[iwar] [fc:Jet.Makers.Use.Patriotic.Theme.In.Bid.For.Contract]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2001-10-22 07:49:15
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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2001 07:49:15 -0700 (PDT)
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New York Times
October 20, 2001
Jet Makers Use Patriotic Theme In Bid For Contract
By Alessandra Stanley
The men and women who defend our nation's freedom are the best in the
world," a radio advertisement now being broadcast in Washington says.
The spot is not just an attempt to lift morale, however. "And they deserve
the best equipment," it continues. "That is what the Boeing Joint Strike
Fighter is all about."
The Boeing advertisement is the final pitch in a long and costly advertising
and lobbying campaign to persuade the Pentagon to pick its aircraft over a
model by Lockheed Martin. The winning prototype will secure the most
lucrative military contract in history, the Joint Strike Fighter program
estimated to be worth more than $200 billion.
The Boeing spot's patriotic undertones blend with the new mood on television
and in advertising, from the "Keep America Rolling" automobile ads by
General Motors to the red, white and blue peacock on the NBC logo.
But the direct promotion of military hardware could be jarring at a time
when the country is under terrorist attack and at war in Afghanistan. To
some, it sounds as though Boeing is taking advantage of a newly martial
spirit to secure a Pentagon contract.
Or so its rival suggests. James Fetig, a Lockheed spokesman, said that
Lockheed resumed running print ads for its own Joint Strike Fighter model in
The Washington Post and trade publications on Monday, and only after it saw
that Boeing was pressing ahead with radio and print ads.
"We didn't want to run advertising for military equipment that could look
like we are seeking to profit from the tragedy," Mr. Fetig said, noting that
Lockheed had pulled all its ads after Sept. 11. So had Boeing. Asked if
enough time had passed to resume advertising, Mr. Fetig replied dryly, "Our
competitor seems to think so."
Thomas R. Young, Boeing's director of advertising for military aircraft and
missile systems, said that Boeing had halted its advertising campaign as
"inappropriate" following the attacks, but resumed radio commercials on Oct.
3, and print advertisements in The Washington Post and The Washington Times
Oct. 4 and 5. The Pentagon is scheduled to announce the winner of the
contract next Friday, though a report by the Congress's General Accounting
Office critical of the plane's technology raised the possibility of a delay.
Mr. Young said that the radio spots and print advertisements did not exploit
the crisis because "decision-makers already know that the fighter would not
be ready in time to be of service in Afghanistan."
These days all advertisers tread on delicate ground. Most Americans have
accepted the notion that buying is patriotic, a way to aid an imperiled
economy. But the act of selling - whether a product or company image -
remains more ambiguous.
A Washington lawyer who represents military contractors said that he has
advised his clients to avoid aggressive advertising or litigation that could
suggest to the public that they were focused on anything other than serving
the nation.
For more than six years, Boeing and Lockheed have vied to produce a
fighter-bomber that could replace aging aircraft in three services - Air
Force F-16's and A-10's, Navy F- 14's and F-18's and Marine Corps Harriers -
as well as be used by the British Royal Navy and Air Force. The project
calls for 3,000 new planes over 20 years.
Officials who helped initiate the fighter program did not seem offended by
the rivals' last-ditch effort to push their prototypes.
"This is the biggest program in history and they can't resist playing up
their benefits," said Jacques S. Gansler, a professor at the University of
Maryland who was under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and
logistics during the Clinton administration.
"I am just not sure any of these ads will have an impact," Mr. Gansler
added.
The Boeing radio advertisements, which were scheduled to start on Sept. 12
and were held back after the attacks until Oct. 3, do not directly refer to
the terrorist attacks or to the retaliatory bombing in Afghanistan.
Still, some listeners in the Washington area said they thought there was a
link. One reason could be that these days, any mention of the American
military seems connected to the conflict in Afghanistan and at home.
Boeing's television commercials, also broadcast in the Washington area, do
not mention the fighter. Instead, they are a salute to brave young men and
women in uniform, a campaign that was actually produced six years ago.
Boeing changed some words of the narration and began broadcasting it after
Sept. 20 to show its corporate solidarity with the war effort. The ad is a
gauzy montage of images of soldiers and sailors; a female vocalist sings
"America the Beautiful."
Before Sept. 11, Boeing had also broadcast TV commercials for its Joint
Strike Fighter, placed mostly during Sunday-morning talk shows.
Anne Toulouse, director of corporate brand advertising at Boeing, said that
after the attack, those ads were replaced with the salute to the men and
women in uniform.
"We did an assessment three of four weeks ago and concluded that we had to
be careful about a hard sell," Ms. Toulouse said. "The tone had to be very
careful so the message is not misperceived."
Lockheed has also revived television ads that feature a similar tribute, a
"Salute to the Armed Forces" - which also combines images of military
personnel, somber words and stirring music - that was originally produced to
celebrate Armed Forces Day.
"Whatever you think of defense contractors, we are very patriotic people,"
Mr. Fetig said.
Mr. Young of Boeing concurred.
"Any company, ours or Lockheed, has a lot of former military people in it,"
he said. "They have a pretty good feel for what is appropriate." 

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