Volvo's response also highlights how difficult it is to convince non-archaeologists about what is so wrong about these new shows (and the mindset that they represent). In short, as long as there are "no laws against it," there's no concern.
JBJ
-----Original Message-----
From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Ingleman
Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2012 5:03 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Report on National Geographic Channel "Diggers"
Hello All,
I contacted all 10 of these companies and so far have received responses from GEICO and Volvo (see below).
-------------------
From GEICO:
<<Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. Let me assure you that we value your opinion and your business.
We purchase our advertising through a national media buyer and it appears on television stations and radio stations throughout the entire country.
GEICO has no contract with any specific show, station, or channel. GEICO does not take positions or endorse opinions on stations where our advertising is run.
Thank you for using our online services; we appreciate your comments. If you need additional assistance, please don't hesitate to reply to this email. We are here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Patrick Pilney
GEICO Internet Team
1-800-861-8380>>
and from Volvo:
<<Thank you for contacting us here at Volvo Cars of North America. This is in response to your concerns regarding a Volvo TV spot that aired on the National Geographic channel, specifically during the show 'Diggers'. To date, only one Volvo national TV spot has aired during National Geographic's 'Diggers' and there are no further Volvo spots scheduled to air during this program. Be assured that Volvo is not promoting or condoning irresponsible handling of sensitive archeological dig sites, based on the airing of this single TV spot.
We received feedback from National Geographic regarding this matter and have been told that "the individuals depicted in this program do in fact follow local regulations, including being invited by land owners onto their properties they visit and obtaining the requisite permissions. National Geographic, understanding your concerns, has included a disclaimer within the body of the program that reminds the audience that any such activities are subject to local and regional rules and regulations, and that legal permissions must be sought and authorities engaged before such activities can commence".
We appreciate your feedback and thank you for allowing us the opportunity to respond.
Best Regards,
Donna Conway
Volvo Customer Care>>
-------------------
Although the GEICO response seems to be simple PR speak, the one from Volvo indicates that they at least take it seriously enough to bring it up to National Geographic.
Best,
David Ingleman
On Thu, Mar 1, 2012 at 3:27 PM, scarlett <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Thanks to John for making these notes, as I didn't get to watch the show.
> My thoughts? Doe any of these people live in your neighborhood?
> Contact these people and share copies of the SHA, AIA, SAA, RPA, and
> other letters with them. I had time to research three of these companies, in bold:
>
> > Consider this list: Verizon, iPhone S, Nationwide, GEICO, Mazda,
> > Acura,
> Volvo,
> > Sam Adams, Heineken, and CSX Rail
>
> Apple:
>
>
>
> Philip w. Schiller
> Senior Vice President
> Worldwide Marketing
>
> Corporate Address
> Apple
> 1 Infinite Loop
> Cupertino, CA 95014
>
> http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/philip-w-schiller.html
>
>
>
> Volvo Public Affairs Contact Us
>
> Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
>
> 1 Volvo Drive
> Rockleigh
> NJ
> 07647
> United States
>
> Phone: 1-800-970-0888
>
> Geno Effler
> Contact For: United States
> Title: Vice President, Public Affairs
> Department: Public Affairs
> Company: Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
> Street: 1 Volvo Drive
> Zip Code: 07647
> City: Rockleigh, NJ
> Country: United States
> Phone: +1 201-784-4670
> Mobile: -
> Fax: -
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
> Laura DiStefano
> Contact For: United States
> Title: Corporate Communications Manager
> Department: Public Affairs
> Company: Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
> Street: 1 Volvo Drive
> Zip Code: 07647
> City: Rockleigh, NJ
> Country: United States
> Phone: +1 201-767-4834
> Mobile: +1 201-245-8426
> Fax: -
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
> Jawanza Keita
> Contact For: United States
> Title: Manager
> Department: Technology and Product Communications
> Company: Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
> Street: 1 Volvo Drive
> Zip Code: 07647
> City: Rockleigh, NJ
> Country: United States
> Phone: +1 201-784-4671
> Mobile: -
> Fax: -
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
> Nora Hanson
> Contact For: United States
> Title: Coordinator
> Department: Press Fleet Manage
> Company: Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
> Street: 1 Volvo Drive
> Zip Code: 07647
> City: Rockleigh, NJ
> Country: United States
> Phone: +1 760-438-2307
> Mobile: -
> Fax: -
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
>
> Heineken USA
>
> Lesya Lysyj
> Chief Marketing Officer
> Lesya Lysyj was appointed to Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) at Heineken
> USA in February 2011. Lysyj is responsible for developing long-term
> marketing strategies for the Heineken USA beer portfolio; overseeing
> Heineken USA's consumer centric marketing activities and social media
> initiatives and ensuring that the company effectively engages with its
> adult consumers at all touch points.
