Bear in the woods

"There is a bear in the woods" was the opening line of an effective political campaign television commercial formally titled "Bear" (or "If There is a Bear"). The ad was part of the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign of Republican Party candidate Ronald Reagan. It featured a brown bear wandering through a forest accompanied by ominous narration that suggested that the Soviet Union (traditionally symbolized by a bear) was a possible threat to global stability which Ronald Reagan recognized and was better prepared to deal with than his opponent. Then the image shifted to a man facing the bear; the ad ended with a picture of Reagan and the tagline: "President Reagan: Prepared for Peace."

The narration never mentioned the Soviet Union, opponent Walter Mondale, defense spending, or nuclear warfare, the suggested underlying threat.

Details

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 is 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. [ [http://www.xent.com/pipermail/fork/2001-July/001765.html Reagan outlawing Russia ] ]

Reception

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. [Medvic, Stephen K. (2001). "Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections." Ohio: Ohio State University Press. 48-49.] The advertisement itself had a very high recall rate amongst viewers, even those who were uncertain of its meaning. [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. 145.]

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." [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/06/09/BUGBI72U8O1.DTL "Creating Reagan's image"] ]

"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. [ [http://blog.infinitemonkeysblog.com/archive/001051.html Infinite Monkeys: More on Hugh's Question ] ] 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."

ee also

* Morning in America
* U.S. presidential election, 1984

References

External links

* [http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/candidates/ad.archive/ CNN AllPolitics Ad Archive] — archive of political ads, including "Bear in the Woods" and "Morning in America"
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/06/09/BUGBI72U8O1.DTL "Creating Reagan's image"] — the story of how Hal Riney developed the ad campaign
* [http://markschmitt.typepad.com/decembrist/2004/10/if_there_is_a_w.html "If there is a wolf..."] — comparison to Bush ad featuring wolves
* [http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=11407 "Fuzzy Science"] — contrasts the philosophy inherent in "Bear" with the George W. Bush approach to global warming
* [http://www.boardsmag.com/articles/magazine/20040901/politicalads.html "'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
* [http://www.udel.edu/poscir/road/course/commercials/ University of Delaware course material] uses "Bear" as an example of a creative and most memorable ad type
* [http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/003/740mrvbh.asp?pg=1 "Weekly Standard": "Kerry Nation?"] - Fred Barnes 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

* [http://bearmarket.wordpress.com/2008/01/20/theres-a-bear-in-the-woods/#more-22] A blog entry that provides a satirical look at the commercial