Dive Brief:

• PETA planned to protest the filming of a commercial shoot Tuesday for grocery store chain Food Lion in Van Nuys, CA. 
• After finding out that the live lion often used in Food Lion's ads wasn't going to be at the Tuesday shoot, PETA canceled the protest and issued a public statement instead. 
• The animal rights advocacy group wants Food Lion to stop using live lions in its ads, but Food Lion contends the animals are always treated ethically. The grocery chain has used a lion as a “spokesman” in its ads for over two years

Dive Insight: 

The negative backlash from a public PETA uproar can often tarnish a brand's image. In this case, PETA alleged that Food Lion heard about the protest and canceled the lion to avoid the bad press, but Food Lion claims the wild cat was never scheduled to be at the commercial shoot Tuesday.

The grocery chain acted quickly in response to PETA's accusations by issuing its own statement: "We require our filming partners to adopt numerous precautionary measures to ensure the safety and well-being of the lion in our commercial."