Proud as a Peacock

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1979 "Proud as a Peacock" logo. This thin-plumed, candycorn-colored peacock was different than the one found on the "Proud N." The old "Abstract N" still appears at the bottom.
1979 "Proud as a Peacock" logo. This thin-plumed, candycorn-colored peacock was different than the one found on the "Proud N." The old "Abstract N" still appears at the bottom.

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

Contents

[edit] The campaign

By 1979, NBC was deeply mired in third place in the Nielsen ratings. Fred Silverman, who joined the network a year earlier, could not bring the same ratings success he had as programming whiz at ABC and CBS, 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 logo, billed as the "Proud N," along with a catchy, high-energy jingle (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 (see lyrics below).

1980 "Proud as a Peacock" logo
1980 "Proud as a Peacock" logo

The 1979-80 season "Proud" campaign promos were produced in New York for NBC's radio and television networks, and customized versions were produced for the network's affiliates. The campaign was introduced in the Summer of 1979, in time to promote the network's Fall 1979 lineup, and was used again in the 1980-81 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:

The continued failures led to ridicule of the "Proud" campaign both outside the network and inside (see below). Silverman would leave NBC in the summer of 1981; that fall, the network would adopt a slightly new campaign, "Our Pride Is Showing," with little difference in ratings.

[edit] Lyrics (1979-1980 Campaign)

NBC Proudly Presents
Puttin' on a whole new face
Dressin' up with lots of style
Puttin' on a special look
Breakin' out a great big smile
Gonna spread our wings and reach right up to the stars
No one is prouder than we are
Add a touch of mystery
Take a look at all that's new
Share a taste of victory
Feelin' some nostalgia too
Gonna spread our wings and be the best you can see
No one is prouder than we are
Goin' up to set some trips
Gonna laugh and dance and sing
Visit with some dear old friends
Gonna topple everything
Gonna spread our wings and show off all that we've got
NBC - Proud as a peacock!

[edit] Notable Localized Versions

[edit] 1979-1980

[edit] 1980-1981

[edit] The "We're 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 1980-81 "We're Proud" campaign, recorded by the same production studio NBC employed for "We're Proud" and using the same voice cast used for the original "Proud as a Peacock" campaign. "We're Loud" voiced the disappointment that many of NBC's employees felt under Silverman's leadership. The jingle was widely circulated to network staff and even sent out to some local affiliates on cassettes as jokes at Christmas time.

The joke ended, however, when Don Imus, morning drive-time host at WNBC, NBC Radio's New York City flagship, played the parody on the air. Angered by Imus' move, Silverman ordered a search-and-destroy mission to purge the network of any remaining copy of the parody. However, many copies of the parody remained, albeit ones that were of poor audio quality and not fit for broadcast. Good copies of the parody can still be found on the WNBC Radio 66 Tribute page as well as the "TV Party" nostalgia site.

[edit] The "We're LOUD!" Lyrics

We're LOUD! -- ah huh -- say it again,
NBC
We're LOUD!
We're in last place,
LOUD!
We're gonna fall right on our face
LOUD!
Since Freddy came our ratings always stayed the same
An 18 rating, a 14 share,
Bet ya wonder if we care
NO!
We're just proud to be NBC,
We're LOUD!
We're livin in the past,
LOUD!
The bottoms droppin out real fast
 (LOUD!)
Of our boring shows, just watch us jam em up your nose
We don't care, its all there, NBC is always there,
We're not just proud, weeee're also LOUD!
We're LOUD!
We're louder than the rest
So LOUD!
It doesn't matter we're not the best
LOUD!
We're gonna screw around and run this network in the ground
The peacock's dead, so thank you, Fred
Yeah! -- THANKS A WHOLE LOT!!
NBC, Proud as a Peacock!

[edit] 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 (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."

[edit] Other Usage and Parodies

[edit] External Link


Preceded by
It's The New NBC		 Proud as a Peacock
1979-1981		 Succeeded by
Our Pride is Showing

[edit] See also