Bear in the woods

"Bear", a television commercial known for and often referred to by its opening line "There is a bear in the woods", was created for the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign of Republican Party candidate Ronald Reagan. The commercial featured a grizzly bear wandering through a forest, accompanied by narration suggesting that the bear could be dangerous and that it would be wise to be prepared for that possibility. In the final scene a man appears and the bear takes a step back. The ad ends with a picture of Reagan and the tagline: "President Reagan: Prepared for Peace."

Without directly mentioning opponent Walter Mondale, defense spending, or the Soviet Union (traditionally symbolized by a bear), the ad suggested that Reagan was better prepared to recognize and deal with threats to global stability. Before the ad, the public seemed more comfortable with Walter Mondale's description of how he would negotiate with the Soviet Union than they did with Reagan's peace through strength platform. Research by award-winning pollster Richard Wirthlin detected the nation's overriding concern about the Soviet Union and how to communicate the solution through subtlety.

"There is a bear in the woods. For some people, the bear is easy to see. Others don't see it at all. Some people say the bear is tame. Others say it's vicious and dangerous. Since no one can really be sure who's right, isn't it smart to be as strong as the bear? If there is a bear."

The ad was written and narrated by ad man Hal Riney, who also wrote and narrated Reagan's resonant "Morning in America" ad (titled "Prouder, Stronger, Better") as well as his "America's Back" ad. To many, his rich, avuncular voice represented wholesomeness and authenticity.

Initial focus group screenings of the advertisement demonstrated that the audience found its message ambiguous, with some interpreting it as an indictment of environmentalism, others as a criticism of gun control, but the underlying metaphor of "peace through strength" remained strong. The advertisement itself had a very high recall rate amongst viewers, even those who were uncertain of its meaning.

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Wikipedia