Advertising: New Smokey Bear Gives Hugs, Not Just Warnings

New Smokey Bear Gives Hugs, Not Just Warnings

Smokey Bear’s Makeover: In a new public service fire prevention campaign, the familiar bear is less of an authority figure and more a teacher who gives positive reinforcement, hugging people who help prevent forest fires.

NEW advertising will give Americans an opportunity to be hugged by a federal employee â€" a big furry one, no less.

1945 Urging caution.

1950S Calling for cooperation.

1962 A familiar slogan.

2000S New focus on wildfires.

Smokey Bear, who has been appearing since 1944 in public service fire prevention campaigns under the aegis of the nonprofit Advertising Council, is getting a makeover in a new campaign that replaces a computer-generated look he received about five years ago with a more vintage appearance of a large bear, or perhaps a person in an impressive bear costume.

The ads also give Smokey’s role and persona a makeover. Although the campaign still declares “Only you can prevent wildfires” â€" the wording was changed from “forest fires” in 2001 â€" Smokey is changing from a teacher or authority figure into a paragon of positive reinforcement. To underscore the shift, Smokey will now hug people in the wilderness who demonstrate they know how to avoid causing fires.

“It’s definitely the first time Smokey’s giving hugs,” said Lincoln Bramwell, chief historian at the United States Forest Service in Washington, part of the Agriculture Department. “Draftfcb and the Ad Council don’t change Smokey Bear or the image lightly or often,” Mr. Bramwell added, referring to the Draftfcb agency, part of the Interpublic Group of Companies.

The reason to do so now, he said, was recent surveys showing that although Smokey “is very recognizable,” many people â€" particularly those ages 18 to 34 â€" “weren’t sure what Smokey was asking them to do tangibly” to help him prevent wildfires.

“Keeping that awareness of Smokey up is important,” he added, “with more and more people living or moving closer to wilderness areas in the exurbs.”

In one commercial, a man in his 20s tells friends: “You know what, guys, there’s a lot of tree branches and dry brush over here. We should probably move the bonfire over there.” Suddenly, Smokey emerges, hugs him and walks off, whistling. “Guess that Smokey liked that idea,” one of the friends says.

In a second commercial, a young woman reads from a mobile device four steps to make sure a fire is out. After her male companion acknowledges they have all been taken care of, Smokey embraces him and she takes a photograph.

“Smokey just gave me a bearhug,” the young man says as Smokey walks off whistling. The young woman, showing him her device, replies: “I know. I already posted it.”

To reinforce the desire of those behind the campaign that the public share the ads through social media, the commercials present on-screen a hashtag, #SmokeyBearHug, in addition to the address of a Web site, smokeybear.com. The campaign also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter. Digitas, an agency owned by the Publicis Groupe, works on the social media and digital elements of the campaign.

The character’s appearance is being changed because the computer-generated imagery in the most recent version made Smokey “feel a little Country Bear Jamboree-ish,” said Eric Springer, chief creative officer at the Los Angeles office of Draftfcb, from which the campaign is handled, referring to the Walt Disney World attraction.

“We want to leverage the icon,” he added, while “keeping him fresh.” Nick Micale, the copywriter, and Patrick Moore, the art director, make up the young creative team working on the campaign, Mr. Springer said.

The hugs are part of the decision to turn Smokey into a character who is depicted as “rewarding people,” Mr. Bramwell said, rather than “entreating them or admonishing them to take personal responsibility.”

“It’s moving the tone away from sober, which doesn’t resonate with young people,” he added, “while maintaining the seriousness of the issue.”

Mr. Springer described the hugs as meant “to reward people for doing right, for the preventive measures they’re taking.”

“Who wouldn’t want a hug from Smokey?” he asked.

According to statistics from the Ad Council, Smokey’s messages have helped reduce the number of acres burned annually by wildfires to an average of 6.9 million acres today, from about 22 million acres when the campaign was introduced 69 years ago by the council and a Draftfcb predecessor, Foote, Cone & Belding.

Draftfcb and the council estimate that Smokey’s campaigns have received more than $1 billion worth of donated commercial time and ad space from media companies since 1980. The Smokey ads are usually among the top 10 pro bono campaigns from the council with the most donated media each year.

Although “the need for the message never goes away,” said Peggy Conlon, president and chief executive at the Ad Council in New York, the council and Draftfcb still must “make his message relevant” to a contemporary public.

