Muller's 'Thank You Cows' campaign

[loveganism]

http://www.mullerdairy.co.uk/thankyou-cows

http://www.facebook.com/thankyoucows

"Welcome….to thank you cows! This is where we take the time out to thank the cows for making Müller Corner yogurts so cream-a-liciously tasty. Oh thank you Mary, and thank you cows."

"Mission: To say 'Thank you cows' for all their natural dairy goodness by making cows dreams come true."

If they really wanted to say thank you cows, perhaps they'd stop using dairy products in their revolting desserts.

[harpy]

Sigh. It's tempting to write and complain but I don't really know where to begin. Maybe we could shop to them to the ASA about misrepresenting how their cows are treated, or something...I would have to watch the advert first though!

[animal-crackers]

Arrrghhhh, this advert has been driving me nuts! I hate it. I have just posted on the facebook page. I now await a barrage of abuse, or my post being removed

[sandra]

I saw this advert for the first time yesterday..............it's sick!
Playing that song..........Reo speedwagon 'I can't fight this feeling anymore' while a cow runs along a beach in slow motion is practically pornographic!

Apparently, the cow wants to be a horse and while she runs along the beach a stupid woman sits eating a yoghurt.................it's beyond belief!

GOD..................I'M ANGRY!

[Mollfie]

This and the anchor advert makes me really annoyed, I actually change channel when it comes one now.

[BlackCats]

I saw this advert for the first time yesterday..............it's sick!
Playing that song..........Reo speedwagon 'I can't fight this feeling anymore' while a cow runs along a beach in slow motion

Luckily for my blood pressure, I haven't seen this advert but I love that song!

[vegcurry]

And they say vegans are crazy people who don't have a 'realistic' view of the world as they launch into their standard attack lines like "it's natural" or "they'd be no cows if we didn't drink milk" etc etc ad nasuem ad infinitum.

Ahhhh, now I remember why I don't watch television, it was the feeling of wanting to throw things at the screen and the increased risk of heart attack that put me off.

[sandra]

Yes, THEY are the strange ones!
The stupid voice-over is really galling too..........that silly man saying, 'Thank you cows, thank you'.

I worry that the cow was stressed being made to run along a beach.

[animal-crackers]

There are a few vegans on the 'thank you cows' facebook page now! If anybody else with a facebook account could add anything sensible in an intelligent and calm manner that would be fab The more info and facts we throw at these people, the more chance we have of getting through to some of them, well thats what i hope xx

http://www.facebook.com/thankyoucows

[megrainbows]

I posted some links on the facebook page to some footage Muller might want to put on their adverts to show what the cows really live through

[animal-crackers]

oo that was you megrainbows I have just watched them, excellent, thank you xx
I think the more people post links and info, the less those still in the dark, or those choosing to ignore the horrors of dairy farming, can ignore the truth!

[Jiffy]

I've just posted a couple of comments under my wife's account.....she's not even vegan

[sandra]

I can't seem to post on it................I must be doing something wrong.

The comments from the non vegans are really irritating, on a less serious point.........they couldn't even get the name of the song or the band right!

[Johnstuff]

^ I couldn't seem to figure out how to post on there either Sandra.

Do you have to 'like' it before you can post? I can't say that I like it!

[cobweb]

it is HORRIBLE!

[harpy]

Was just looking at Advertising Standards Authority site and you can complain on these grounds:

* Misleading, inappropriate or offensive advertisements
* difficulty getting goods or a refund for items bought by mail order or through television shopping channels
* promotions that are unfairly run or special offers that have left you disappointed
* unwanted mail from companies sent either by post, e-mail, text message or fax
data capture and protection of privacy

It certainly strikes me as inappropriate and offensive - am wondering whether to say misleading; as the factual content is 0 can it mislead? Anyway, I think I'll make a complaint of some kind.

http://www.asa.org.uk/Complaints-and...-complain.aspx

[sandra]

^ I couldn't seem to figure out how to post on there either Sandra.

Do you have to 'like' it before you can post? I can't say that I like it!

That's what I was thinking!

Harpy, I think it's a good idea to complain.............it is offensive.