> http://www.heinekenusa.com/people_ll.aspx
> http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lesya-lysyj/10/203/507
>
>
> Heineken USA Corporate Office
> 360 Hamilton Avenue
> Suite 1103
> White Plains, New York 10601
> Telephone: 914.681.4100
>
> Heineken USA Marketing and Innovation Center
> 245 Park Avenue
> 40th Floor
> New York, NY 10167
> Telephone: 212.338.4880
>
> Heineken USA Northeast Region Office
> 360 Hamilton Avenue
> Suite 1103
> White Plains, New York 10601
> Telephone: 914.681.4100
>
> Heineken USA Southeast Region Office
> 3343 Peachtree Road
> Suite M-20
> Atlanta, GA 30326
> Telephone: 404.231.6300
>
> Heineken USA Central Region Office
> 1901 Butterfield Road
> Downers Grove, IL 60515
> Telephone: 800.811.4967
>
> Heineken USA Western Region Office
> 3780 Kilroy Airport Way
> Suite 500
> Long Beach, CA 90806
> Telephone: 800.801.8411
>
> Heineken USA Washington Office
> 1850 M Street, NW Suite 570
> Washington, DC 20036
> Telephone: 202.736.1333
>
>
> Hillary Johnson
> Community Relations Manager at Heineken USA Greater Atlanta Area
> Consumer Goods http://www.linkedin.com/in/hillaryajohnson
>
>
> On Feb 29, 2012, at 11:59 AM, [log in to unmask] wrote:
>
> >
> > Debriefing on the first episodes of "diggers" TV Shows from ACRA-L.
> > Mike Polk
> > Sagebrush Consultants
> > Ogden, Utah
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [log in to unmask]
> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Doershuk,
> > John
> F
> > Sent: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 8:51 AM
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: ACRA-L - Report on National Geographic Channel "Diggers"
> > Dear Colleagues:
> > I watched both of the 30-minute episodes of "Diggers" broadcast
> yesterday
> > evening, although I barely made it through the second half-hour as
> > I
> found
> > it becoming repetitively boring (and chock full of ads -- more on
> > these, below). The show is typical Natl Geo style -- beautiful
> > locations, good camera work, well-edited. But the "stars" -- the
> > self-styled
> "Ringmaster" and
> > "King George," are buffoons-I shouldn't doubt that serious metal
> detecting
> > folks will not appreciate the caricatures. These two spend a great
> > deal
> of
> > camera time relating their enthusiasm for finding "juice,"
> > "nectar," and "roundness," all their terms for the buried
> > "treasure" they excitedly
> dig up. I
> > didn't think their "discovery rush" translated all that well
> > despite
> their
> > over-the-top efforts to whip the audience into a pot-hunting frenzy.
> > There's also plenty of reality TV side-show antics, such as silly
> > bets
> between
> > the two-e.g., who comes up with the oldest item-leading to the
> > loser
> having
> > to complete a du
> > mb stunt like riding a bicycle off a dock into a freezing cold lake
> while
> > in drag or licking a jellyfish washed up on the beach (I kid you not).
> > Happily, there was zero mention of archaeology or science, and no
> > effort at all trying to legitimate this activity as anything
> > remotely
> educational
> > or additive to general knowledge. The term "artifacts" was never
> > used
> and
> > "context" or why it's important was never brought up. The most
> > damaging thing, I think, about this show is that no effort was made
> > to document
> where
> > anything came from or discussion of associations-each discovered
> > item
> was
> > handled piece-meal. Of course, "the past" and "history" were
> > repeatedly
> invoked
> > as cool, interesting, but ultimately, simply a source of cash. In
> > the first two minutes, the tone was set and the rest of the
> > dialogue was
> > unwavering: "we're obsessed," "a thousand ways to cash in," "wild
> > west
> loot -- we're
> > going to get digging" [the first episode started in Montana -- "Old
> > territorial prison grounds"], "so join the search," "let's plunder
> > this
> pokey." On
> > and on.
