Pro Firearm Commercials?

[Seenterman]

Heres something I havn't seen discussed before that hopfully we can kick around a bit. Why doesn't the NRA, JPFO, Pink Guns, or any other pro-firearms orginizations put out Second Amendment commercials. Likes PSA's.

Just imagine a open scene a hunter out with his boy you see the son raise his rifle and BOOM. Next scence you see a happy smiling boy holding up the turkey he just bagged, walking back to the truck with their bloodhood trailing behind them.Scene fade out :: Fade in "The Second Amendemnt" Exercise your Rights!

Or a scene like the Brinks Home Security alarm like where the bad guy smashes down their front door but runs when he hears the alarm but instead ...

Wife wakes up, says "Honey I hear something downstairs" Husband wakes up and says "Dont worry I'll check it out" opens nightstand pulls out flashlight and pistol. Next scene Husband see knife/bat weilding thug in hallway at which point thug advances a step in a half and the husband draws down on him and yells "STOP IM ARMED" bad guy turns tail and flees. ::Scene Fade out:: Fade in:: Second Amendment Protect your Rights!

Why hasn't anybody done this yet? I think it would be a great idea to help get our ideas out there that guns arn't only used to kill people and shoot things by bubba after he's done had a few but by everyday people doing everyday things. Helping feed the family on the cheap .75 cent bullet for a couple hundred pounds of meat sounds good to me in a recession(even though where not in one), Shooting at targets, and Protection.
Any thoughts ideas?

 

[Nolo]

Harry Browne ran pro-gun ads in his campaign for President in 2000.
He had, I want to say, three.

 

[Henry Bowman]

Because such ads are very expensive to produce and air; because the media does not see the subject matter (or at least the positive side of firearms) as worthy of a "public service announcement;" because broadcast TV is very light on its target audience, so the money is better spent trying to get the people who are already on our side to get active.

 

[DonP]

Probably a budget issue more than anything else.

Just production on a :30 spot runs around $300,000 and Spot or Network TV media buys run well into 7 to 9 figures for a limited campaign.

Deciding which network or spot stations to run on would be a tough job for any media department since it would take years of advertising to have any long term impact on changing the attitude of the general public.

But a lot of the ads you describe are already running on the Outdoor network run by Crimson Trace and others.

My best guess is that the funds are being better spent on state by state and national lobbying efforts.

 

[ATAShooter]

http://www.shootata.com/Content/News/Commercial.aspx

I tried to get it to pop up, but was unable. So here's a link

 

[bragood]

That would be a great idea. Is anyone else bothered by that brinks commercial seenterman is talking about? Im so glad my girlfriend enjoys me having a shotgun by the bed.

 

[MinnMooney]

Budgets aren't the reason...

The NRA has plenty of "educational" funds that could be put into commercials - especially during the daytime and late at night - when it's really cheap. Every corner vocational school runs 5 - 10 ads per day so how expensive can they be? How big of a budget, do you suppose, does the "Whizz-Bang Food Grinder" company have to tout their latest kitchen gadgit? Not so very large, I'd bet, but they are on several ads & 'info-mercials' a day.

I really like the idea of not only 2nd ammendment right ads but just plain gun enjoyment ads like the hunting sceneario and maybe even just a nice little day at the range - mom & son - ad. The home self-defense idea is great, also. There should be a wide variety, that's all I'm saying.


How about it Oleg? You've had some great posters/ad ideas that would play out well on a TV ad. How about a letter to the NRA about producing a test ad?

 

[Seenterman]

Stupid Brinks Commerical

Yea that commerical has bothered me since the moment I saw it. I always wondered what if crazy hooded thug had come into the house that would end the effectivness of that very expensive home security system. Would the husbands responce still be run back to the bedroom and hop on the phone with Brinks!? Him and his wife just always seemed so venerable it bothered me. In fact in the long run a shotgun would be cheaper than that crappy slow responce time of an alarm.

 

[Justin]

especially during the daytime and late at night - when it's really cheap.

At least as of a couple of years ago, when I was still working in television, the NRA would regularly air half-hour late-night infomercials. I would assume they still do.

 

[lysander]

If the spots were well crafted, were targeted for the apostate, rather than the choir, and were crafted in such a way as to engage them without scaring them...

...they could be distributed via the interwebs.

I'm not saying you could duplicate the success...but JibJab's latest was seen something like 47 gajillion times over the weekend.

I don't think the stumbling block is having money to produce the spots, nor is it being able to find a means to distribute the spots...I think the real problem is in crafting a message that can A) be agreed upon by the pro-gun community and B) doesn't come off like some kind of militia advert, NRA sky is falling, look out for the JBTs and the two-legged predators, type message.