Advertising by manufacturers

[Ehunter]

Not a tech post, I know, but here it is. Wondering what the people on here, especially the hunters think of some of the advertising out there. For one, I am DRASTICALLY opposed to the slogans such as "If it's brown, it's down!" and "Dropping ducks like rain" "Whack 'em and stack 'em" etc. I am a hunter first and foremost. I do feel however, that this type of advertising puts hunters in a VERY bad light. It gives fuel to the anti-hunters. "Those hunters are just out there to kill everything that moves! Just look at the slogans they all use for hunting!" I know not all hunters are like that, in fact, very few are. I know as hunters we can't cater to the desires of anti-hunters. I do think that we should at least keep them in mind, and not continually give them their own ammo in the fight against hunting. Now you know what I think, what do you think?

[RLW]

OK, this is the direction my viewpoint comes from.
I raised with hunting being a normal way of life, and guns being just another tool used in that life. (have to admit though, shooting guns and bows is way more fun than playing with spoons & forks or hammers & nails). Growing up, hunting/fishing did provide many meals on our table, and my continued hunting/fishing puts many meals on my family's table today (took a small buck again this year, my 40th year hunting, but w/rifle)

As for advertising by manufacturers. I have mixed feeling about some of that.
Ted Nugent's "Whack Em & Stack Em" doesn't really bother me, but that could be because I see many positive things he does and feel he's a strong spokesman for hunting and gun rights. I like the way he just tells it like it is. However, I do agree that there are some ads out there that cross the line a bit, degrading hunters and disrespecting the animals we take...kill

While these poor taste ads may provide ammo to some looking for it, but I'm not really sure that's the real problem we face.......It has amazed how many people across the country that have been raised completely out of touch with reality. They don't understand where their milk cheese really comes from, or that the belt/shoes they're wearing and hamburger they're eating comes from animals that have been killed for their consumption.
I would hope they don't actually believe deer and pigs can talk like they do in movies, but in part because of these kids shows, there are a lot out there that do think animals have the same feeling and thought process as people.

So I guess I feel things like throwing a deer on the hood of the truck, showing the gaping slash where you gutted it, slashed throat and blood dripping out the nose, and/or similar blood & guts scenes or pictures of such out there for all to see do more harm than the ads which are mostly in hunting magazines and books.

We as hunter do have a responsibility to respectfully and tastefully display our kills in such a way as to not turn non-hunters into anti-hunters by shoving a fist full of blood in their face.

[bfisher]

OK, this is the direction my viewpoint comes from.
I raised with hunting being a normal way of life, and guns being just another tool used in that life. (have to admit though, shooting guns and bows is way more fun than playing with spoons & forks or hammers & nails). Growing up, hunting/fishing did provide many meals on our table, and my continued hunting/fishing puts many meals on my family's table today (took a small buck again this year, my 40th year hunting, but w/rifle)

As for advertising by manufacturers. I have mixed feeling about some of that.
Ted Nugent's "Whack Em & Stack Em" doesn't really bother me, but that could be because I see many positive things he does and feel he's a strong spokesman for hunting and gun rights. I like the way he just tells it like it is. However, I do agree that there are some ads out there that cross the line a bit, degrading hunters and disrespecting the animals we take...kill

While these poor taste ads may provide ammo to some looking for it, but I'm not really sure that's the real problem we face.......It has amazed how many people across the country that have been raised completely out of touch with reality. They don't understand where their milk cheese really comes from, or that the belt/shoes they're wearing and hamburger they're eating comes from animals that have been killed for their consumption.
I would hope they don't actually believe deer and pigs can talk like they do in movies, but in part because of these kids shows, there are a lot out there that do think animals have the same feeling and thought process as people.

So I guess I feel things like throwing a deer on the hood of the truck, showing the gaping slash where you gutted it, slashed throat and blood dripping out the nose, and/or similar blood & guts scenes or pictures of such out there for all to see do more harm than the ads which are mostly in hunting magazines and books.

We as hunter do have a responsibility to respectfully and tastefully display our kills in such a way as to not turn non-hunters into anti-hunters by shoving a fist full of blood in their face.

Well said. On a separate note one slogan that bothers me somewhat is "Bad to the Bone". We all know what comany uses it and I don't quite understand why. Anybody with any idea of how a broadhead works knows that blades and bone don't mix very well. There are lots more, but I'm sure others will chime in.

[ElkSlayer]

To add my .02 I remember the day I first read that slogan.. opened the mail one day as a teen and here was a small box adress to the archery shop dad had wanted to start up ...
in side was a 4 blade muzzy , new interlocking blades. it was wicked sharp an mean as heck lookin for the day.. In side with it was a flyer that showed a large bone of i cant remember what and it showed one of them buried clear up the body and this thing is long... I still have that BH wish i had the flyer...point they were making way back then was that they will hold up even if you hit bone..over the years it has been bent outa shape as all other slogans I dont care to type

[justin]

isnt a 30-06 the best way through a shoulder blade? imo arrows arent disposeable like bullets.

