Jeep Takes Cheap Shot At Sportsmen Through Anti-Hunting Ad

DaimlerChrysler, maker of the popular Jeep line of vehicles,
has turned its back on American sportsmen by launching an
advertising campaign that glorifies anti-hunters and
vilifies hunters.

In Jeep's "Deer Hunter" commercial, a man drives a Jeep
through a wooded area with two deer tied on top of the
vehicle. As the Jeep drives by, camouflaged hunters are
shown in the woods, in close proximity to each other and the
road, admiring the man's deer. The driver of the Jeep then
crosses the road to a location posted with a "No Hunting"
sign. The Jeep stops, the man gets out and releases the
deer, which had appeared to be dead. The driver tells the
deer that they're safe and the deer then bound away. In the
background, other Jeep owners are shown doing the same
thing.

"Although this message is meant to be tongue-in-cheek, it
won't be taken that way by the 40 million sportsmen across
America," said Wildlife Legislative Fund of America
President Bud Pidgeon. "This ad gives the distinct
impression that people who 'save' wildlife from hunters--and
drive Jeeps--are the good guys. In reality, the good guys
are American sportsmen. They're our nation's No. 1
conservationists and they're the reason that America's
wildlife is flourishing."

Jeep's spokeswoman, Diane Jackson, was unwilling to
acknowledge the insulting message portrayed in its
commercial. She says that the ad is creative and that it
will continue to run nationally.

Apparently, Jeep isn't listening to its customers. A Jeep
employee reports that calls protesting the commercial are
swamping its switchboard.

"Sportsmen need to send DaimlerChrysler and Jeep a strong
message that its anti-hunting sentiments aren't
appreciated," Pidgeon said. "As an owner of a vehicle
manufactured by this company, I intend to communicate my
resentment about the direction that this company has taken.
I'll encourage my friends and colleagues to do the same."

Sportsmen everywhere: You can express your dissatisfaction
by contacting DaimlerChrysler at
(248) 512-2992 or by faxing (248) 512-1760. DaimlerChrysler
CEO Dieter Zetsche can be contacted directly at: Box 218004,
Auburn Hills, Michigan, 48321.

Please send your comments today!

Jeep and most other companys fail to realize that responsible hunters do more for the wildlife than ANY non or anti-hunting group.

The whole "No Hunting" sign thing is also a joke.I couldn't understand why I have been seeing so many "No Hunting" signs in National Forest in the last few years.I came to find that PETA encourages anti-hunters to do this to discourage hunting.When I see these signs in the National Forest,I now tear them down.

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I'm out to wrong rights,depress the opressed,and generaly make an ass of myself!

After I saw that commerical I'm real glad I got the XTerra.

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It is not enough to fight for natural land and the west; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still there. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends...Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound men with their hearts in a safe-deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.

- Edward Abbey

To: Diane Jackson, Senior Manager, Global Jeep Advertising Media
Jeep, A Division of DaimlerChrysler
CIMS 485-05-19
1000 Chrysler Drive
Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2766

From: Dr. David M. Knotts, EVP

Attention: Jeep Commercial

Date: 9 January 2002

The International Hunter Education Association (IHEA), represents 63 state and provincial wildlife agencies in Canada, Mexico and the United States, charged with the responsibility of delivering hunter education programs. Over 60,000 volunteer hunter education instructors within the IHEA, present the hunter education program to over three-quarters of a million new hunters each year. The focus of hunter education is firearms safety, wildlife and natural resource conservation, outdoor ethics and hunter responsibility.

As the Executive Vice President of the IHEA, I have been deluged with complaints about the Jeep commercial run Sunday, 6 January 2002. Whether the intent was to be tongue- in - cheek or blatantly anti-hunting, the ad clearly sends a message that hunters are the bad guys and Jeep drivers are the good guys out saving wildlife. It would appear that DaimlerChrysler has chosen to ignore the historical role hunters in North America have played as the original conservationist and the current leadership and dollars today's hunters provide for the management of one of the finest, most successful natural resource conservation efforts in the world. DaimlerChrysler may also have chosen to ignore the 20 million or so hunters that are major purchasers of off road vehicles including Jeeps. I personally drive a Jeep and have done so with pride for the last five years.

I have also served on the Board of Directors of Treadlightly! and know that Jeep was a major player in this organization setting the standard for excellence in media promoting responsible off road use of four wheel drive vehicles. It is very disappointing for me to see such a turn around in irresponsible advertising from a corporation that I once held up as an example of a responsible corporate promoter of ethical outdoor behavior. How can a corporation associate its product with Mom, Apple Pie, and the Beaches of Normandy in one breath and turn around and insult over 20 million participants in an activity (hunting), representing a significant part of North America's heritage in the next breath?

If DaimlerChrysler wishes to continue its identification as an anti-hunting and anti-hunter corporation and slander the North American hunter, we will do everything in our power to let every hunter, every fisherman, every outdoorsman, and every conservationist know of your position.

