Deer friendly ad offends hunters.

The jeep ad that had hunters up in arms was pulled off the air by Chrysler. This withdrawal is the second time in two months that Chrysler has changed advertising plans after some consumers complained. Previously, the company had PentaMark rework some dialogue in a commercial for the Chrysler Concorde sedan after protests that it was too "racy".

The depicts a Jeep driving through the woods, past other hunters, with two deer tied to the roof and hood of his Jeep in the traditional way of conveying animal carcasses. Once the hunter arrives in a no-hunting zone, he tells the deer "you're safe now" and unties them.

The tagline VO reminds us: "With all of our patented safety systems, it's no wonder a Jeep four-by-four is one of the safest ways ever to cross treacherous terrain."

Mr. Kuhnie, who oversees advertising and marketing, said the spot was withdrawn because "we don't want to damage our relationship with any group or individual that loves or appreciates the outdoors."

Jennifer Rossbach, a spokeswoman for PentaMark, said the agency was "quite surprised" by the reaction to the commercial from hunters and groups representing hunters. The spot was not tested with consumers before it first began appearing because, she said, the agency did not think it "would be taken as negatively as it was."
"Our chairman and C.E.O., Mike Vogel, is an avid hunter; he goes all over the world hunting," Ms. Rossbach said.
"He also reviews all of our advertising prior to it going to a client for approval, and he did not find this offensive."

Soon after the commercial first ran, Rick Story, vice president at the U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance in Columbus, Ohio, said he began receiving complaints. "This ad painted the whole concept of hunting, and deer hunting in particular, as a negative, and in a shallow light," Mr. Story said.
"Essentially, it attempted to communicate that if you're a Jeep driver, you are enlightened and hence, wouldn't engage in deer hunting."

The organization, formerly the Wildlife Legislative Fund of America, then contacted its members, along with members of other hunting groups, asking them to get in touch with executives at DaimlerChrysler, by calls and by fax, to protest the content of the commercial. The organization also issued a news release declaring that the automaker had "turned its back on American sportsmen" by running a commercial "that glorifies anti-hunters and vilifies hunters."

The protest was also the subject of a column last Sunday by Ken Moran, whose column on the outdoors appears in the sports section of The New York Post.
The column, which reprinted the news release almost verbatim, ended with information on how to complain to DaimlerChrysler. After the commercial was withdrawn, the organization issued another news release, praising DaimlerChrysler for having "responded to the calls of sportsmen."

While the commercial angered many hunters, it was praised by organizations opposed to hunting. "There's absolutely no reason to kill in America in order to put food on the table," said Ingrid E. Newkirk, president at PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, in Norfolk, Va., adding that companies like DaimlerChrysler would "win points if they're life-affirming, saving animals, doing positive things."

PETA annually presents honours and brickbats to advertising that it deems to have positively or negatively portrayed animals, known as the Glitterbox and Litterbox awards, respectively.

Though the awards are not presented until the end of each year, the organization has already nominated the Jeep spot for a Glitterbox.

Making complaints to the point that the commercial had to be pulled generated publicity for the anti-hunting forces, Ms. Newkirk said, adding, "The hunters shot themselves in the foot, if you forgive the pun."

Lead from: New York Times the link leads straight to the article (unless the times moves it). You can see the ad at Adage