“The new campaign gives consumers an opportunity to interact with Smokey” in the same way they “interact with nature,” she added, and “the tips on how to prevent wildfires are baked into the ads.”

Another benefit of changing the campaign is that the new approach “gives you the ability to show real-life situations,” Ms. Conlon said. At that, she paused, chuckled and added, “In real life you don’t have people in Smokey Bear costumes running around the forest.”

However, she and Mr. Springer are considering other methods of giving the campaign tangible form. For example, Mr. Springer said, “we’re working on a Facebook app where you’ll get hugged by Smokey.”

“I’d like to get a picture of Smokey hugging me,” he added.

Smokey Bear is among several venerable ad characters redesigned in recent years. Others include Mr. Peanut, the Planters mascot, and the stork that represents Vlasic pickles.

20th Century Fox Opening Division for Live Theater

LOS ANGELES â€" One of the last Hollywood studios without a Broadway division, 20th Century Fox, is diving into the live theater business by teaming with Kevin McCollum, a producer of hits like “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and “Motown.”

Mr. McCollum and Fox - along with the film producer John Davis and Tom McGrath, a veteran entertainment executive - on Thursday plan to announce a joint venture to develop a slate of nine to 12 musicals based on Fox films. The shows could go to Broadway or simply tour, either in North America or overseas.

Mr. McCollum and Mr. Davis, whose blockbusters have ranged from “Dr. Dolittle” to “Predator,” declined in interviews to say what films they saw as likely candidates for stage adaptations. Fox’s 4,500-title catalog dates to the 1930s and includes such seemingly tantalizing titles as “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the “Ice Age” movies, “Moulin Rouge” and old Shirley Temple and Marilyn Monroe comedies.

“Theater is about surprises and things that you haven’t seen before on stage,” said Mr. McCollum, who will oversee day-to-day operations. “There are amazing Fox Searchlight titles and great films from the ‘70s that nobody today has heard of.” (Searchlight is the studio’s art house label.)

Mr. Davis added: “Most important is not forcing anything. A big, popular movie doesn’t always lend itself to a live experience.”

Until now, Fox has approached the live theater business as a passive licenser. The unsuccessful musical “9 to 5,” for instance, was based on one of its films. Roughly 70 percent of Broadway shows lose money, but Fox executives said they had recently grown frustrated by adaptation efforts that misfired.

“For years we have been eager to expand our entertainment expertise to the world of live stage, but we wanted to do it right and, most importantly, with the right people,” Fox’s chairman, Jim Gianopulos, said in a statement.

Disney, Warner Brothers, MGM, Sony and Universal - all eager to capitalize on theatergoer demand for musicals based on movies - have Broadway operations of varying sizes. Disney’s has been the most effective, in part because it has largely focused on adapting movie musicals, albeit animated ones; Disney said on Wednesday, for instance, that the domestic tour of “The Lion King” alone has taken in more than $1 billion over the years.

If successful, live theater revenue can be an important cushion for movie studios, whose financial fortunes often whipsaw from quarter to quarter as films hit or miss. Disney’s Broadway division has at times helped make the difference between Walt Disney Studios’ reporting a quarterly loss or a profit.

As the film business becomes more treacherous because of rising costs, studios see Broadway as a safe place to dabble because the investment required is relatively small, especially compared with the potential upside. Losing $20 million on a failed stage musical seems like nothing in Hollywood, where a movie bomb can result in a write-down of $100 million or more.

Fox will finance 50 percent of the joint venture, with the balance coming from Mr. McCollum, Mr. Davis and Mr. McGrath, the former chairman of Key Brand Entertainment, which owns the Broadway Across America touring network and the Broadway.com ticket-selling site.

Fox has also hired Isaac Robert Hurwitz, a founder and the executive director of the New York Musical Theater Festival, as a consultant. Mr. Hurwitz said in an interview that he was assessing Fox’s library by watching dozens of movies that he thought might hold promise. As for his tenure at the annual musical festival, he said he would step down soon after its run concludes at the end of July.

Mr. McCollum, whose other musical hits include “In the Heights” and “The Drowsy Chaperone,” will continue to work on independent projects while collaborating with Fox on the adaptations. Mr. Davis and Mr. McGrath will do the same. Mr. McCollum said he hoped that Fox would become a partner in the reverse, with his original stage shows moving to the big screen.

Broadway can be a cutthroat business, but one competitor, Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Group, gave Fox’s move a surprisingly upbeat assessment. “A lot of different companies have wanted to get in,” he said, “but to do this with someone like Kevin, a smart producer who knows everybody, is a great decision.”

