Smokey Bear is turning 65.
To celebrate his birthday, the U.S. Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters, in conjunction with the Ad Council, tapped ad firm DraftFCB to create a series of public service announcements—pro bono—to remind people about fire safety, according to Advertising Age.
The one ad I’ve seen is simple, quick and classy, although not as effective as the more straight-forward and flashy, “Only you can prevent forest fires” campaign.
Take a look at the new:
And the old:
And one terribly frightening Smokey Bear ad from 1969:
Yeesh.
Subscribe to this blog's feed
It was a beneficial workout for me to go through your webpage. It definitely stretches the limits with the mind when you... 
RSS
Comments (8)
At one time there really was a live bear named Smokey that was the soul survivor of a New Mexico forrest fire. Ne was found as a cub by a ranger, huddeled up a burnt tree. The ranger took him for medical treatment, and after he healed from his burns was transfered to the National Zoo, in Washington D.C. Disney made a movie about Smokey in the fifties, it was narrated by Rex Allen. When the original Smokey Bear died, Smokey Jr. took his place at the National Zoo. At one time Smokey Bear recieved more fan mail than any other living thing. Because he survived the fire, the forrest service used him in the first fire prevention adds.
Posted by Joe Norman | August 9, 2009 11:14 PM
Posted on August 9, 2009 23:14
How old is Mickey the Mouse?
Posted by Brad Fisher | July 2, 2009 1:40 PM
Posted on July 2, 2009 13:40
Thanks for letting me know that Smokey Bear is 65 (it's not Smokey the Bear). See http://www.smokeybear.com/
Uncle Sam
Posted by Anonymous | July 1, 2009 9:53 PM
Posted on July 1, 2009 21:53
Major issue with your post--It's Smokey Bear---NOT Smokey the Bear. If you look at the Advertising Age article, they got it right. Apologies to the U.S. Forest Service.
Posted by Rae | July 1, 2009 1:41 PM
Posted on July 1, 2009 13:41
His middle name is not "The". He is correctly referred to as "Smokey Bear".
Posted by Tim S | July 1, 2009 1:05 PM
Posted on July 1, 2009 13:05
So here's the big question. Has Smokey made a difference? Were there fewer forest fires over the past 65 years thanks to these PSAs and the branding of Smokey? This is like those Drug-Free America PSAs ("This is your brain on drugs.")
Memorable, award-winning PSAs. Strong brands. But did they make a difference in society?
I don't know, just throwing that out.
Posted by Anonymous | July 1, 2009 12:25 PM
Posted on July 1, 2009 12:25
Smokey Bear does not have a middle name. "The" is not part of his official name.
Posted by Bill Spaniel | July 1, 2009 11:25 AM
Posted on July 1, 2009 11:25
Smokey Bear faces one of the greatest communication and branding challenges of all. His name is and has always been Smokey Bear (no "The" in the middle), yet the whole world keeps adding that extra little word into his name. I admit, I'm just as guilty as the rest. Poor guy -- 65 years of putting up with it, I'm surprised he hasn't turned into Smokey Raging Man-eating Bear.
Posted by Anonymous | July 1, 2009 9:15 AM
Posted on July 1, 2009 09:15