Deer in the headlights: Jeep cancels TV ad (followup) (1/17/2002)

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Deer in the headlights: Jeep cancels TV ad Hunters thought it vilified their sport, but opinions differ over outcome of the canceled spot that depicted drivers rescuing deer from hunters By Mark FreemanMedford Mail-Tribune Hunting groups and animal-rights activists differ on who won the battle over Jeep's running, then dropping its ad depicting drivers rescuing deer from hunters. MEDFORD, Ore. - Sport-utility maker Jeep bowed to sport-hunters' complaints this week and canceled a national television ad that some outdoor groups claimed vilified hunting and glorified animal-rights activism.But hunting organizations and animal-rights activists differ on who won the battle over Jeep's running - and then dropping - its ad depicting Grand Cherokee drivers rescuing buck deer from hunters in the woods."This is concrete proof that the sportsman's voice should not be taken lightly," said vice president Rick Story of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, which claimed victory in its phone and fax campaign to get the ad pulled."When the voices of the millions of sportsmen in this country all speak as one, a great deal can be accomplished," Story said from the alliance's Ohio office.But the head of the Virginia-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals claimed "gun nuts" unwittingly gave Jeep far more positive exposure by attacking the ad than by ignoring it."Hunters drew more attention to it from their insecurity than Jeep would have ever got on their own," PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said in a telephone interview. "So Jeep won.""I think the hunters shot themselves in the foot," Newkirk said. "In this case, that's a true-to-life pun."Leaders of DaimlerChrysler Corp., which is Jeep's parent company, are keeping mum over whether they believe they have won or lost sales from the controversial ad. " This is concrete proof that the sportsman's voice should not be taken lightly. When the voices of the millions of sportsmen in this country all speak as one, a great deal can be accomplished. " - Rick Story, vice president of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance Jeff Bell, the corporation's vice president for marketing communications, said that Jeep never intended nor expected the ad to evoke negative emotions from sport-hunting camps.But Bell, in a letter to the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, offers no apologies.Jeep does not want "to damage our relationship with our loyal customers or prospects who reside on either side of this issue," Bell wrote in his Jan. 14 letter.The commercial opens with a Jeep driving down a wooded road with two apparently dead deer tied to its top. Two camouflaged hunters appear roadside and are viewed admiring the deer as the Jeep drives past a "No Hunting" sign.After the Jeep stops, its driver gets out and releases the two deer that apparently had been feigning death and are very much alive. The driver tells the deer they are safe now, and in the background, other Jeep owners are shown doing the same thing.In his letter, Bell calls the 30-second ad a "tongue in cheek" hunting analogy that highlights the Grand Cherokee's "go anywhere, do anything" capabilities."Outdoor activities and communing with the environment are both basic to the DNA of the Jeep brand," Bell wrote.But the ad drew the ire of hunters who clogged Jeep voice-mails and fax machines with irate messages saying the ad is offensive. " Hunters drew more attention to it from their insecurity than Jeep would have ever got on their own. So Jeep won. I think the hunters shot themselves in the foot. " - PETA president Ingrid Newkirk They accused Jeep of taking unfair shots at hunters by portraying them as slobs. PETA leaders, in turn, praised Jeep for running what they saw as a creative commercial with a positive message about animals.The sportsmen's alliance commended Jeep for dumping the ad and said it was satisfied with DaimlerChrylser's move. But leaders of the 35,000-member group still are concerned that Jeep allowed the stereotypical villain-hunter to make it to the airwaves."It is unbelievable that any company competing for customers would take an action that would alienate a huge group of them," Story said. "I would certainly hope that DaimlerChrysler officials get a better handle on how their campaigns would be received before they launch them across America in the future."But PETA's Newkirk wonders whether DaimlerChrysler officials perhaps knew exactly what they were doing.Newkirk suggests that hunters are a distinct minority among Americans and their angry reaction to the ad is as predictable as the onslaught of media attention for it.As the attention swells and Jeep pulls the ad as expected, it appeases the hunters and gets more attention among America's non-hunting majority. A company spokesman said Jeep never intended nor expected the ad to evoke negative emotions from hunting camps. "The fact that they chose it, did it, ran it and got all that attention for it, I think, worked very well for them," Newkirk said. "Maybe (DaimlerChrysler) did what any company with good advertising practices do - get the best of both worlds."But perhaps the motive is more simple, Newkirk said.In the post-Sept. 11 world, Americans like "life-affirming messages" of rescuing people from those who terrorize others with guns, Newkirk said.Since she considers hunters to be "gun nuts" who terrorize animals in the woods, then rescuing animals from them fits this ideology, Newkirk claimed.She makes no apologies for equating hunting with terror attacks, and she's happy that some of PETA's official animal-rescue vehicles are . Jeep Cherokees."People are more interested in saving animals, I think, than killing them," Newkirk said. "We thank the hunters for drawing attention to it." http://espn.go.com/outdoors/general/s/g_fea_Jeep_ad_controversy.html