20th Century Fox Opening Division for Live Theater

LOS ANGELES â€" One of the last Hollywood studios without a Broadway division, 20th Century Fox, is diving into the live theater business by teaming with Kevin McCollum, a producer of hits like “Rent,” “Avenue Q” and “Motown.”

Mr. McCollum and Fox - along with the film producer John Davis and Tom McGrath, a veteran entertainment executive - on Thursday plan to announce a joint venture to develop a slate of nine to 12 musicals based on Fox films. The shows could go to Broadway or simply tour, either in North America or overseas.

Mr. McCollum and Mr. Davis, whose blockbusters have ranged from “Dr. Dolittle” to “Predator,” declined in interviews to say what films they saw as likely candidates for stage adaptations. Fox’s 4,500-title catalog dates to the 1930s and includes such seemingly tantalizing titles as “Mrs. Doubtfire,” the “Ice Age” movies, “Moulin Rouge” and old Shirley Temple and Marilyn Monroe comedies.

“Theater is about surprises and things that you haven’t seen before on stage,” said Mr. McCollum, who will oversee day-to-day operations. “There are amazing Fox Searchlight titles and great films from the ‘70s that nobody today has heard of.” (Searchlight is the studio’s art house label.)

Mr. Davis added: “Most important is not forcing anything. A big, popular movie doesn’t always lend itself to a live experience.”

Until now, Fox has approached the live theater business as a passive licenser. The unsuccessful musical “9 to 5,” for instance, was based on one of its films. Roughly 70 percent of Broadway shows lose money, but Fox executives said they had recently grown frustrated by adaptation efforts that misfired.

“For years we have been eager to expand our entertainment expertise to the world of live stage, but we wanted to do it right and, most importantly, with the right people,” Fox’s chairman, Jim Gianopulos, said in a statement.

Disney, Warner Brothers, MGM, Sony and Universal - all eager to capitalize on theatergoer demand for musicals based on movies - have Broadway operations of varying sizes. Disney’s has been the most effective, in part because it has largely focused on adapting movie musicals, albeit animated ones; Disney said on Wednesday, for instance, that the domestic tour of “The Lion King” alone has taken in more than $1 billion over the years.

If successful, live theater revenue can be an important cushion for movie studios, whose financial fortunes often whipsaw from quarter to quarter as films hit or miss. Disney’s Broadway division has at times helped make the difference between Walt Disney Studios’ reporting a quarterly loss or a profit.

As the film business becomes more treacherous because of rising costs, studios see Broadway as a safe place to dabble because the investment required is relatively small, especially compared with the potential upside. Losing $20 million on a failed stage musical seems like nothing in Hollywood, where a movie bomb can result in a write-down of $100 million or more.

Fox will finance 50 percent of the joint venture, with the balance coming from Mr. McCollum, Mr. Davis and Mr. McGrath, the former chairman of Key Brand Entertainment, which owns the Broadway Across America touring network and the Broadway.com ticket-selling site.

Fox has also hired Isaac Robert Hurwitz, a founder and the executive director of the New York Musical Theater Festival, as a consultant. Mr. Hurwitz said in an interview that he was assessing Fox’s library by watching dozens of movies that he thought might hold promise. As for his tenure at the annual musical festival, he said he would step down soon after its run concludes at the end of July.

Mr. McCollum, whose other musical hits include “In the Heights” and “The Drowsy Chaperone,” will continue to work on independent projects while collaborating with Fox on the adaptations. Mr. Davis and Mr. McGrath will do the same. Mr. McCollum said he hoped that Fox would become a partner in the reverse, with his original stage shows moving to the big screen.

Broadway can be a cutthroat business, but one competitor, Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Group, gave Fox’s move a surprisingly upbeat assessment. “A lot of different companies have wanted to get in,” he said, “but to do this with someone like Kevin, a smart producer who knows everybody, is a great decision.”

William Morris to Invest in Droga5, an Ad Agency

William Morris Endeavor, the giant talent agency, is close to acquiring a significant minority stake in Droga5, an independent advertising agency based in New York. The deal, which is estimated at $225 million, is expected to be completed early next week.

W.M.E., which is based in Beverly Hills and headed by Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell, will acquire a 49 percent stake in the creative agency, which is led by David Droga.

