SAAB Advert: Release Me
April 21st, 2007
I have a thing about adverts, some adverts, although very short can be extremely powerful and capturing. The recent SAAB advert featuring the song ‘Release Me’ by Oh Laura [ view Release Me lyrics ] really stood out to me. The adverts begins with flowers between a motorway flyover, receiving little light are struggling to break out, the whale in the sea quarium, lonely, a huge mammal, “a glass of water longing for the ocean”, a dog tied up outside at night “I am the fire burning desperately but you’re controlling me”, the water bursting from the dam as the song screams “release me”. The personification of all the examples in the song coupled with the strong and often upsetting images are amazingly powerful.
For me, the most powerful and upsetting part of the advert is the whale in the sea aquarium. Everyone has gone home, she is still there. Alone and lonely, longing to stretch out and escape, to again be with her own kind: “I am the fire burning desperately but you’re controlling me – release me”. It is as if she is almost calling, pleading for release from the situation that has been forced on her. The roar of the car leaving the tunnel in time with the words of the song just adds to the feeling of desperation.
SAAB’s message at the end of the advert reads “Move Your Mind”. I hope they are taking action on their own message. The Whale in the advert is called Lolita. She has been in captivity in the smallest killer whale tank in the world, a place which has been her home for over 40 years. She performs twice daily at the Miami Seaquarium in Florida in a show that serves no educational value, and even if it did, what could her misery possibly teach us? That humankind can be cruel beyond belief?
The tricks she is made to perform are almost mocking her, belittling her, unnatural, performed in an environment with no shade from the intense Miami sun, with nowhere to escape the attention should she want to or need to. The tank she is kept in is 18 feet deep – Lolita is 22 feet long - because of this, her tail drags along the bottom of the pool.
Lolita was 6 years old when she was captured from Washington State in 1970, where she and her family were rounded up and separated. Five whales, including 4 baby whales, died during the capture trying to help one another. Lolita is the last surviving whale of that capture.
Lolita lives alone aside from a few dolphins. Lolita had a mate at the Miami Seaquarium - a fellow Orca named Hugo. Hugo was at the Miami Seaquarium two years before Lolita arrived. They were kept separately at first for fears they might fight. They called constantly to each other across the park grounds. They were together until Hugo killed himself by repeatedly ramming his head against the walls. He died of a brain aneurism nearly 25 years ago. Lolita hasn’t seen another whale since then.
Her owner refuses to make her a larger tank, refuses to free her back to her remaining family. To him she is a way to make money.
How can this be acceptable, be okay by people? What do you think of the advert? What do you think of Lolita being kept like this? Please post your views and find it in your hearts to sign the petition to FREE LOLITA.
See also: [ www.laurasweden.com ] [ Wiki : Lolita ] [ Miami Sea Prison ]
I understand there is a tourist demand for animals to perform mind numbing tricks, that us humans will never perform ourselves. I believe this will never stop and thousands of animals will die in the name of entertainment but the accomadation and the welfare of the animal should be the top priority of any keeper.
I belive that no animal should be taken form the wild just for the pure entertainment of tourists but to parade the whale on tv to promote and advertise a car is cruel and inhumane. Why couldn’t they show this animal in the wild as it should be?
Thanks for your comment, I completely agree.
I think they used Lolita and the other examples such as the tethered dog to highlight the way they want to portray the car.
They are sending a message that the car is wild, is powerful and wants to be released.
Shame that she has to be used like that to sell cars though - but at the same time, hopefully it has created an awareness that will result in people taking action. I hope many that read this have signed the petition to free her.
I’m linking to this page from all over the net now.
People need to know.
I somewhere try to hope that this was the intention behind Saabs use of those pictures…
It’s so very very upsetting.
Thank you for letting making this known.
I’m giving money and signing the petition and telling the world to do the same!
=(
…And I’m so upset that I can’t type straight either, as you can see!
It’s so great to know people feel the same, thank you for what you are doing. Like yourself, I am trying to get as many signatures as I can.
The petition goes out in July so the more signatures the better.
This is just awful…
Just unbelivable i have eventually signed the petition to be shocked by around only 250 signatures!
It’s terrible - the size of that pool, it makes me think of being restricted and wanting to stretch out.
The wiki points out that killer whales can swim 35 miles in a single hour, and can dive 500 feet deep.
Free her! her owner is a selfish horrible man… Lolita deserves to be free after everything she has been through… FREE HER!!!
It’s a shame the petition is called “Free Lolita” because the content is about getting her a bigger tank. Setting her free would be the worst thing we could do. I signed the petition for a bigger tank though.
We all know it, mankind is the scum blighting this planet.
@lambic - Unfortunately you’re probably right. I guess we can look at a larger tank as freedom in a sense though - her current one is just ridiculous.
Shocked and stunned! Makes you sit up and think where else in the world this is happening. A sad life for this poor whale!
This just highlights the darkness of human pysche, the fact that the owner can have total detachment of feelings towards this living breathing creature of the earth, makes me sick, and angry. Imagine having to sit, crouched, in abox, with no other people, all your life. horrible. i hope this ends soon! x
There seems to be no end to humanity’s cruelty and indifference. Saving one whale won’t change the world but it might highlight the suffering inflicted on intelligent mammals in so-called civilised countries.Give Lolita her freedom and we might just be freeing ourselves too
OMG !!! free her ……
Humans are the cancer of the earth. Animals capture and eat, we capture for fun or money. it should be looked into the Wale looks uncomfortable…free her
Hrm. I’m all for freeing whales, or giving them the comfortable, needed enviroment they desire. But the video is biasd to the point where they want YOU to feel guilty. Which is just wrong. Some people do bad things, it doesn’t make the whole of humanity evil. Make the owner guilty, not the rest of us. But I agree, it should be legally challenged and she should have a bigger tank. I don’t know how she would fare on her own. I don’t know much about whales.
