Proud as a Peacock
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"Proud as a Peacock" was the advertising campaign used by the
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and
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networks from 1979-1981. The campaign was used to promote NBC's programming and to introduce the "Proud N", a logo that would be used until 1986.


The campaign

By 1979,
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
was deeply mired in third place in the Nielsen ratings.
Fred Silverman Fred Silverman (September 13, 1937 – January 30, 2020) was an American television executive and producer. He worked as an executive at all of the Big Three television networks, and was responsible for bringing to television such programs as '' ...
, who joined the network a year earlier, could not bring the same ratings success he had as programming whiz at
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and
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, resulting in a string of programs (such as '' Supertrain'') that were derided by critics and/or tuned out by viewers. In an attempt to present a positive image in the face of this failure, Silverman and NBC developed an ad campaign called "Proud as a Peacock". The campaign featured a revised version of the famous NBC
Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...
logo, billed as the " Proud N", along with a catchy high-energy
jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...
(written for NBC by Joey Levine from Crushing Enterprises) that promotes a network ready to shed its losing reputation and project an image of excitement in its programming. Future R&B singing legend Luther Vandross was among the artists who performed on the jingle. The 1979-1980 season's "Proud" campaign promos were produced in
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for NBC's radio and television networks, and customized versions were produced for the network's affiliates. The campaign was introduced in Summer 1979 to promote the network's Fall lineup, and was used again in the 1980-1981 season with a revised jingle - "We're Proud!" Despite the network's effort at "puttin' on a whole new face", NBC's difficulties continued unabated. Successes such as ''
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'' and ''
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'' and the miniseries '' Shogun'' were countered by a flood of failed new programming (such as '' Pink Lady''), which led to near-daily schedule changes. NBC continued to lag in last place behind CBS and ABC, producing only three Nielsen Top 20 shows in both the 1979-1980 and 1980-1981 seasons. NBC was also forced to cancel plans to cover the 1980 Summer Olympics in the wake of the
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' boycott of the
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Games, resulting in many millions of dollars lost in rights fees, facility/equipment investments, and potential ad revenue. The continued failures led to ridicule of the "Proud" campaign from both within the network and without (see below). Silverman would leave NBC in the summer of 1981; that fall the network adopted a slightly new campaign ("Our Pride Is Showing") with little difference in ratings. (By the mid-1980s, NBC's fortunes finally began to turn around, due to changes made by Silverman's replacement,
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, and his boss, former producer
Grant Tinker Grant Almerin Tinker (January 11, 1926 – November 28, 2016) was an American television executive who served as chairman and Chief executive officer, CEO of NBC from 1981 to 1986. Additionally, he was a co-founder of MTM Enterprises and a te ...
; they were responsible for such now-legendary programs as ''
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'', ''
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'', ''
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'', '' The Golden Girls'', and '' Cheers'', among many others.)


The "Loud" parody

The moves (and failures) of NBC under Fred Silverman’s management generated a feeling of frustration and embarrassment among many of the network’s employees; they were not as proud of the network as the "Proud" campaign suggested, and a few inside staffers composed an alternative jingle to express their disappointment. "We're Loud - Proud as a Peacock" was a radio-style parody of NBC's 1980-1981 "We're Proud" campaign, recorded by the same production studio the network employed for "Proud" and using the same voice cast used for the original "Proud" campaign. "Loud" voiced the disappointment that many of NBC's employees felt under Silverman's leadership. The jingle{{cbignore was widely circulated to network staff and even sent out to local affiliates on cassettes as a joke at Christmastime. The joke ended when
Don Imus John Donald Imus Jr. (July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019), also known mononymously as Imus, was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. His radio show, '' Imus in the Morning'', was aired on various sta ...
, then the morning host at WNBC radio in New York City, played the parody on-air. Angered by Imus' move, Silverman ordered a search-and-destroy mission to purge the network of any remaining copies of the parody. However, many copies remained, albeit with poor audio quality and therefore were not fit for broadcast. However, just as how "Proud as a Peacock" was parodied, so was "Our Pride Is Showing". It was spoofed at the beginning of a 1981 episode of ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'' as "Our Age Is Showing" and the spoof featured an aged and disoriented NBC logo. "Proud as a Peacock" was also parodied at the beginning of a 1979 episode of ''Saturday Night Live'' as "Smart as a Peacock", which was meant as a way for ''SNL'' staff to ridicule NBC for causing the sketch variety series's disputes and problems during that time.


Meaning of the phrase

"Proud as a peacock" is a saying that is used to mean a vain or self-centered person. The phrase comes from the plumage of the male
peafowl Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are ref ...
(females are peahens). When a male is courting, he spreads his tail feathers, sometimes five feet in length, out in a fan pattern to attract a female. Thus, someone who is "proud as a peacock" is similarly "strutting his stuff".


See also

*
NBC logo The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) has used several corporate logos over the course of its history. The first logo was used in 1926 when the radio network began operations. Its most famous logo, the peacock, was first used in 1956 to highl ...


References


External links


The original (30-second version) "Proud as a Peacock" jingle from 1979
Advertising campaigns American advertising slogans 1979 neologisms National Broadcasting Company