As we’ve mentioned before, despite a growing public awareness about the plight of chimpanzees in entertainment, they are still being exploited for a cheap laugh. Recently, Great Clips (a nationwide hair salon franchise) aired a commercial launching their new feature, “Clip Notes” with a chimpanzee toward the end. The chimpanzee is seen exhibiting a “fear grimace” – a sign that they were likely beaten or abused prior to the commercial’s production.
Please write to Great Clips to ask them to pull the commercial from the air and pledge to never work with apes again.
Sample Letter to Great Clips:
[email protected], CEO
Dear Ms. Olsen:
I was shocked and disappointed to hear that Great Clips has a commercial that features a young chimpanzee. You should know that chimpanzees used in entertainment are torn away from their mothers as infants, often repeatedly beaten during training, and then discarded when they become too strong to be managed.
Using a chimpanzee for a cheap laugh sends the message that these amazing beings are simply props. Surely you are aware that chimpanzees are endangered species in critical need of protection? You are exploiting chimpanzees for your own profits and this is an unacceptable business practice.
Please make the compassionate decision to remove the chimpanzee from your commercial, and please consider to never exploit great apes for entertainment purposes again. Thank you for your consideration of my comments on this urgent matter.
You may also submit your comments to their Facebook page, or post Tweets that express your concern, such as: @GreatClips I was disappointed to see a chimp in your ad for #clipnotes. Please remove the ad! www.chimpsnw.org
**If you send a letter, please BCC [email protected] for tracking purposes. Thank you!
shame shame on you for using chimps as actors, they are not actors they are creatures that deserve some respect.
let Great Clips know! send an email to the address above.
I posted on their Facebook page and “liked” other people’s comments about the chimps.
Thanks Aimee!
Please stop using our chimps. they have been used enough over the years.
let Great Clips know! send an email to the address above.
I see there are over 100 “likes” to this blog post. Please make your voice heard and write to Great Clips either by the e-mail or FaceBook address provided. We need to let them know that we will not stand for this. Please be polite and just state the facts.
Now over 200 likes 🙂
I posted on their Facebook page last week and had several likes to my comment.
While I completely understand everyones frustration regarding this commercial and everyones right to voice their concern to the company. Did anyone for a second stop and think about who you might actually be hurting with all the post on this companys facebook page? I probably isn’t hurting the people responsible for the commercal. It more thank likely hurting the 30,000+ stylists that are employed by the franchissees of this company. 30,000 pleople who had nothing to do with or any control over this commercial. Lots of those stylists are single mothers and fathers who rely on customers coming in to pay their bills and support their families. Like I said I get your anger and frustration but maybe direct it at the correct people. Their home office has both an email address and number to contact them on their website. I suggest contacting them directly. Why potentially hurt 30,000 people when your anger and frustration is at a marketing team of 10 or so people who unfortunately those 30,000 people have no control over. I see so many people posting saying they are advocates for all animal and human rights……at what point is anyone going to be an advocate for these stylist who could potentailly be being hurt by this? Just a thought!
Thank you Jessie for your comments. If you take a look at the action alert above, you’ll see that the e-mail address provided and sample letter are directed toward the CEO of the company. Though it is important to grab the attention of not only the company but their consumers as well, and Facebook is an excellent platform for that, so some people choose to use that venue. But email is always the first method I suggest 🙂
Some good news from Great Clips’ Facebook page:
After hearing your feedback, we’d like to provide the following update from Great Clips’ CEO, Rhoda Olsen: “We were not aware of the controversy associated with chimpanzees in advertising. We will, as so many other companies have, not use great apes in future ads. We are also working with our media buying partners to discontinue the use of this ad. We always appreciate our customers and employees feedback. Thank you.”
Excellent work to everyone who wrote a letter!
Jessie…the appropriate person and or persons, to receive any e-mails regarding the Great Clips commercial exploiting chimpanzees was provided…this being the CEO of the company. As far as posting anything on their website, it is important to educate the public as well. It was not intended to “hurt” any of the employees of the company but really, just bring to light this “issue” of using highly, intelligent beings…and always with great suffering to them….for profit…