In 1944, the USDA Forest Service, National Association of State Foresters and Ad Council launched the first poster featuring Smokey Bear. This national wildfire prevention awareness campaign asked Americans to take personal responsibility and do their part to help prevent unwanted wildfires.
More than 80 years later, Smokey Bear and his wildfire prevention message remain at the heart of the longest-running PSA campaign in American history.
Last year marked this milestone 80th birthday, which raised the question—how do you celebrate the anniversary of a legacy brand, especially when it’s one of the world’s most recognizable and beloved icons?
It all starts with a knockout creative platform.
Smokey has had another partner alongside him since the start. FCB was the original creative agency behind the Smokey Bear campaign in 1944 and remains so to this day, marking the longest agency-client relationship in the advertising industry.
For Smokey’s 80th birthday, FCB NY gave him a great present—the “Decades” creative platform. One that helped generate more than $30M in donated media, five million sessions to the campaign website and 130 press hits.
What makes a great creative platform? Ask yourself these questions.
“Decades” takes viewers through time to experience the generational impact of Smokey’s empowering message. The creative revisits decades like the ‘50s, ‘70s and ‘80s to consider some of Smokey’s important lessons, like how to safely build a campfire, or what to do with hot coals, showing that we all can have some Smokey within and honor his legacy when we act responsibly outdoors to prevent unwanted wildfires.
The “Decades” platform built on “nostalgia and impact evolving through the times,” proved to be a home run for three main reasons: it’s emotionally resonant, it’s authentic to the Smokey Bear brand, and it has a broad theme that remains defined enough to find expression in a wide variety of executions and media.
Does it connect emotionally?
First, it’s no surprise but it’s true—leaning into nostalgia can be a very effective way of creating emotionally resonant work. Brands do it all the time now—resurfacing old logos, bringing back limited-edition products, reviving and remaking movies and sketches. Yes, retro aesthetics are trendy, but it’s deeper than that. Using nostalgia in marketing can help create an emotional response, calling up fond, treasured memories.
We developed creative showing Smokey in scenes that evoked both wistful moments and the changing times. In comments on our Meta flight, people flooded our Facebook and Instagram posts eager to share memories of growing up with Smokey and learning his lessons.
We saw this emotional connection when, through our great partners at Twitch, we held a birthday party livestream with “Decades” as the overarching birthday theme. After two joyful hours, our wonderful host SimCopter1, an outdoor enthusiast dad with a loyal following, was literally moved to tears when he spoke on the idea of teaching the next generation and letting Smokey speak through you, protecting the beautiful places of splendor we all enjoy.
So we can put a check next to that emotionally resonant box.
Is it on brand?
I say nostalgia can be a very effective tool for advertising campaigns. But audiences are also quickly able to detect marketing that feels forced (something smart advertisers know as we chase ever elusive “authentic” content). The reason “nostalgia and impact evolving through the times” worked is that this expresses the Smokey brand itself.
People remember Smokey’s lessons from their childhood classrooms. Countless campers have been greeted by his friendly face at their campsite and felt his presence as they’ve made their s’mores. Families have sat alongside their loved ones as they’ve seen Smokey glide across their television screens during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Americans have seen his decades-long commitment to wildfire prevention education. And how his message has stood the test of time—literally. His message “Only you can prevent wildfires” has stayed the same since the campaign start more than 80 years ago.
Yet, while Smokey himself is a connection to and reminder of cherished, shared memories, he has also evolved to meet the needs of the day.
For example, in the ‘50s and ‘60s when cigarettes were more popular in America, a lot of the messaging focused on making sure folks knew to be careful extinguishing them. Today, Smokey spreads awareness on how to ensure your power equipment doesn’t set off sparks.
Celebrity partners of the campaign have also evolved over time, from Bing Crosby to The Grateful Dead to Betty White and Brian Tyree Henry. As has the media—once only visible on printed posters and heard on the radio, Smokey can now be found on streaming television, billboards, his website and ‘edutainment’ social media pages.
Nostalgia and impact evolving through the times feels authentic because it’s genuinely on-brand for Smokey.
Is it a big idea, with guardrails?
The third key to “Decades” success is the strategy’s ideal breadth.
“Decades” is big enough to encompass myriad executions, yet specific enough to feel actionable, and simple enough to be adaptable for a slew of integrations. It did not hinge on a :60 video spot. It could seamlessly translate across static and print assets, social and digital platforms, and media and editorial partnerships. And it did so in beautiful ways.
We had an incredible illustrator, Sam Gilbey, bring the creative idea to life across print, digital and social assets. The Weather Channel integrated these illustrations across their platforms, where ‘70s Smokey could be seen on the app, with the sky changing behind him depending on whether it was sunny or rainy that day.
Buzzfeed sourced together historic Smokey creative for their own custom video and accompanied it with a quintessential quiz testing people on Smokey trivia, tips and lore.
“Decades” is a platform that’s useful, but not restrictive. It’s broad, but distinct. Basically—it’s a big tent, but it’s still a tent. (Cue the s’mores.)
“Decades” was a part of everything we did. It celebrated Smokey’s historic legacy of wildfire prevention, while motivating people to do their part and recognize the Smokey within as they head out to enjoy, and protect, our country’s beautiful wildlands. A message still vitally important, as nine in 10 unwanted wildfires today are caused by people, and could’ve been prevented.
Now about to turn 81, we think Smokey’s looking pretty good—and poised to carry on his message of wildfire prevention for decades to come.