With Peace, Look for Ads to Lighten Up

It is no accident that those carefree Doublemint twins commercials haven’t appeared on TV for many months. Officials at Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. say they quickly pulled the happy-go-lucky spots shortly after Iraq invaded Kuwait.

“We felt running those ads may have been inappropriate,” said William Piet, vice president of corporate affairs. But now, with the growing prospects of peace in the Persian Gulf, the company is already considering the return of the bubbly Doublemint twins to the air.

For many companies, the approaching “peacetime” marketing decisions will not be quite so simple. It’s not just a question of whether to start advertising again, but how. Some advertisers say they will go back to prewar advertising strategies. But if peace comes quickly, other advertisers may want to capitalize on the celebration.

“Peace in the Persian Gulf would lighten up the creative mood of advertising,” said Fred Danzig, editor of the trade magazine Advertising Age. “It could add a veneer of celebration and fun and games to advertising that we haven’t seen in a long time.”

Leading the cheerleading for these upbeat campaigns will be the ad agencies. Many are thirsty for new business from clients who have been shy to advertise during the war. Some agencies will effectively be telling their clients “let the party begin,” advertising executives said.

During the war, few advertisers could figure out how to deal with the situation. Some waved the flag in an attempt to sell their products. But others stopped advertising altogether, concluding that attempting to sell certain products might seem frivolous while there was a risk of a great tragedy on the battlefield.

Among those to pull its ads was United Airlines. “We didn’t think the environment was right to advertise vacations to Hawaii,” said John Ruhaak, vice president of advertising at the airline. But United’s ads have begun to appear on some sporting events and morning talk shows. “If there is peace,” said Ruhaak, “we would definitely go back to the evening news shows too.”

The ongoing recession could continue to cast a pall over the marketing climate. But if prospects of peace help to bring an early end to the recession, a flurry of upbeat ads could be unveiled. And if victory in the Gulf is achieved, don’t be surprised if scores of advertisers eventually choose to celebrate America’s accomplishments there.

“Buy that country a Miller” is one advertising slogan jokingly suggested by Carol Moog, a psychologist and advertising consultant based in Bala Cynwyd, Pa. “If peace occurs, the sense of elation is something that advertisers will tap into. It’s a way of forgetting the pain.”

Miller Brewing has no plans to create the ad Moog suggested, said a spokeswoman at Miller Brewing Co. “But it is an interesting concept.”

After the Vietnam War ended, the country was in no mood to celebrate. In contrast, the Gulf War has overwhelming popular support. This time around, smart advertisers will want to treat the returning troops well, said Moog. “There are many people who will feel better about buying products from advertisers who show deep gratitude to the soldiers,” she said.

Don’t look for Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf or Gen. Colin Powell to appear in ads for Pepsi any time soon. But advertising experts say it wouldn’t surprise them if some Gulf War veterans eventually do show up in advertisements.

“Until now, it’s been a very global war,” said Moog. “Some advertisers will try to bring it down to an individual level that is much more human.”

Many years after the Vietnam War ended, Du Pont broadcast an emotional spot that featured a legless Vietnam War veteran, Bill Demby, who was shown playing basketball thanks to artificial legs manufactured from a Du Pont plastic. Regardless of how people felt about the war, the humanity of the commercial won the hearts of many viewers.

So which advertisers will try to make the most of the Persian Gulf War? Advertisers weren’t willing Tuesday to reveal their peacetime ad plans.