A Festive Feast Becomes a Ho-Ho-Horrifying Scene in Peta’s Christmas Ad
PETA, in partnership with advertising agency Grey London, is exposing the carnage behind the Christmas cheer with a bold new campaign, 'Happy Christmassacre', urging people to go vegan this festive season.
The cinema ad, social media and OOH campaign encourages people to choose compassion over cruelty by going vegan for Christmas. While December is often painted as a time of joy and generosity, millions of animals are slaughtered to fill dinner tables.
'Happy Christmassacre' invites viewers to pause and reflect on those traditions and make kinder, more conscious choices.
At the heart of the campaign is a bold creative idea that hijacks the familiar warmth of Christmas and turns it into something disturbingly revealing. The hero film, a darkly comic two minute spot directed by Emmy and Cannes Lions winning director David Shane at O Positive, opens on the quintessential Christmas dinner scene before transforming into a horror-inspired depiction of the hidden violence behind the feast.
This key message extends across the campaign’s visual world, where traditional festive symbols are reimagined through a confronting new lens. OOH imagery replaces Santa’s red and white suit with close ups of stained animal pelts, transforming a symbol of joy and generosity into a stark reminder of the hidden cost of celebration.
The full campaign will roll out across cinema, social and OOH channels throughout this holiday season. The hero film will appear in UK cinemas and on global digital platforms, with Germany, the UK and the US as key social markets. OOH executions will appear nationwide in the UK, with guerilla style fly postings across London in particular.
Helen Rhodes, chief creative officer, Grey London said, “Nothing says Christmas like carving up the corpse of a once-sentient being in front of your nearest and dearest. This year, we wanted to shine a light on that dark festive tradition, to expose the quiet, normalised savagery that plays out at millions of dinner tables across the country. We hope our message resonates so that this Christmas, more people choose compassion over cruelty - and that nut roast sales go through the roof.”
David Shane, director, O Positive said, “It’s such a strong and simple idea. We’re all complicit, right? Most of us kind of turn a wilful blind eye to how the food we eat at the holidays arrives on our plate. But even though we’re trying to say something fairly serious, it was a ludicrously hilarious shoot. And the hardest job fell to our lovely cast who had to try not to laugh when getting sprayed with streams of fake blood.”
Mimi Bekhechi, vice president for UK and Europe, PETA added, "Christmas is meant to be a season of goodwill to all, yet for millions of animals, it’s anything but. PETA’s goal is to challenge perceptions, and the talented team at Grey London has done just that with this darkly humorous film, which highlights how easily people can overlook the suffering behind their Christmas lunch. We hope this thought-provoking spot will inspire viewers to extend the spirit of kindness to everyone this festive season by leaving animals off their plates.”