[animal-crackers]

Unfortunately you do have to 'like' the page before you can add anything. I do think it is worth doing so though, the more vegans the merrier i say! xx
Harpy, i am definitely going to complain, it is so misleading, and i find it very offensive, and, well, pretty disgusting tbh

xx

[mariana]

Argh, yes, this ad is really annoying! I've mostly managed to escape it because I don't have a TV, but I saw it at the cinema the other day. It made me really angry! (Also the whole 'this cow wants to be a horse' thing is just strange. )

[LindaL]

I'm going to complain to the Advertising Standards Authority about Muller's misleading advertising campaign in which it wrongly depicts the lives of dairy cows as being healthy, clean and free. The advert is clearly designed to make consumers feel good about buying dairy milk.

To substantiate my complaint I need objective information about cows' lives that I can cite. I'm going to try DEFRA, I know they keep such stats as 75% of dairy calves being shot dead at birth, disease rates etc. Does anyone know of other reliable sources of information to back up my complaint?

Alternatively please indicate if you would be interested in supporting the complaint.

[mchelle81]

i totally agree when i first saw it was like what a piss take !!!!

[vegcurry]

I don't know of any sources of such information but maybe The Vegan Society might know where to begin looking if they don't have anything to hand.

[smallhelen]

I know it's slightly different, but I'm also a little freaked out by the new Anchor Butter advert - Made by Cows since bla bla bla. Something in my head just says that it's wrong somehow.

[Mollfie]

^ that one creeps me out and annoys me too. And this Muller one.

[LindaL]

Good to know others are offended. Yes the Vegan Society should be a good source, I'm encouraged by the court case they won against Nestle over their adverts suggesting that dairy milk is essential for good health. Not only did Nestle not produce any evidence to support their case but they also agreed that dairy milk is not essential. Animal Aid in Tonbridge should have some good information too. Companies are simply not allowed to mislead the public but they need to be challenged to stop the disinformation.

[animal-crackers]

There is a thread about this in the animals section, you might find some helpful info on there, also if you follow the links :-

http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26633

This is an informative read from the viva site :-

http://www.milkmyths.org.uk/

and this from VVF :-

http://www.vegetarian.org.uk/campaig.../report01.html

I hate this advert soooo much Hope the above helps xx

[Vivien]

that advert makes me feel sick! Well done LindaL, good luck with it!!! x

[megrainbows]

Unfortunately you do have to 'like' the page before you can add anything. I do think it is worth doing so though, the more vegans the merrier i say! xx
Harpy, i am definitely going to complain, it is so misleading, and i find it very offensive, and, well, pretty disgusting tbh

xx

I'll join you on the complaining!

[harpy]

Some of the Facebook comments are quite revealing about omnivore attitudes aren't they? I have posted a few things on there but reading it makes me hyperventilate.

[Barley]

I wrote to Nestle a few days ago about some advert I saw as a banner online - can't remember what it was, some milk thing, needless to say I haven't heard back. I want to complain about this Muller advert. I did see it once but have no idea of exact times/which channel etc. You need this information to complain on the ASA website. Can someone please give me this information so that I can continue filling in the online complaint form. Thanks. I will probably need to come back again and ask for help on the following (3) pages!!

[megrainbows]

I unfortunately got myself banned from posting on the 'Thank you cows' facebook page, as if I do it again my account will be permanently dissabled LOL!
Aparently I 'abused the feature of posting on group walls' :|
It seems even Facebook want to stop people from knowing the truth!

[harpy]

On what grounds did they ban you, meg?

Like Barley I would appreciate information about when the ad had aired - in the London region ideally since that's where I am. It seems odd you can't complain about an on-line ad, or is there some other regulator for those?

[megrainbows]

On what grounds did they ban you, meg?

Apparently I will be banned for a time period of hours or days, and once I am unbanned I will only be able to post to 'Thank you cows' with caution, or my account will be permanently dissabled. I have been banned due to repeatedly posting links that is classed as abusing the 'group wall posting facility'

[harpy]

Posting links? How is that supposed to be abuse I wonder?

[megrainbows]

Posting links? How is that supposed to be abuse I wonder?

Who knows! I was just offering Muller some information they could place on their adverts

[animal-crackers]

The following link may be useful to anyone looking for more info on the hideousness that is the thank you cows ad campaign

http://www.chime.plc.uk/?q=press-rel...rner-cow-stars


As for the facebook page. OMG, i keep swinging between feeling angry, frustrated and sad. I just want to shake them all, and make them see the horrors behind their 'bit of fun'.
As per usual, they just don't want to know. I am sure that deep down they know that the facts people have been posting are true. But heaven forbid we might put them off their food, or make them feel guilty for realising they are actually partly responsible. AAARRGGGHHHHHHHH

[mariana]

Apparently I will be banned for a time period of hours or days, and once I am unbanned I will only be able to post to 'Thank you cows' with caution, or my account will be permanently dissabled. I have been banned due to repeatedly posting links that is classed as abusing the 'group wall posting facility'

I'm not sure if it's true, but I read somewhere that the way facebook banning works is automatic. If enough people complain about a person's post, it will automatically ban you (so no consideration of what actually happened--people could just gang up on you). So possibly it was just a high enough number of people didn't like your links/the truth, and complained.