Executives from both companies said the partnership would allow them to create more brand-supported content by combining their significant advertising and entertainment resources. Droga5’s clients include brands like Coca-Cola, Motorola, Prudential, Mondelez International and Spotify while W.M.E. represents stars like Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, Javier Bardem and Oprah Winfrey.

“Advertisers and brands want to get closer to our content,” said Mr. Whitesell, adding that the partnership would offer advertisers an “A to Z solution” for their campaigns instead of having to hire multiple agencies. “There’s a need for it on our end, for our clients to have a more sophisticated bridge to this.”

Talks between the two companies began about a year ago when Mr. Emanuel, a co-chief executive along with Mr. Whitesell, phoned Mr. Droga, the agency’s founder and creative chairman. Mr. Droga, while intrigued, was initially skittish, he said. “The thought of being in bed with anybody made us nervous,” Mr. Droga said in an interview at the agency’s headquarters in downtown Manhattan.

The agency, whose work has featured celebrities like Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Sarah Silverman, is used to getting attention, including from many of the major advertising holding companies. “We’ve been courted by everybody and we’ve politely said no because I think the majority of the acquisitions that happen make the industry smaller not better,” Mr. Droga said. “So many alliances or deals are done out of necessity. There’s not a vulnerable party in this partnership.”

A Droga5 campaign to promote Bing, the Microsoft search engine, in tandem with “Decoded,” Jay-Z’s autobiography, got Mr. Emanuel’s attention. Pages from the book were displayed in different cities around the world on everything from billboards to pool tables. Fans could connect the pages by using a digital game that included Bing technology.

“That’s an integrated approach that not a lot of people are doing,” Mr. Emanuel said. “We have clients, whether it be on the nonscripted side, the scripted side in television, music clients, creatives that create content for different screens, all of that is going to be on the table.”

Matt Chesler, an equity research analyst at Deutsche Bank, said Droga5 was an agency that had historically been uninterested in replicating traditional advertising agency models. “They are interested in building and creating proprietary branded content and proprietary technology,” Mr. Chesler said. “They are looking a their role of value creation in a much broader way than providing marketing services for a fee.”

In 2012, Droga5 created its own digital production studio called De-De. The studio has created an array of products, including a tool to amplify social media messages called Thunderclap, a voice messaging mobile application called Pling and an e-mail visualization tool for tablet computers, called Birdseye.

W.M.E. is the product of a union of William Morris and Endeavor in 2009. In 2012, the private equity firm Silver Lake acquired a minority stake in the company and has since helped advise W.M.E. on potential acquisitions. The company has struck several digital media partnerships since 2009, including one with the digital advertising agency Red Interactive and a social media start-up called theAudience. It has also invested in a mobile application studio called Chaotic Moon and an e-commerce company called OpenSky.

As consumers increasingly ignore traditional advertising and are bombarded with a constant stream of content, both online and offline, advertisers have been forced to find more compelling ways to get their attention. “Clients have been talking about how do we make our brand more influential,'’ Mr. Droga said. “How do we infuse in pop culture.” W.M.E. could help provide the answer given its substantial reach in television, publishing, music, film and theater.

Jeff Levick, the chief marketing and revenue officer at Spotify, a Droga5 client, was optimistic about the partnership. ‘What’s really interesting for us is to see if their partnership unlocks new opportunities for us and access to develop even bigger plans,” Mr. Levick said. “On the talent side there’s a lot of great things that we can extend. If their relationship with William Morris Endeavor helps do that faster and more efficiently, that’s great.”

New Designation Signifies ‘I Was Really a Producer of This Film’

LOS ANGELES â€" All six major film studios in Hollywood have now agreed to use a special “producer’s mark” in on-screen credits to distinguish producers who have done a substantial amount of producing work on a movie.

Walt Disney Studios, Warner Brothers and Paramount Pictures joined an arrangement that already included 20th Century Fox, Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures. The Producers Guild of America, which administers the program, announced the three studios’ inclusion on Thursday, and said 50 films had already used the designation. The idea is to distinguish the more actively engaged producers in a film from others credited as producers.

The mark consists of the letters “p.g.a.” after a producer’s name, which is preceded by the words “produced by.” It is awarded only when requested by a producer and after a review by the guild. The producers guild has long advocated use of the mark as a way to sort through the proliferation of producers’ credits. Studios were initially slow to adopt it, partly from fear of slowing or complicating the final stages of their production process.

Fox, Sony and Universal adopted the mark last year under a program that permitted them to drop out if a fourth studio did not join within two years.