Fraught with irony is a case of truth in advertising in which advertisers have been truthful. But now in light of a massive recall, a number of those advertisers–or at least their attorneys–are trying to distance themselves from that very same truth.
I’m talking of the creative ad strategy that’s been a driving force behind profits for pet food makers lo these many years. It goes something like this: Your pet is a member of the family, a source of joy. You owe that feline and/or canine the very best in order to ensure their health and long life.
We’ve seen an endless procession of warm, fuzzy, tug-at-the-heartstrings commercials with people relating to their pets. The research as to how pet companionship has bettered the quality of so many human lives–from families with children to senior citizens living alone–is well documented. Programs that bring pets into hospitals to interact with patients have proven to be resoundingly successful in terms of buoying people’s spirits and outlooks on life.
But now in the wake of the tainted pet food that has caused the deaths–or compromised the health–of an untold number of cats and dogs, the posturing from pet food manufacturers’ lawyers is that a pet is akin to a piece of material property with a mutt or former alley cat worth no more than $10 or $20, except in the case of special pedigree breeds.
Therefore pet owners who’ve lost their so-called “family members” have no real basis on which to collect substantive monetary damages. These pets’ deaths, in the eyes of the law, are not worthy of significant financial recompense relative to loss and suffering–even though people’s grief is all too real.
So much for truth in advertising. The fact is that the aforementioned, perennially successful creative premise for pet food ads is true.
But it’s easy to stand by truth in advertising when it serves your purpose. For decades on end the purpose was indeed being served, with pet food makers profiting handsomely from people’s love for their cats and dogs.
Yet now that the emotional attachment people have to their pets could hurt pet food manufacturers in litigation, suddenly cats and dogs are reduced to inconsequential inanimate objects in terms of their value. And there can be no emotional loss over these “objects” when it comes to seeking redress in the courtroom.
So which is the lie–all that advertising over the years or the legal assertion now designed to cut pet food makers’ losses before judges and juries?
There’s no third choice–unless you take into account the fact that consumers can plainly see that the premium pet food they’ve been buying for Fido or Kitty’s wellbeing consists in large part of the same ingredients contained in, and made by the same company, for generic retail store-labeled brand food.
In the eyes of many pet owners, this constitutes fraud, leading to the conclusion that they’ve been lied to all along.
“Mufasa: The Lion King” and “Sonic 3” Rule Box Office For 1st Weekend Of 2025
The Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" claimed the No. 1 spot on the North American box office charts over the first weekend of 2025.
The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel earned $23.8 million in its third weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. Paramount's "Sonic the Hedgehog 3," which has dominated the past two weekends, wasn't far behind.
"Sonic 3" stayed close with a 3-day estimate of $21.2 million, bringing its total domestic earnings to $187.5 million and helping the overall franchise cross $1 billion worldwide. "Mufasa's" running total is slightly less, with $169.2 million.
In third place, Focus Features' "Nosferatu" remake defied the fate of so many of its genre predecessors and fell only 39% in its second weekend. Horror films typically fall sharply after the first weekend and anything less than a 50% decline is notable. "Nosferatu," which added 140 screens, claimed $13.2 million in ticket sales, bringing its running total to $69.4 million since its Christmas debut. The film, directed by Robert Eggers, already surpassed its reported production budget of $50 million, though that figure does not account for marketing and promotion expenses).
No new wide releases opened this weekend, leaving the box office top 10 once again to holdovers from previous weeks. Several have been in theaters since Thanksgiving. One of those, "Moana 2," claimed the No. 4 spot for Disney in its sixth weekend in theaters. The animated sequel earned another $12.4 million, bumping its global total to $960.5 million.
The Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," dipped only slightly in its second weekend, bringing in $8.1 million. With $41.7 million total, it's Searchlight's highest grossing film since Disney acquired the company in... Read More