Gucci Criticized for the Use of Real Tigers in Year of the Tiger Campaign
According to Chinese Zodiac Signs, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. To celebrate the Year of the Tiger, Gucci came up with Gucci Tiger and presented this collection on January 4, 2022.
The Gucci Tiger collection includes a wide selection of ready to wear and accessories featuring various renditions of the tiger. The collection is depicted by actual tigers that roam scenes in the campaign and images from the photoshoot show models posing with the tigers. Gucci was criticized for the use of real tigers in their campaign ahead of Chinese Lunar New Year on February 1, 2022.
Controversy and Differing Opinions
Some people are divided over Gucci’s Year of the Tiger campaign. There are some people who are indifferent and not bothered by Gucci’s Year of the Tiger campaign while many others are infuriated with the campaign. Those who are infuriated are calling out Gucci for their insensitivity and says that it is out of touch.
World Animal Protection U.S. stepped in and told Gucci to stop using wild animals in campaigns because they are sending the wrong message by using tigers as props and promoting them as pets and luxury items. Elisa Allen, the director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said, “Gucci is hopelessly out of touch with our current understanding of wild animals’ needs and best interests.” In addition, The China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation protested Gucci’s exploitation of tigers because Gucci filmed tigers for commercial purposes which violates business ethics and encourages illegal hunting and trading of endangered animals.
How did Gucci Respond to the Crisis?
Even though Gucci received a lot of backlash for using real tigers in their Year of the Tiger campaign, Gucci maintained their stance and continued to promote their Gucci Tiger collection.
In response to the public’s opinion, Gucci said that a third-party animal welfare organization, American Humane, monitored the photoshoot and confirmed that no animals were harmed. In addition, they said the tigers were photographed and filmed separately in a safe environment. To their defense, Gucci also mentioned their partnership with The Lion’s Share Fund. In February 2020, Gucci joined The Lion’s Share Fund, an initiative to raise funds to protect endangered species and their natural habitat.
Could this be Avoided?
Gucci is at fault for using real tigers in their campaign to promote a limited-edition launch ahead of Lunar New Year. Overall, I think this issue could have been avoided. Gucci could have resorted to other measures instead of using real tigers in their campaigns. If Gucci wanted to incorporate tigers in their campaign, they could have used photoshop to edit the tigers in.
