Tahlequah artist Murv Jacob's
very special painting, Rabbit
and Bear Canoeing, is on the
cover of this album. The
exquisite original is available for
a project sponsor donation of
$10,000.
The melodic advertisement starts with the crow of a rooster, then swoons into its chorus, a mere two words, repeated again and again, with a bouncing bass line and up-beat strums of guitars to back it up.
Chicken poop, chicken poop, chicken chicken ...
Deep male voices sing in harmony. Then comes a guitar solo, more chorus, and the men again, this time bock bock bock-ing like the Cadbury Bunny in place of a verse.
The song, titled "Fed Up With the Chicken Poop," by Dennis Tibbits, is just an egg-sized piece of what has turned into an emotional, all-out public relations battle between the poultry industry -- which says it is being misrepresented -- and environmental advocates who say phosphorus and other by-products of chicken feces and industry are polluting rivers and lakes in northeast Oklahoma.
The marketing war comes amid a lawsuit between Oklahoma and several Arkansas poultry producers, including Tyson Foods Inc. (NYSE:TSN) , over the alleged pollution.
That litigation may take years to settle, but in the meantime, both sides have taken to squawking -- in hopes of winning public sympathy.
A group called "Save the Illinois River," responsible for the chicken song, also sells tie-dyed T-shirts and hats with the slogan, "Fed up with all the Arkansas Chicken Poop?" for varied prices, but usually about $18, said Kathy Tibbits, dyer of shirts and wife of one of about 15 musicians dedicated to the cause.
The song and the shirts are "a happier way, a more healthy way to have to deal with something that's really emotional and painful for people who love the river," she said. "It's like fun therapy for a hopelessly difficult situation."
The poultry industry has a more mainstreamed campaign of its own, organized by the Poultry Community Council.
Television advertisements played in Oklahoma City and northeastern Oklahoma seek to draw empathy for farmers, such as Randy Allen, who, in one ad, walks across green farmland wearing a red plaid shirt and tan ballcap, hands in pockets as he talks about his environmental stewardship.
The ads are important to poultry farmers such as Keith Morgan, who owns a 130-acre farm in Kansas, OK, and says newspapers have painted an unfairly negative portrait of poultry farmers. Although the issue is tied up in the courts, not public opinion, Morgan says public perception is important.
The poultry industry has not released the amount spent on its advertisements, but the group recently made a $1.1 million donation to the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission.
Ed Brocksmith, a co-founder of "Save the Illinois River" and member of the scenic rivers commission, said his group raised about $5,000 for a few radio and newspaper advertisements.
"We can't begin to match what the poultry industry is spending, which probably easily amounts to over a million dollars on advertising alone."
Categories: Oklahoma / United States / economy, business and finance / media / advertising
Aug. 31, 2006 (McClatchy-Tribune Business News delivered by Newstex) --
Newstex ID: KRTB-0148-10573062 Credit: The Daily Oklahoman
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Video: Carlee is eating Chicken Taco with Lime, and crying about gentrification at CryingWhileEating.com. Or in this episode, Christopher is eating Chicken Tenders with Spicy Ranch Dressing. He is crying about Global Warming. Here, Sean and Bryan are eating vegetarian Chick'n Nuggets. They are crying about conditions on the farm.
Now, Robert is eating Fried Chicken. He is crying about Babe, pig in the city.
In Every Package Of Chicken, There's a Little bit of Poop, Go Vegetarian Tee.
Arsenic in