Old Spice Guy 1, PETA 0
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is at it again. We’ve shown how this radical animal-rights group uses small share holdings to force companies to vote on its proposals and to distribute its message to shareholders. One of PETA’s latest gambits was aimed at Procter and Gamble (a company whose SEC proxy statement notes that PETA owns a mere 56 shares of common stock).
Well, the votes are in, and it looks like the fine folks who brought you the Old Spice Guy are going to be okay. A whopping 98 percent of votes went against PETA. Since 2008, neither PETA nor its ally the Humane Society of the United States has come anywhere close to winning a vote at any of the major companies at which the Manhattan Institute tracks shareholder initiatives. In 12 identified petitions, neither group has cracked the impregnable barrier of…five percent. (It’s also worth noting that HSUS’s chief corporate agitator cut his teeth doing the same thing at PETA. Birds of a feather…)
The shareholders of P&G (and other companies) don’t want PETA or HSUS telling them how to run their business, especially when these animal rights activists would rather put them out of business than compromise on their issues. While these media stunts might garner a few mentions, we have a question: Why doesn’t the “Humane Society” of the United States start investing more in pet shelters instead of PETA ploys?