marketing campaign in 2011. The advertisement was titled, “Back to the Start” and portrayed an evolution of animal agriculture, originating in wide-open pastures and transforming into factories oozing waste into waterways. Chipotle insinuated that the family farmer has been replaced by unethical, toxic factory farms that were detrimental to the environment. At this point, Chipotle was ramping up their “Food with Integrity” campaign, as well as their “Responsibly Raised” trademark. Even at this point we can identify a huge gap between public perception and reality when it comes to modern production methods. Chipotle was exploiting this gap to their advantage.

“Food with Integrity” – Cattle

Chipotle’s “Food with Integrity” campaign is essentially a slap in the face to the entire US beef industry. Chipotle claims “responsibly raised” cattle are grass-fed. Many farms in the US uphold Chipotle’s “responsibly raised” criteria, but Chipotle purchases beef from Australia because they are able to source this meat cheaper. Chipotle’s refusal to purchase beef from the US not only refutes their “buy local” mentality, but also insinuates American beef producers do not farm with integrity, or responsibly raise their cattle. Bottom line, Chipotle’s primary concern is profits.

“Food with Integrity” – Swine

Chipotle’s “Food with Integrity” campaign also calls for swine to be raised outdoors, however, a vast majority of swine producers raise their herds indoors. The issue with Chipotle’s mantra is that pigs are often housed indoors for their safety. It is actually cheaper to raise pigs outside, but more dangerous because the herd becomes more susceptible to illness and disease. Additionally, the herd is subject to weather related danger and predators. So, according to Chipotle, “responsibly raised” swine should be subjected to a more dangerous environment. Housing animals outside does not equate to better pork. Genetics, nutrition, health care and management do.

“The Scarecrow”

In 2013, Chipotle released another controversial marketing scheme with the release of “The Scarecrow” video and accompanying mobile game. The ad depicts another animated factory setting where the main character, a scarecrow, travels through a factory world of food production and finds solace in his garden. Chipotle’s Chief Marketing Officer, Mark Crumpacker, said the restaurant chain hopes to encourage consumers to learn more about where our food comes from and learn about the differences of processed and real foods. Consumer agriculture education is severely lacking in the United States, so these ideals sound promising. However, Chipotle planned to dictate the conversation in favor of their own profits. The company continues to silence conversations with agriculture producers who feel targeted by their detrimental campaigns.

“Farmed and Dangerous”

In early 2014, Chipotle produced a four-part series on Hulu titled, “Farmed and Dangerous”, which depleated an estimated budget of $1 million on production alone. The series portrays agriculture as the clear antagonist. Mark Crumpacker presented the ad, titled Farmed and Dangerous, as a satirical comedy that points out agriculture’s aggressiveness to earn a profit, no matter the cost to animal health or well-being.

NO GMO’s

Most recently, Chipotle has been boasting their omission of GMO’s on the menu, claiming “there is an active debate over the safety of foods with GMO ingredients”, this debate has in fact not been active since numerous studies and academic research have proven their safety. Not only are GMO’s a source of good nutrition, they’re also good for the environment. They help farmers conserve soil and allow producers grow more food on less land. Mainstream foods with GMO ingredients can and do exist side-by-side with organic foods and other options.

In conclusion, Chipotle continues to exploit consumer ignorance for their own financial gains. They support corporate marketing experts in New York who may have never stepped foot on a farm to dictate the public’s view of the industry that has been sustaining the world’s food and fiber system since before Chipotle was even a thought.

For me, this indicates the necessity for agricultural public relations. A public relations associate aims to bring their organization closer to the public to create harmony and promote a positive reputation. Through agricultural literacy initiatives, public awareness and understanding is attainable. Using public relations tactics such as social media reach, ag literacy events and awareness campaigns, the immense communication gap between the industry and the public can be bridged thus creating a harmonious relationship between Americans and their food source.

I’M DONE! I am very excited to have finished my movie trailer. I finished up all the text including titles and credits. I also decided to add some audio enhancements as well as video effects. I also drafted my memo and plan to post the video to youTube and then link that to my blog.

Why I Did It:

The inclusion of video effects improved the quality of the footage and also made the video more cohesive. If I had had more time, there are a couple aspects of the video I would like to tweak, but I think I did a good job given the time constraints and my lack of experience using iMovie.

Today I continued to work on my Divergent movie trailer. I created the credits and finalized the audio.

Why I Did It:

The credits feature is important to credit the sources I compiled to create this video. I also spent a long time editing the audio, because I have two audio forms, narration and background music, I was concerned with ensuring the narration was louder and more pronounced than the background music.

Today in class I figured out how to incorporate text into my videos and included a title sequence. I also continued incorporating video footage and I am almost done compiling videos, some are my own and the others were retrieved form YouTube.

Why I Did It:

Every good trailer has a title sequence so viewers know what movie is being previewed. It is an essential element of a movie trailer.

• What design choices were problematic, and how can I revise these?

• What rhetorical choices seemed out of place in my draft, and how can I better attend to my audience, purpose, context, and genre?

• What multimodal elements can I add or revise to strengthen the rhetorical effect and credibility of my project?

• What are the most important changes I need to consider as I revise?

• Given the time and technology constraints of this project, what can I reasonably revise beore the next due date? What else would need revision that I don’t have time to complete but should complete, given enough time and resources?

I have filmed footage of campus and friends for my trailer and have began piecing the project together on iMovie. I also recorded the audio, and chose a song to play in the background. I also decided to utilize footage that I didn’t take that was retrieved from YouTube, so I need to credit my sources.

Why I Did It?

Innovation space was completely out of all recording devices, so instead of composing the whole trailer with iPhone videos, I decided to utilize the internet to obtain other clips from Virginia Tech.

I have finished drafting my remix script. I have included the script as a link below.

Why I Did It:

Now that I have a plan of action, I can begin filming, and composing the audio for this project.

DIVERGENT SCRIPT

I have began working on my movie trailer script, it is almost completed.

Why I Did It?

It will be much easier to create this project if I have a script and format to follow. This will also let me know how much footage I need to film and of what subjects.

Tentative Work Schedule

Finish script before class on 4/15

Mock-up or Storyboard on 4/15

Filming Part 1: 4/18 – 4/19

Presentation Sign-up on 4/20

Peer Feedback on 4/22

Filming Part 2: 4/25 – 4/26

Final editing and voice-overs: 4/26

In-class Presentations on 4/29 to 5/6

Project Due by 11:55 PM on 5/6.