The Israeli advertisement they don't want you to see: where will it be broadcast?
After two years of hard work and a significant budget raised from the public, a much-discussed advertisement by a well-known non-profit organization was rejected by Israel's main broadcasting bodies on the grounds of offending public sensibilities.
For nearly two years, the Vegan Friendly organization worked on one of the largest and most expensive projects in its history: a new advertisement to promote animal rights awareness. However, after investing approximately one million shekels, the campaign was rejected for broadcast in Israel by major broadcasting networks, cinema chains, and the Second Authority for Television and Radio.
The spot, titled "Kids Meal," contains no graphic imagery or violence. It features chicks accompanying the viewer through a series of scenes, culminating in a shot of a fried schnitzel and a girl sitting before a meal in a restaurant. The ad concludes with the text: "Your schnitzel is a 39-day-old chick" and "Please make the connection."
The Second Authority determined that the ad takes a biased stance on a controversial issue. The network claimed the advertisement could constitute an "offense to public sensibilities" and demanded a series of changes, including removing the reference to the chick's age, softening the music, shortening scenes, and changing the water color. The organization refused, arguing that such changes would strip the campaign of its core message.
"Kan 11" also determined that the spot did not meet the definition of a public service announcement. Meanwhile, cinema chains Planet and Cinema City also refused to screen it.
Following the rejection in Israel, the organization decided to take the campaign abroad. There, the advertisement was accepted without reservations: from August 10 through mid-September, it is airing on Paramount+ and Discovery+, on the British Channel 5, and in the NCM cinema chain in the USA across roughly 1,300 screens. The organization expects the campaign to reach approximately 20 million viewers.
"It is absurd that while meat products receive extensive advertising exposure, a vegan campaign devoid of violence or graphic imagery is labeled as controversial content," the organization stated.
This advertisement is the organization's largest production to date. The budget of one million shekels was raised from about 5,000 regular supporters of the "Vegan Active" club.
Simultaneously, the organization is preparing for legal action against the Sport 1 channel, which it claims canceled the advertisement's broadcast during World Cup matches just two weeks before the scheduled date, despite a contract signed a month earlier.
This marks the first time a Vegan Friendly advertisement has been rejected in Israel. Previously, the organization successfully aired campaigns such as "Fresh Fresh" during the 2020 "Survivor" finale and "Steak of the End of the World" during the 2022 Eurovision finale. Despite the setback, the organization maintains it will continue to promote veganism in Israel through festivals, expanded plant-based product offerings, and community building.
