Smokey Bear (a.k.a. Smokey the Bear) is almost 70 years old but he’s still going strong and keeping up with the trends, spending his pre-retirement years on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Born in 1944 as the advertising mascot for the United States Forest Service, his recent makeover has him giving bear hugs to campers who do the right thing. Although his transformation lacks a fashion update, everything else about the new Smokey says he’s probably on his iPad uploading his latest PSA’s to his YouTube channel.
Emily Wax-Thibodeaux writes more about Smokey’s facelift in this article in The Washington Post, Rethinking PSA’s for a Hashtag Generation.
Just for fun, take a look at the Ad Council’s classic (Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires) and updated (Only You Can Prevent Wildifires) PSA’s featuring Smokey Bear and give us your comments.
Smokey Back in the Day:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdUQrGht7NE&feature=youtu.be
Smokey Today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFKAFJJx2DM&feature=youtu.be
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