[Stéphane]

I personally don't think Bow Companies slogans give bad names to hunters for the reason that advertisements for bows are not seen on the PETA like website, but in hunting magazines and websites.

[Hutch~n~Son Archery]

I work for Coca-cola. Advertising makes or breaks a company. The reason Coca-cola is so big, is first a great product, second advertising. Advertising is to appeal to the consumer. So however they have to get the idea across to make that appeal they will. But within reason. You see Pepsi run ads that make fun of Coca-cola. But as long as I can remember, we have not made any ads to make fun of Pepsi. So with that being said, Many of the archery companies have done a great job in advertising. But some are going to push the limits on how they advertise. Just because the consumer is looking for faster, smoother, sleeker, slimmer, quieter, stronger, or just plain cool looking. The list goes on and on.
Many have cool slogans and some not so. Bad to the Bone probably not a good one. But ask a lot of young people and they will say Bad to the bone that's cool.
Advertising works but it ain't always good.

[Ehunter]

RLW, I agree with you. Many people have no idea that the leather and meat they eat comes from what was once a live animal. One just has to look at all the "Vegans" out there, and see how many are wearing leather of some sort, or makeup (animal fats), or some other animal by product. I also agree Ted is a good spokesman for hunters and hunting. I do wish he would tone it down a bit though. Several of the phrases I've seen him use almost seem like they are intended to inflame the anti-hunters, rather than just make his point. I realise we can't back down from the anti-hunters, but we also don't need to fuel their fire by making them madder than they already are.
As for the ads, I wasn't talking specifically about the bow manufacturers. I meant the hunting industry in general. When anti-hunters and anti-gun groups see an ad like "dropping ducks like rain", in their minds it's the same as "This gun will kill everything, and ANYONE you want it to!" as well as "See, they are just out to kill as many animals as they can!" The bow manufacturers seem to be far more restrained in their advertising as far as those kinds of slogans go. The one term I can think of that I wish I'd never hear again though is "Get the red carpet treatment" That tells the anti's that we shot a deer, then had to follow it forever as it slowly bled to death in an agonizizingly slow way. We know it isn't true, but how many anti's really know anything about hunting? They get a preconceived notion in their minds, and that's what they call their reality. That's the thing we all have to look out for. THEIR preconceived ideas. Anti's and radicals don't care much about facts, just what they think. No offense to anyone at all meant, but Hitler thought exterminating the Jewish people was a good idea, so did his followers. Thankfully, we had plenty of people, like 2 of my great uncles, that stopped him.
I do believe that the anti-hunting crowd does tend to look at hunting magazines, and watch hunting shows more than we realise. It's one way they get their misguided opinions to try to use against us. If an animal doesn't drop EXACTLY where it was shot, it's cruel and abusive in their eyes. Yet, you never see these same people complaining about a Kosher butcher. Big reason I believe, it's not something that's available for them to easily see. If we are going to put something out in front of the general public, I htink it's our responsibility as hunters and shooters to hold the industry to higher standards of advertising by writing to them and speaking our minds, as well as not buying their products as long as they continue to use ads that are not in the hunting/shooting community's best interest.

[SonnyThomas]

Of course you know we're our worst enemy. We don't protest what we feel is bad for our sport, regardless of weapon used. I dread the public viewing of M16 type rifles being used for hunting. Okay, they will do the job, but people think we are out there with nothing but pure mayhem or destruction on our minds. Just pitched a magazine that had some 10 or 12 assault type rifles being highly proclaimed as hunting rifles.

So perhaps we need to get off our dead a__ and write to the makers of the equipment we use? I already wrote to the NRA of these assault rifles being put in magazines. Okay, use them, but let's don't go off the deep end.

Advertising can be overboard. Winchester did it with the Talon bullets some time back. So lethal, so devastating was this bullet taken that it was at the door of being proclaimed illegal for use. The problem; The public doesn't know how a bullet works. The Talon was proclaimed a core drilling instrument of destruction. Well, all bullets drill, spin. The jagged edges shown in advertisements just added to what was deemed pure destruction and the Medical Association put their two cents in and the Talon was "removed" from the market. "Removed" as in replaced by what looked a flower, a rose in full bloom. And it was then accepted. It was the same bullet, preformed the same, just as lethal and destructive, just made to look pretty.

Now, what the public didn't know, probably still doesn't, is that the .357 Magnum 125 gr hollow point was the most devastating bullet used for police work at the time. People didn't know this particular round had the highest one shot stop capability going. They didn't know it came out of the barrel at 1400 fps. They didn't know that is came apart inside the body, sending shrapnel outwards of the bullet path. So the person got shot in the stomach and jacket and lead material would end up in one's bladder or lungs.
And then the pubic didn't know the Talon was designed to stay intact.

[ElkSlayer]

good thing I still have some of them safly stashed in the gun cabnet then.. as for the 30-06 yes it will (have one too) but then so did my muzzy blasted thru a big doe. near side ribs exited far side sholder blade went a nother 15-20 yds buried in the dirt.. I keep um sharp an have alot of KE..