Barbara Lippert's Critique

When Jeep quietly announced last week that it was pulling its "Deer Hunter" spot -- in which a Mother Teresa-like guy uses his Jeep to save endangered Bambis from beastly hunters -- it didn't surprise me. It was shown only once, but within 24 hours of the spot's appearance on network football, various pro-hunting organizations had already alerted their members to call or fax DaimlerChrysler to protest. Tens of thousands did -- which resulted in the company's switchboard getting shut down and Daimler employees unable to use their fax machines for days. But what did they expect? I know it's hard to get attention in a crowded market, but why would Jeep go out of its way to alienate millions of hunters who might otherwise be typical SUV owners -- and then not even own up to it? "This was not anti-hunter," a DaimlerChrysler representative insisted. "It was pro-Jeep." Memo to DaimlerChrysler: At least trot out the "only trying to have some fun" option in cases like this. The spot was "not anti-hunter" the way Enron is not anti-disclosure. I hate shooting anything, but the fact is that hunters hadn't been made to look quite this dumb since Elmer Fudd first pulled down his hat flaps in pursuit of that "wascally wabbit." They're shown as subhuman goons sitting in scary chairs tied to the trees, wearing camo and feathers and silly hats. Or they appear to be crazy long-haired, short-fused types who look like militia members or former banjo pickers out of Deliverance. They watch, from their enclave in the woods, as the Jeep drives by with two animals tied to it, one on the roof and one on the hood. "I don't believe it," the jealous Bambi-killer says, looking through his field glasses. "They got two deer." But here's the twist. The Jeep owner is running a sort of underground railroad for deer. The doe-eyed ones were just tied down, not shot, and when the Jeep arrives at a "No hunting" area, the driver releases them. "You're safe now," he says. "With all of our patented safety systems, no wonder our Jeep 4x4 is the safest way to cross treacherous terrain," the announcer says. Comically extreme stereotypes make for much livelier viewing than acts of sheer sanctimony, and as soon as our hero releases the deer, all the air seems to go out of the spot, and it gets sort of sappy. How can we ever measure up to this guy? The commercial certainly sets new standards for PC SUV ownership -- are you good enough to own one? Curiously, a second spot isn't half as nice to humans as it is to deer. In fact, it is mean-spirited about people in need of rescue. A family sits next to its Jeep Liberty, on top of a cliff. They ooh and aah as big red fireworks-like flares shoot up in the sky. The kids enjoy the especially pretty ones. The concept seems odd, since the terrain and explosions suggest war in Afghanistan. It turns out that these are not fireworks at all but distress flares that pathetic non-Jeep owners are sending up, having turned over in the mud in their own wimpy Brand X offroad vehicles. "With its patented four-wheel-drive system, Jeep Liberty makes every day Independence Day," the announcer says. These people are turned over in the mud at this isolated mountainside, in the dark, in possibly life-threatening situations. But why not enjoy the show just a little longer? "I suppose we better go give those guys a hand, huh?" says the Mom, obviously the Samaritan of the bunch. "No laughing this time, guys." Considering what we've been through in the past few months -- and that the spot was created and run well after 9/11 -- it's all the more insensitive, ill-timed and downright cruel. Too bad there aren't pro-human clubs who could organize a protest (with their members calling and faxing) and force it off the air as well.

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Barbara Lippert's Critique

Barbara Lippert

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Barbara Lippert