Viewers Gross’d Out By New Grill’d Ad

We've been getting more aware of animal welfare issues, but when it comes to grain-fed versus grass-fed meat, 'huh?' is probably still the likely response from consumers. Gourmet burger chain Grill'd (whose Garden Goodness burger made it onto our top ten list) wants that to change, and to that end, they've released a controversial and mildly gory ad featuring animated cows and sheep discussing their diets, talk show-style.

After covering the benefits of grass over grain, the ad ends with a sunnies-wearing bull talking about how his career was going nowhere until he started eating grass "and his agent got [him] the job on Grill'd", before being decapitated quite graphically — well, as graphically is possible in animated form. He winks, then we cut to a blood-spattered Grill'd logo.

The ad, created (unsurprisingly) by Vice and animation studio Rubber House, is the first instalment of their 'Inside the grass diet craze' campaign, which, as Grill'd founder Simon Crowe told Mumbrella, aims to "put on the agenda the debate or the discussion around grass-fed versus grain-fed beef and lamb and the fact that we believe it’s of a higher quality and it’s better for the animal."

Grill'd is no stranger to controversy, having previously attracted criticism for their 'Coat of Arms' kangaroo and emu burger earlier this year.

Is it effective? The ad arguably does what it sets out to do: it makes you think about something you didn't know was an issue; it makes you laugh, albeit a little uncomfortably (particularly the pop-up about grain leading to "unsightly bull boobs"); and the gore isn't so in-your-face you'll never want to eat another hamburger again — which would have been a bit counterproductive for a burger chain.