It seems PETA just can't avoid controversy. That's not surprising given the animal rights organization actually seems to enjoy pushing the envelope and raising eyebrows. Therefore it seems pretty natural they ended up in the number nine spot on a list of the top 10 most offensive ads as determined by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the U.K. The ASA determines the list by the number of complaints the ad receives.

The PETA poster in question ran earlier this year and features a close-up of a child biting into a monstrous burger with the caption reading, "Feeding kids meat is child abuse." The complaints about the poster alleged the group encouraged parents to remove meat from children's' diets without providing an adequate substitute that will provide essential nutrients. The public also complained the group was trivializing real child abuse and was misleading in the fact it made parents believe that meat consumption would cause children to become overweight.

The campaign received a paltry 68 complaints compared to the 774 complaints registered against the number one contentious ad (from the Department of Health). The ad may seem a little offside and be in bad taste, but it's relatively tame compared to some of the other marketing initiatives taken on by PETA, such as the brochure the group was distributing to kids in schools earlier this year.

The back of the pamphlet shows graphic photographs of abused and injured animals, including an animal with its skin ripped off.  It also features text like this:

"Do you have a puppy you take for walks or play ball with?... Everyone knows that it's fun to love and play with animal friends.  But how would you feel if someone took away your kitty or puppy, stomped on their head, and ripped their skin off their bodies?"

The big, bold text on the front of the brochure proclaimed, "Your mommy kills animals!" Ironically, subjecting children to that kind of imagery seems far more abusive than feeding your kid some Chicken McNuggets.

How about you? Do you find the original poster offensive or is PETA right on the money? Do you think PETA take their campaigns too far?

» BBC