In the weeks prior to the start of World War II, the Ad Council was formed. The Ad Council is an organization that brings together the advertising industry to create advertisements for social good. Going on 76 years, the wildfire prevention campaign, known best for its mascot Smokey Bear and his slogan “Only you can prevent wildfires” is the organization’s longest running and most notable campaign.
A Smokey Bear on every mountain road
I decided to research the history of Smokey Bear and the wildfire prevention campaign after a long drive through the redwood curtain of Humboldt county, California. The mountain roads of northern California cut through towering redwood trees, some scarred black by wildfires.
Approaching each little gold rush town buried in the mountains are fire danger signs with the danger level for that day. Next to the signs stands Smokey Bear with his signature hat and shovel. He needs no introductory sign thanks to the effectiveness and length of his campaign that has reached every home on the West Coast and beyond.
The original Smokey Bear
The wildfire prevention campaign started a year after the Pearl Harbor attack when a Japanese submarine surfaced near the coast of Southern California and fired shells that exploded on an oil field in close proximity to the Los Padres National Forest. This sparked fear of deadly forest fires and encouraged the U.S. government to take precautionary measures.
The ad council needed to convey a consistent message to deter carelessness with fire and create a memorable mascot to channel that message.
After not being able to use Walt Disney’s Bambi for more than one poster advertisement, the U.S. Forest Service, in collaboration with the Ad Council, came up with the first renditions of Smokey Bear with the original message “Care will prevent 9 out of 10 forest fires” based on the statistic that 9 out of 10 forest fires are caused by humans and can, therefore, be prevented with proper education.
Adapting to new forms of advertising
Since the beginning of the campaign in 1944, Smokey Bear has appeared in many different forms of advertising from stamps to billboards to TV commercials. The success of the campaign can be partially attributed to the use of Smokey Bear as a mascot. Using a brand mascot like Smokey Bear can strengthen brand identity and brand awareness. It is especially effective for such a long-term campaign that has kept the same message while the world around it changes.
It is very important to keep up the same message with the same mascot throughout the years but the methods of getting that message across need to change in order to keep reaching your audience. Wildfire prevention commercials aired when commercials became the primary form of advertising, now we are in the age of digital advertising.
Smokey Bear goes digital
In 2019, to celebrate the 75th birthday of Smokey Bear, the Ad Council released a new digital campaign featuring the beloved mascot as a floating emoji head. Instead of only being able to say his signature line “only you can prevent wildfires,” he is given a voice by celebrities including Betty White, Stephen Colbert, Al Roker and Jeff Foxworthy.
These advertisements were run on social media and other digital platforms. This new campaign continues the same message with the same mascot in a new refreshing way that brings life to the timeless campaign.
About the author
Colin Young is a copywriter at Copper Sun Creative. He specializes in writing advertising and branding content. When he is not blogging or working to complete his bachelor’s degree in Marketing he enjoys doing anything outdoors.