''We answer to a higher authority'' is a slogan used by

Hebrew National Hebrew National is a brand of kosher hot dogs and other sausages made by ConAgra Foods. In 1982, Hebrew National opened a non-kosher division under the name National Deli; it was sold off in 2001, and is now based in Florida. History The '' ...

, now a subsidiary of

ConAgra Foods Conagra Brands, Inc. (formerly ConAgra Foods) is an American consumer packaged goods holding company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Conagra makes and sells products under various brand names that are available in supermarkets, restaurants, ...

, for its brand of kosher-certified hot dogs and processed meats, which portrays the products as being of a higher quality than other, similar products. A 1997 article in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' called the campaign "among the longest running and best known ever". In a 2009 article The

National Hot Dog and Sausage Council The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) is an American trade association that promotes the hotdog, hot dog and sausage industry. It was founded in 1994 by the American Meat Institute. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Eric Mittenth ...

cited statistics indicating that three-quarters of the six million Americans who prefer kosher hot dogs are not themselves Jewish.Lasson, Kenneth
"Hebrew National & Kosher Politics: What’s kosher about answering to a higher authority?"
'' Baltimore Jewish Times'', July 10, 2009. Accessed July 13, 2009. In 2010, the ''New York Times'' wrote that Hebrew National's hot dogs "aren't kosher enough for most Jews who keep kosher.

Advertising campaigns

The slogan dates back to 1965, and has been used since then as a means to market the product to Jews and

non-Jews Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jews, Jew". Other Groups claiming affiliation with Israelites, groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More ra ...

as a superior product. Some of the campaign's earliest television advertisements, created by Scali, McCabe, Sloves in 1972, featured Uncle Sam preparing to consume a hot dog that includes the additives and fillers permitted under federal regulations, while an ethereal narrator states that Hebrew National can't, panning up to the heavens and stating because "we answer to a higher authority", and appeared sporadically for nearly two decades.The Food Maven
"Good Dog! A Summer Taste Test"
''

The Forward ''The Forward'' ( yi, פֿאָרווערטס, Forverts), formerly known as ''The Jewish Daily Forward'', is an American news media organization for a Jewish American audience. Founded in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily socialist newspaper, ' ...

'', July 23, 2004. Accessed July 13, 2009. A 1992 revision featured a supposed competitor named "Frank Wiener" who must answer to the higher authority himself for producing inferior products that didn't match the quality of those manufactured by Hebrew National.Shapiro, Eben
"THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING -- ADDENDA; Hot-Dog Makers Vie Over Picnics"
''

'', May 26, 1992. Accessed July 13, 2009. A 1997 campaign developed by

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

firm

Grey Advertising Grey Group is a global advertising and marketing agency with headquarters in New York City, and 432 offices in 96 countries, operating in 154 cities. It is organized into four geographical units: North America; Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia ...

featured

Robert Klein Robert Klein (born February 8, 1942) is an American stand-up comedian, singer, and actor. He is known for his appearances on stage and screen. He has released four standup comedy specials: ''A Child of the 50s'' (1973), ''Mind Over Matter'' (197 ...

as an

all-knowing Omniscience () is the capacity to know everything. In Hinduism, Sikhism and the Abrahamic religions, this is an attribute of God. In Jainism, omniscience is an attribute that any individual can eventually attain. In Buddhism, there are diffe ...

hot dog vendor with an ethereally shiny cart, purveying both hot dogs and words of deep wisdom. The campaign, played on the nostalgia for the company's earlier television advertisements with a touch of humor. In various spots in the campaign, a single man is guided to his future wife, the finder of a bag full of money is told to return the loot and is rewarded with winning the lottery and a customer who asks if the vendor accepts credit cards is told by the character that "I take credit for everything". The $5 million campaign, double the previous year's budget, would feature ads broadcast in its traditional markets, as well as in cities such as

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, where the products were popular but had not been directly targeted in previous campaigns.Elliott, Stuart
"Humor and 'a higher authority' help spice up a new campaign for Hebrew National franks."
''

'', May 23, 1997. Accessed July 13, 2009.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:We Answer To A Higher Authority American advertising slogans Kosher meat 1965 neologisms