UPDATE:
FOR IMMEDIATE January 14, 2002
Sportsmen's Voices Heard As Jeep Pulls Anti-Hunting Ad
(Columbus) - The people at Jeep have responded to the calls of sportsmen and
stopped running an advertisement that "took a shot" at deer hunters.
Last week, the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance sent a call to action for sportsmen
across the country about a commercial being run nationally by Jeep that
glorified anti-hunters and vilified sportsmen. Sportsmen immediately took
action, flooding the company with telephone calls and faxes expressing their
displeasure with the ad.
According to a letter received today, these actions prompted the auto
manufacturer to cancel the commercial.
"We did not anticipate this story line would evoke such negative emotion
among some viewers," stated Jeff Bell, vice president of marketing
communications for DaimlerChrysler, Jeep's parent company. "Obviously we
underestimated the sensitivity of this issue.
ecause this is so
emotionally charged, we will no longer continue this campaign."
In the 'Deer Hunter' commercial, a man drives a Jeep through a
wooded site with two deer tied on top of the vehicle. As the Jeep drives
by, 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 drives to a
location that shows a "No Hunting" sign. The Jeep stops, the man gets out
and releases the deer that appeared to be dead. The driver tells the deer
they are safe and the deer bound away. In the background, other Jeep owners
are shown doing the same thing.
"This is concrete proof that the sportsman's voice should not be taken
lightly," said Rick Story, vice president of the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance.
"When the voices of the millions of sportsmen in this country all speak as
one, a great deal can be accomplished."
Sportsmen weren't the only ones objecting to the commercial.
Jay Menuskin, facilitator for Prebul Chrysler-Plymouth-Jeep in Chattanooga,
Tennessee felt the commercial was offensive to his clients. He called the
U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance to "apologize for the tasteless ad that did not
serve any useful purpose."
DaimlerChrysler is to be congratulated for quickly removing the ad from the
air once it began hearing from sportsmen. Although the U.S. Sportsmen's
Alliance is satisfied with DaimlerChrysler's decision, the fact that the ad
even made the airwaves is still cause for concern.
"It is unbelievable that any company competing for customers would take an
action that would alienate a huge group of them," said Story. "I would
certainly hope that DaimlerChrysler officials get a better handle on how
their campaigns will be received before they launch them across America in
the future."
The U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance protects the rights of hunters, anglers and
trappers nationally in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress
and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S.
Sportsmen's Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its web
site, www.ussportsmen.org.
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one shot~one kill 
