"Bear", a television commercial known for and often referred to by its opening line "There is a bear in the woods", was created for the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign of Republican Party candidate Ronald Reagan. The commercial featured a grizzly bear wandering through a forest, accompanied by narration suggesting that the bear could be dangerous and that it would be wise to be prepared for that possibility. 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. Research by award-winning pollster Richard Wirthlin detected the nation's overriding concern about the Soviet Union and how to communicate the solution through subtlety.
"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, 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.[1]
Receptionedit
Initial focus group 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.[2] The advertisement itself had a very high recall rate amongst viewers, even those who were uncertain of its meaning.[3]
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."[4]
"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." In September 2015, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz created an ad titled "Scorpion" with an opening line, "There's a Scorpion in the desert". In the ad Cruz used the image of a scorpion to show the threat Islamic terrorism posed to the United States. This ad was instantly recognized as a copy or an homage to Reagan's.[5][6] Currently, The Washington Post's PowerPost email newsletter to subscribers, The Daily 202, often uses the phrase, "There still a bear in the woods," to introduce political topics.[7]
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".
^. Xent.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
^Medvic, Stephen K. (2001). Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections. Ohio: Ohio State University Press. pp. 48-49
^Just, Marion R. (1991). Should Campaign Commercials Be Regulated? No. In Rose, Gary L. (ed) Controversial Issues in Presidential Selection. New York: State University of New York Press. p. 145
^"Creating Reagan's image" - the story of how Hal Riney developed the ad campaign., Sfgate.com
^"Ted Cruz 'Scorpion' Ad Copies Reagan's Famous 'Bear' Commercial". Mediaite.com. 16 September 2015.
^Gabriel, Trip (15 September 2015). "Ted Cruz Ad Uses Scorpion to Depict Threat of Islamic Terror". The New York Times.
The Bear — video of the original advertisement on YouTube
"If there is a wolf..." — comparison to Bush ad featuring wolves
cites "Bear" and "Prouder, Stronger, Better" as examples of effective and significant ads in contrast to recent ads
Weekly Standard: "Kerry Nation?" - Fred Barnes calls "Bear" "devastating... clever and amusing" and uses it as an example of how George W Bush could deal with John Kerry in the 2004 election
March 12, 2024
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Bear a television commercial known for and often referred to by its opening line There is a bear in the woods was created for the 1984 U S presidential campaign of Republican Party candidate Ronald Reagan The commercial featured a grizzly bear wandering through a forest accompanied by narration suggesting that the bear could be dangerous and that it would be wise to be prepared for that possibility 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 Research by award winning pollster Richard Wirthlin detected the nation s overriding concern about the Soviet Union and how to communicate the solution through subtlety Contents 1 Details and full text of the narration 2 Reception 3 See also 4 References 5 External linksDetails and full text of the narration edit 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 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 1 Reception editInitial focus group 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 2 The advertisement itself had a very high recall rate amongst viewers even those who were uncertain of its meaning 3 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 4 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 In September 2015 Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz created an ad titled Scorpion with an opening line There s a Scorpion in the desert In the ad Cruz used the image of a scorpion to show the threat Islamic terrorism posed to the United States This ad was instantly recognized as a copy or an homage to Reagan s 5 6 Currently The Washington Post s PowerPost email newsletter to subscribers The Daily 202 often uses the phrase There still a bear in the woods to introduce political topics 7 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 See also edit nbsp 1980s portalMorning in America 1984 United States presidential electionReferences edit Reagan outlawing Russia Xent com Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 Retrieved 26 June 2022 Medvic Stephen K 2001 Political Consultants in U S Congressional Elections Ohio Ohio State University Press pp 48 49 Just Marion R 1991 Should Campaign Commercials Be Regulated No In Rose Gary L ed Controversial Issues in Presidential Selection New York State University of New York Press p 145 Creating Reagan s image the story of how Hal Riney developed the ad campaign Sfgate com Ted Cruz Scorpion Ad Copies Reagan s Famous Bear Commercial Mediaite com 16 September 2015 Gabriel Trip 15 September 2015 Ted Cruz Ad Uses Scorpion to Depict Threat of Islamic Terror The New York Times 1 dead link External links editThe Bear video of the original advertisement on YouTube 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 Barnes calls Bear devastating clever and amusing and uses it as an example of how George W Bush could deal with John Kerry in the 2004 election Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bear in the woods amp oldid 1185618254, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
