Bear in the woods
Encyclopedia
"There is a bear in the woods" was the opening line of a television commercial for the 1984 U.S. presidential
campaign of Republican Party
candidate Ronald Reagan
. Before the ad was created, the public seemed more comfortable with the way Walter Mondale described how he would negotiate than they did with Reagan's peace through strength platform. The public could not really see how peace could be realized through strength. Research by award-winning pollster, Richard Wirthlin, detected the nation's overriding concern about Russia and how to communicate the solution through subtlety.
The commercial featured a brown bear
wandering through a forest accompanied by narration suggesting that the bear could be tame or dangerous and that it would be wise to be prepared for the latter. In the final scene a man appears and the bear takes a step back. The ad ends with a picture of Reagan and the tagline: "President Reagan: Prepared for Peace."
Without directly mentioning opponent Walter Mondale
, defense spending, or the Soviet Union
(traditionally symbolized by a bear
), the ad suggested that Reagan was better prepared to recognize and deal with threats to global stability.
The ad was written and narrated by ad man Hal Riney
, who also wrote and narrated Reagan's resonant "Morning in America
" ad (titled "Prouder, Stronger, Better") as well as his "America's Back" ad. To many, his rich, avuncular voice represented wholesomeness and authenticity.
screenings of the advertisement demonstrated that the audience found its message ambiguous, with some interpreting it as an indictment of environmentalism
, others as a criticism of gun control
, but the underlying metaphor of "peace through strength
" remained strong. The advertisement itself had a very high recall rate amongst viewers, even those who were uncertain of its meaning.
The ad won praise from the political and advertising world. Republican strategist Dan Schnur said of Riney's work: "Most political advertising hits viewers over the head, while his work makes just as strong a point but in a less confrontational and a more soothing manner."
"There is a bear in the woods" continues to be a popular phrase to invoke when a potential problem looms on the horizon, especially in political circles. The ad was copied in the 2004 presidential campaign of Republican George W. Bush
in an ad called "Wolves," which sought to draw parallels between terrorists and timber wolves. However, that ad explicitly mentioned terrorism
, opponent John Kerry
, liberalism
, intelligence spending, and "America's defenses."
Wirthlin's work on the first Reagan campaign, and particularly this ad, earned him the title "Adman of the Year" by Advertising Age
and the Washington Post called Wirthlin the "Prince of Pollsters".
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
campaign of Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. Before the ad was created, the public seemed more comfortable with the way Walter Mondale described how he would negotiate than they did with Reagan's peace through strength platform. The public could not really see how peace could be realized through strength. Research by award-winning pollster, Richard Wirthlin, detected the nation's overriding concern about Russia and how to communicate the solution through subtlety.
The commercial featured a brown bear
Brown Bear
The brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
wandering through a forest accompanied by narration suggesting that the bear could be tame or dangerous and that it would be wise to be prepared for the latter. In the final scene a man appears and the bear takes a step back. The ad ends with a picture of Reagan and the tagline: "President Reagan: Prepared for Peace."
Without directly mentioning opponent Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
, defense spending, or the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(traditionally symbolized by a bear
Russian Bear
The Russian Bear is a national personification for Russia, used in cartoons, articles and dramatic plays at least since the 17th century, and relating alike to Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the present-day Russian Federation....
), the ad suggested that Reagan was better prepared to recognize and deal with threats to global stability.
Details and full text of the narration
"There is a bear in the woods. For some people, the bear is easy to see. Others don't see it at all. Some people say the bear is tame. Others say it's vicious and dangerous. Since no one can really be sure who's right, isn't it smart to be as strong as the bear? If there is a bear...."The ad was written and narrated by ad man Hal Riney
Hal Riney
Hal Patrick Riney was an American advertising executive.Founder of Publicis & Hal Riney, Riney was named #30 on the Advertising Age 100 people of the 20th century. He was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame in 2001.Riney grew up in Longview, Washington...
, who also wrote and narrated Reagan's resonant "Morning in America
Morning in America
"Morning in America" is the common name of an effective political campaign television commercial formally titled "Prouder, Stronger, Better" and featuring the opening line "It's morning again in America." The ad was part of the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign of Republican Party candidate Ronald...
" ad (titled "Prouder, Stronger, Better") as well as his "America's Back" ad. To many, his rich, avuncular voice represented wholesomeness and authenticity.
Reception
Initial focus groupFocus group
A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people are asked about their perceptions, opinions, beliefs and attitudes towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging...
screenings of the advertisement demonstrated that the audience found its message ambiguous, with some interpreting it as an indictment of environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, others as a criticism of gun control
Gun control
Gun control is any law, policy, practice, or proposal designed to restrict or limit the possession, production, importation, shipment, sale, and/or use of guns or other firearms by private citizens...
, but the underlying metaphor of "peace through strength
Peace through strength
"Peace through strength" is a conservative slogan supporting military strength for the purpose of creating peaceful international relations.For supporters of the MX missile in the 1970s, the missile symbolized "peace through strength." The phrase was popular in political rallies during 1988...
" remained strong. The advertisement itself had a very high recall rate amongst viewers, even those who were uncertain of its meaning.
The ad won praise from the political and advertising world. Republican strategist Dan Schnur said of Riney's work: "Most political advertising hits viewers over the head, while his work makes just as strong a point but in a less confrontational and a more soothing manner."
"There is a bear in the woods" continues to be a popular phrase to invoke when a potential problem looms on the horizon, especially in political circles. The ad was copied in the 2004 presidential campaign of Republican George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
in an ad called "Wolves," which sought to draw parallels between terrorists and timber wolves. However, that ad explicitly mentioned terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, opponent John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
, liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
, intelligence spending, and "America's defenses."
Wirthlin's work on the first Reagan campaign, and particularly this ad, earned him the title "Adman of the Year" by Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
and the Washington Post called Wirthlin the "Prince of Pollsters".
External links
- http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1984/bear#4095 — Link to "Bear in the Woods" ad
- "If there is a wolf..." — comparison to Bush ad featuring wolves
- boards magazine: "Why political TV ads suck so hard" cites "Bear" and "Prouder, Stronger, Better" as examples of effective and significant ads in contrast to recent ads
- Weekly Standard: "Kerry Nation?" - Fred BarnesFred Barnes (journalist)Frederic W. Barnes is an American political commentator. He is the executive editor of the news publication The Weekly Standard and regularly appears on the Fox News Channel program Special Report with Bret Baier...
calls "Bear" the "devastating... clever and amusing" and uses it as an example of how George W Bush could deal with John Kerry in the 2004 election