[animal-crackers]

hmmmm i have just tried posting, and it has moved all our posts to a '+ others' section lol

[megrainbows]

THE FACEBOOK HAS BEEN CLOSED!
As a family brand, we at Müller Dairy have taken the responsible decision to close this page due to ongoing postings that could cause offence.
You can continue to follow Mary and send us your comments at www.thankyoucows.com


woo!

[megrainbows]

I'm laughing at some of the comments posted by fans after hearing the news of closure:

'shame that some people just have to take things too far isnt it.'
'sad that some people can have no respect'
'A few people with their views spolit this page big time'

No respect? I have an extreme amount of respect thank you, for the cows!

[Barley]

I have just sent them an email - still trying to get times of the advert on the tv so that I can complain to the ASA. I notice Joanna Lumley is on their website, touting Muller products - typical... grr

[animal-crackers]

It's bizarre that they have closed the page incase posts cause offence. What about their offensive campaign! More likely too many truths were being told, and too many facts handed out to their adoring fans.
Meg, i agree about some of the comments posted since it closed, unbelievable, their blinkers must get SO heavy sometimes Oh well, small steps in the right direction are better than none at all.
Barley, i was shocked to me Joanna Lumley promoting them too, what IS she thinking As for the advert, i haven't seen it for a while now, but muller are doing adverts throughout deal or no deal on Channel 4. Not sure if that includes 'Mary' though.

VIVA LA REVOLUTION xx

[megrainbows]

It's bizarre that they have closed the page incase posts cause offence. What about their offensive campaign! More likely too many truths were being told, and too many facts handed out to their adoring fans.

Totally agree. It's pathetic. Just another occasion were vegans get cast aside for being 'extreme'. 90% of the fans on the page wouldn't even take a bit of notice as to what we are posting (eg, TRUTH!) they'd just see were are some 'exteme pro animal rights people' and cast aside anything that's sad. It's an awful shame.
On the other hand, I'm happy they closed it. It just shows they were affected over what we posted. We tried to show the fans the truth and they tried to cover it up. Do I detect a hint of guilt from Muller? Haha

[animal-crackers]

Couldn't agree more Meg
The truth is painful to know sometimes, some try to ignore it. Muller try to cover it up.
It's a good job some vegans are stubborn and persistent hehe

[Johnstuff]

Good on you all for getting it closed

I doubt it's guilt Meg, just money. They decided the page might damage their sales.

I might send some comments to the website!

[VeganMonkey]

I couldn't see the comments on theire website - probably a good thing as they would just wind me up!
Seems to me that this is the perfect ad for Animal Aid/ Viva! to spoof with the realities of the industry (I wonder whether they would be sued though?)
I was disappointed too to see that Joanna Lumley is advertising for Muller. Given her work with Viva! she must be aware of the reality of dairy farming.

[megrainbows]

Good on you all for getting it closed

I doubt it's guilt Meg, just money. They decided the page might damage their sales.

I might send some comments to the website!

I know its all money. The whole world is money! -___-
I think its so stupid though I was talking to a 'friend' about this and I said it's pathetic that we get convicted for trying to show the truth, and he was like 'no your just an extremist. They were right to say your abusive, your just lying because your extreme' It does make me laugh how wrong people can be.
I think I shall be sending some comments also!

[Dawny]

I had a couple of pics off the muller 'thank you cows' fb page , put them on to my fb wall, some how they have disappeared . Just wondering if fb are in the same leauge, wonder why? Do they think that these 2 pics would 'upset' MY meateating friends!? I wouldnt mind all my friends vegans or meateaters KNOW I'm vegan & are not fazed by what I say in the least! though FB have now got me puzzled why they took the pics off

[Mollfie]

^ that's weird

[Dawny]

^ that's weird

Yes Mollfie it is! Aint got a clue why its happened . Then again we all know the meateaters like to sulk!! Lol