Wildlife Legislative Fund of America President Bud Pidgeon reported that Daimler Chrysler Corporation's headquarters was instantly deluged with phone calls from angry sportsmen and women, who object to this depiction. Now Daimler ad geniuses realize that they have rubbed their potential new and repeat customers, the wrong way. Sure, they will get some suburbanites. But our guess is, that Jeep officials realized they could suffer a significant blow from this anti-hunting smear campaign that offends so many conservationists so very deeply. The ad was a big cultural boo-boo, coming probably from a country (Germany) that is famous for its IWC and CITES delegates' objections to any wildlife management that involves hunting and sustainable use. This minus for conservation has backfired.

Tom R. Krsnich, a conservation officer in the state of Wisconsin, reports that he received a hasty response to his letter to the Daimler Chrysler people, which says, in part, that

the company "underestimated the sensitivity of this issue" and of course, never meant to offend anyone. Jeff Bell, the vice president of marketing communications for Daimler Chrysler, wrote Mr. Krsnich, "explaining" that the intent of the commercial was to convey that Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles are great for off-roading excursions, and that the design demonstrates the close involvement with nature and outdoor activities that the company has sought to promote over the years. By January 16, continuous angry responses from increasing numbers of North Americans, finally resulted in dramatic results. Daimler Chrysler had no rational choice; they pulled the ad.