> > This show is 100 percent metal detecting with digging limited to
> > near-surface garden troweling -- although one piece (from a South
> Carolina
> > plantation setting), had them unearthing an item from almost a foot
> below the
> > surface. The show was very scant on details about where they were
> collecting,
> > although terms like "we were invited" and the "the owner wants us
> > to
> find"
> > were carefully inserted. The first episode was shot in Montana --
> > as
> noted at
> > the old territorial prison where the "director" expressed the hope
> > they would find "graves" as rumor holds that some inmates were
> > interred on
> the
> > grounds (they weren't able to locate any). Then they switched
> > locations
> to a
> > large private ranch (Chevallier). The second episode was set in
> > South Carolina, first on James Island, "scene of many Civil War
> > battles," and
> then a
> > brief stint on a beach of undisclosed location where modern coins
> > and a
> ring
> > were found, and then to Fenwick Plantation where Revolutionary War
> > and
> War
> > of 1812 buttons,
> > bullets, and coins were recovered. Having spent the past two years
> > in an
> > (on-going) struggle to preserve against planned development the
> > only
> War of
> > 1812 battlefield known in Iowa, it turned my stomach to see these
> > two cavalierly pock-marking what was clearly a battlefield context
> > with good integrity, selectively removing the metal items they
> > happened to
> detect-there
> > wasn't even a semblance of concern shown for the benefits of being
> systematic.
> > In each episode, they pocket their take -- no mention of showing or
> sharing
> > with landowners, and then they sell some and the rest is apparently
> kept,
> > although again no mention is made of recording provenience or any
> > such concerns. There was a disclaimer added at the end of the
> > episode about following local regs and getting landowner permission.
> > This hardly
> mitigates the
> > main message of the programming that comes through loud and clear:
> > the
> past is
> > there for the taking, help yourselves like we do, preservation isn't
> > even worth talking about.
> > Cash, in the end, is what this show is about on two parallel levels.
> First
> > (and foremost re why made and shown) it's about advertising revenue.
> > Consider this list: Verizon, iPhone S, Nationwide, GEICO, Mazda,
> > Acura,
> Volvo,
> > Sam Adams, Heineken, and CSX Rail -- these are the majors. What
> > strikes
> me
> > as especially telling is that the personas Ringmaster and King
> > George project is anything but a Heineken-drinking, Volvo-driving,
> > iPhone-using demographic. I'm not sure what to make of the
> > combination of
> bozo-behavior on a
> > seemingly respectable, education-oriented channel like Natl Geo, but
> maybe we
> > are witnessing the descent of Natl Geo into the realm of unabashedly
> > "whatever" programming. For the moment, they are a preferred venue
> > for
> Heineken
> > and Volvo, but maybe in a year or two it will be Bud Light and Chevy.
> > Secondly, the expressed driving motivation for Ringmaster and King
> George is the
> > cash value of the items they recover, plain and simple. I thought I
> might
> > learn something about the how-to aspect of metal detecting, pros
> > and
> cons
> > of different equipment, etc., but this really wasn't the point any
> > more
> than
> > being concerned about adversely impacting nonrenewable resources was
> > the focus. Ironic that both CSX Rail and Mazda ran ads focused on
> > the
> importance
> > of preserving the environment -- CSX promotes "Nature is spectacular
> > -- let's keep it that way" while Mazda tied themselves to "The Lorax"
> movie that
> > is recently out (or about to be released).
> > To close this overly lengthy report, I'll never intentionally watch
> > this program again as there is simply nothing of value to it, not
> > even
> mindless
> > entertainment. I hope this is the general response, and Natl Geo
> > drops
> it.
> > After all, they can readily profit from their programming like
> > "Doomsday Preppers" or "American Weed."
> > John Doershuk
> > State Archaeologist
> > University of Iowa
> > ACRA-L is a public listserv supported by the American Cultural
> > Resources Association (ACRA), a non-profit trade association, for the use of the
> > cultural resource management community. You do not need to belong to
> ACRA to
> > subscribe to this list. As a result, opinions expressed on the list
> > do
> not
> > necessarily represent the views of ACRA or of its members. For
> > more information on the list and to unsubscribe use the links below.
> > _______________________________________________
> > acra-l mailing list
> > [log in to unmask]
> > http://lists.nonprofit.net/mailman/listinfo/acra-l
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