• April 23, 2001

Committed to reawakening Smokey Bear in the minds of the adult public and breaking through the crowded PSA market, the Ad Council is launching what is best described as an "edgy" new Smokey Bear television and radio campaign. Additionally, the 56-year-old Smokey Bear tagline changes from "Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires" to "Only You Can Prevent Wildfires." The change addresses today's growing wild land/urban interface population and the rising percentage of human caused fires in these areas.

Created by FCB Southern California in partnership with the Ad Council, the campaign utilizes dramatic and explicit visuals to create a motivating message and make a memorable impact.

"Even with all of the success the Smokey Bear campaign has achieved during its nearly 55 years, wildfires still claim an area of forest equivalent to the size of New Hampshire each year," said Peggy Conlon, Ad Council president and CEO. "Although the ads created by FCB for the Smokey campaign have always been top notch, we thought it was time to revise, refresh and re-awaken Smokey's message to the American public."

- Anya Khait