PISSED OFF FISH PEOPLE : Backlash from Super Bowl Jeep Splash Ad

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
As cool as the "Anti-Manifest" commercial was that Jeep put out during the Super Bowl, the moment I saw it, I just knew there were going to be all kinds of pissed off people. Forget the fact that there was a disclaimer stating that the water crossing was man made, I could already hear a chorus of cries coming from environmentalist as the Jeep went splashing through. I mean, a commercial like this would surely encourage millions of people to do this out in the wild, right? And, looking at a recent article in the Reno-Gazzet Journal, this is what I saw.

Anglers bash Jeep's stream-splashing Super Bowl Ad
Benjamin Spillman, bspillman@rgj.com

Chris Wood of Washington, D.C., thought watching Super Bowl LII would be a nice way to relax with his sons.

But when an ad flashed on the screen that depicted a Jeep churning along up a rocky creek, Wood, president and CEO of Trout Unlimited, was no longer relaxed.

“I’m sitting on the couch enjoying Super Bowl Sunday,” said Wood, describing the feeling. “That ad suddenly came on and I almost couldn’t believe what I was watching.”

The ad, which Jeep called "Anti-Manifesto," came with a tiny disclaimer stating it was shot in a manmade water feature.

But Wood said it’s damaging nonetheless because many of the more than 103 million people who watched the game likely didn't see the disclaimer. What they saw was a template for off-highway driving that’s bad news for fish, wildlife and people who enjoy streams and rivers, he said.

“They drove right up the middle of the stream, they effectively reamed the stream and glorified it,” Wood said. “It is about the worst thing you can do to a stream.”

The RGJ requested a comment from a Jeep representative through the media website of Jeep parent company Fiat Chrysler and did not immediately receive a response.

The version of the ad Jeep posted on YouTube has an additional disclaimer attached: “This video was filmed on a man-made lake and man-made waterfall. The video was filmed on private land in the Southwest and the water does not flow to another natural body of water. The waterfall was also man-made for purposes of filming.”

Another Jeep ad titled "The Road," which also ran during the Super Bowl, featured a Jeep driving through what appeared to be a riparian area. It didn't show a disclaimer during the water crossing portion of the ad.

For those of you who haven't seen it, this is the commercial in question.


What do you guys think, should Jeep have been more careful to put an ad like this out? Or, are you glad that they did in spite of the likely fallout? What say you?
 

MattAlpha

Caught the Bug
I thought it was a great ad. It’s about time for this country to move in a different direction...meaning stop the whining, complaining, hurt feelings and such just because someone may not agree with what someone else did even if they didn’t understand what was done. I’m tired of listening to Americans complain about everything...and feeling entitled to everything.
 

Brute

Hooked
I'm an avid trout fisherman, and support TU to some degree...but that is idiotic. Generally speaking, we only cross streams at established trail crossings...we don't randomly drive all over gods green earth to drive thru any water we see.

That super bowl ad was one of the best ads during the game (next to the Doritos one with the game of thrones dude) and possibly the best Jeep ad of all time.

Still on my bucket list...catch a trout from my rig while it is in the middle of a stream....I'll video it and send it to TU...should cause a cardiac arrest
 

MTG

Caught the Bug
Sounds to me like Chris Wood of TU, who by the way gets paid over $350,000/year to run that "charitable organization," got some sand from his waders stuck in his vagina. What kind of person gets offended watching a TV commercial? Oh and I love his inflated sense of self-righteousness that assumes many of the people watching the ad would not see the disclaimer (of course he did, because he's really smart), but the rest of us will use the commercial as a template to go out and "ream the stream."

Good thing there are people like Chris around to protect us from ourselves.

At what point do we stop bubble wrapping life?
 

Arrcherr

Caught the Bug
...Oh and I love his inflated sense of self-righteousness that assumes many of the people watching the ad would not see the disclaimer (of course he did, because he's really smart), but the rest of us will use the commercial as a template to go out and "ream the stream."

This was exactly my first thought! Self righteous asshole!
 

19YJ94

Caught the Bug
Yeah I heard some overrated drama about the commercial, then I let them know it was manmade. Get your information right! 🙄
 

SDG

Caught the Bug
So he took advantage of a paid commercial having nothing to do with his actual business to get free publicity by stirring the pot? Yup, sounds about right. He didn't have to pay a dollar to get free air time for his 'cause' or company.
 

BobNH

Member
I think the disclaimer should have been larger, given the obvious potential for backlash and their affiliation with TreadLightly!
This has nothing to do with pandering to the overly sensitive types, it has to do with knowing that there are any number of people out there every day doing this where it isn't man made, and tearing it up in a far worse and more permanent ways. Will it stop them? Probably not, but maybe knowing that this can be done in controlled environments might help a few more people become more responsible stewards of the lands they profess to love.
We all know stream crossings and the like are inevitable; maybe a few steps to show there are responsible ways of doing it is easier than a court battle to keep public lands public.

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Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
I thought it was the best Jeep ad ever. It not only didn’t pander to the feely PC culture, it subtly made fun of car companies that did.




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And this is why I love the brand. I hate to say it but it’s the first American vehicle I’ve owned in my adult life. And after getting a taste....I’ll never go back. There’s a certain sense of pride and a ton of American culture in it. Love it.


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Samuelh3

Caught the Bug
Sorry. One more thing. Since when is watching the Super Bowl relaxing? It’s anything but relaxing. We were hootin’ and hollering half the time jumping up from our seats. Freakin snow flakes. OK ... I’m done.


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Chris Gearhart

New member
I completely agree. And. The issue is ultimately about the society’s need to control everything that could potentially cause someone to cause harm, somewhere, sometime.

Jeep was setting apart their brand in a very compelling way. They put the appropriate wording in at the end. You can’t say everything, and a Super Bowl ad is EXPENSIVE. At some point, there should be a moment when people just chill and say, “great commercial.”




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