If DaimlerChrysler wishes to retain a positive relationship with North America's sportsmen, then you owe them an apology and need to make a concerted effort to portray sportsmen as the responsible outdoorsmen and conservationist we are.

I suspect this correspondence will be one of many from a number of sportsmen you successfully alienated by a cheap shot through your commercial. In spite of this, the IHEA is willing to work with DaimlerChrysler to ensure such misrepresentation of North America's sportsmen does not happen again.

I'm mot happy about it.
Thanks for the address.
I will write them.

Also, the owner of one the largest Jeep dealerships in the area shoots regularly at the club. He is big into hunting and a real nice guy. I'll bet he is not happy about it either. I will let him know my feelings.

Thanks

Nicole Gall
Sales and Marketing

mailto:nicole.gall@daimlerchrysler.com

Hartmut Schick
Head of Global Communications

mailto:hartmut.schick@daimlerchrysler.com

Hammer 'em!!!!

That's the info we needed! Thanks!

(Off to write my email now...)

I understand that the recent Jeep advertisement was intended to be �tongue in cheek�. However, in recent years hunters and sportsmen have been repeatedly attacked by left wing organization purporting to be the main stream. Due to these attacks, hunters and sportsmen have lost their sense of humor when it comes to their activities being portrayed in a negative light. Much in the same fashion as other minority groups don�t find humor in being portrayed negatively. (ie. Toyota�s recent run in with NAACP)
Currently, most manufacturers go out of their way not to offend sensitive minority groups. (Gays, African Americans, Hispanics, etc) Most of these groups make up less than 10% of the US population which now stands at roughly 280,000,000. Most estimates put the number of hunters/sportsmen at 40,000,000. (over 14% of total population) In addition they make up an even greater percentage of the group that purchases Jeep brand products. I have a feeling that you are about to get a world tour in what the effect of poor public relations can have on sales.

John Eddleblute
Masters of Science
Sportsman
Consumer

Re: Jeep's anti-hunting ad of 6 January 2002

Congratulations! With your obnoxious commercial, you have managed to offend 15,000,000 U.S. hunters and a major portion of the consumer group that buys your vehicles. A comparison of the demographic profiles of hunters and your customers would reveal to you that there is a great amount of overlap.

Portraying hunters as "slobs" and Jeep drivers as "protectors of wildlife" must have endeared you to all those who decry hunting as an effective wildlife management tool (for your information, those same people tend to be opposed to the internal combustion engine and its deleterious effects on the environment).

Again, I congratulate you. In one 'brilliant' stroke, you have offended 15,000,000 hunters and guaranteed a sales slump. I know that I will certainly NOT consider a Jeep when I trade in my SUV later this year!

Yours Truly,
George Samaras

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Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!

Hard for me to believe that DiamlerChrysler has taken such a corporate stand on this issue. It's too blatently stupid! And I'll bet that there'll be a retraction shortly.

Let's face it, there's an awful lot at stake here for a company and thousands of it's employees struggling to meet tough competitive goals. And let's not judge an entire corporation by a few misguided zealots who thought they could get away with this travesty - until they've had their day in court.

If DiamlerChrysler fails to respond responsibly, then they've failed the acid test and deserve the consequences.

[This message has been edited by glenn (edited 01-11-2002).]

[This message has been edited by glenn (edited 01-11-2002).]

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Howard
Moses Lake WA
hhomes@homesley.com

To make it right, they ought to purchase the same amount of air time they bought to air the offensive ad and run an apology and give credit to hunters for carrying the burden of game restoration and conservation all these years.

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Shoot straight, shoot often, but by all means, use enough gun!

quote:

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Originally posted by Nickudu:
I don't see it as a mistake or an error in judgement on their part. I see it as a calculated business decision based on the present sales trends and projections. They apparently feel there are more sales to be had from the anti-hunting groups in the years to come. I suspect, if we could peer into Diane Jacksons mind, we'd see her great pleasure.

---

I would have to agree. I doubt this is a case of ad agency ignorance of a given issue. It strikes me as a deliberate effort to appeal to a new market and separate themselves from the "big bad hunters."

Anyone noticed over the last few years how many of the mainstream variety stores have eliminated or at least minimised their offerings of firearm/hunting magazines in the periodical section?

I just watched the local Waldenbooks store clear out the majority of their hunting books from the shelves shortly after the new year. I assumed they were getting ready for inventory. Upon inquiry, I was told they were not going to carry them any longer! I immediately surrendered my book club card. When I purchase my books elsewhere, I always stop by to drop off my receipt to the Waldenbook manager. He picks at one of the various pieces of metal hanging from his face and gets a puzzled look on his mug that clearly indicates to me a waste of time and concern.

I think we really need to concentrate on the upcoming generations as even here in Wyoming, with its hunting heritage, many youths haven't a clue as to what it is all about.

~Holmes

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Greg Rodriguez
Mombasa Trading Company
www.mbogo.net
(281) 494-4151

See Saeed's bear with the salmon guy.

gs