I would question other comments on here about why saab might use this image with the accompanying song. It may be a case of them knowing that this sort of reaction might occur, and they can justify the ussage, by the song. Yes in a way this could be classed as exploitation, as all publicity is good publicity right? as they are not advocating the lolita as entertainment, in some ways quite the opposite… they could easilly turn round and say we are simply bringing it to people’s attention, (which they are) and i think that is a good thing, even if it is for their gain as they will get publicity from it.
Things like this petition may not have happened without this advert… I certainly wouldn’t have known about this sorry situation, were it not for me searching for the song they used, and im sure many others are the same. The main question in debate should be, what exactly is the message they are trying to put out… its a fine line between very irresponsible, and very clever… and its not easy to tell which side they are on, but remember there maybe 2 sides to the story.
You have a very good point, and have definately done your research. I totally agree with your opinions and im sure the park in the US easily makes enough to cover a bigger pool. Just a quick one tho, everywhere i look i get differnet names for who the song is by. Any ideas where i can get a copy?
Neil
@Neil - it is a great song, it’s called Release Me by a Swedish Band called Oh Laura.
Their song plays on their My Space page.
Pretty sure you can download the song on iTunes and is due for release on the 23rd of May.
I too was moved enough by the music to follow it up and discovered your site. The story about Lolita is deplorable and I’m not ashamed to say that I cried when I read it - and I am a businesswoman! As far as Saab is concerned, I tend to agree with Jay regarding the content and it’s use of Lolita. The music combined with the film and it’s images make a definate statement for freedom from comfinement and restriction especially of natural beings, plants and wildlife. However, man has always been a greedy operator and unfortunately until laws are changed animals all over the world will be imprisoned and tortured for gain.
I think personally that after all this time to release Lolita back into the wild may prove to be her death sentence. However, I’m sure that this advert, combined with this song may draw attention to Lolita’s plight. If wishes could come true, some enterprising marketing executive from Saab could offer to fund a much bigger and more natural environment for Lolita - or indeed buy this creature and spend money on her being rehabilitated into the wild if it is conceivably possible. Can you imagine how the sales of Saab would increase if it were made public that this would be an intention of the company?
Lets hope that the emotional response that this advert is creating may have some benefit for the Lolita’s of this world - and I for one will be making it knowledge to as many people as possible
Free her, this is a whale and belongs in the sea with all the others just like her.
I hate that sort of shit. Some of the human onley thinks about money i hate him that is keeping Lolita for money and he wont even make the tank bigger!
So desperately sad. and one of the atrocities in todays world that can be put right.
This advert upsets me every time, as much as I love the song, it makes it even worse and highlights the fact that this poor whale is trapped in that BOWL. In the end, this advert has actually been a good thing for Lolita. I dont know if she should be set free as she has been stuck in there for so many years. I think a much bigger tank and a mate would be best.
Watching this little show nearly made me cry. i cant beleive that someone would do something like this to a living breathing creature. however, this seems almost humane compared to the sickening things that humans do to each other. however, Lolita deserves to be set free. and i am very willing to support this petition, as one of the cruel and harmful things in this world may be put right.
569 posts now, and still 2 months until the petition is delivered.
It would be great if it broke the 1000 mark
I am a true animal lover & this cruelty to this poor helpless whale is beyond comprehension. She should be set free & allowed the interaction with her own kind. My heart goes out to her & i wholeheartedly support this petition
As some1 who has grown up with the interest of Orca’s, hearing about the size of this tank compared to the size of her is unbelievable, how is this still being allowed to happen?!
Setting her free would be very wrong with regards of how long she has been in captivity, but to move to a bigger tank has to be arranged. A tragedy that it has gone on for so long.
That is just so sad. No creature should be in conditions like that. That’s just not fair. How would her owner feel if he was kept cooped up like that??
[Saab Bio Power]
Here’s a link to Saab’s BioPower website if you want to complain about that wretched advert.
I fail to see how an extremely depressed captive killer whale relates to the sale of thier ‘green’ solutions to transport - surely filming a free killer whale would be more effective and less depressing? It appears that the vauge message of the advert is that we should be taking care of nature, not taking it captive - but this is not written in black and white and leads me to the conclusion that Saab are another company that like to use distinctive adverts to make people remember what they’re selling.
if they had shown the whale in it’s natural habitat, then it would ruin the whole point of the ad.
although they are using it to help sell their cars, they are also drawing attention to the problem, which is good right?
Please save her
I’ve signed a petition to free her.
But EVERONE needs to sign it - please for Lolita XXXX
Just found this website thank goodness some people are thinking about this poor whale.When the advert was running & I commented on how disturbing I found the scene with the whale I was amazed when people - many of whom were close friends - said oh that would be amazing to see a whale do … or if you ever get the chance you must go & see***it’s fantastic!!! I have emailed everyone I know a link to this site in hopes that it will open their eyes to this unbeleivable cruelty that people call entertainment.
It is the best commercial ever! It is so sad! Why can’t sea world buy her???
Is it to late to sign?
@Yvonn - In Sea World she would surely still be in a tank and possibly not with her own kind?
Sign it if you can, it may not have been delivered yet.
Poor Lolita!!
I am very very sorry about that and hope that they make her free or make bigger tank.
Dolphins are NOT toys. I hate people thinking “oh, you can touch and ride dolphins!” because of what they see in captivity. Dolphins in captivity are NOT an accurate picture of dolphins in the real world.
Lolita’s species, although dolphins themselves eat smaller dolphin species yet Lolita is in a tank with smaller dolphins. Sure, it is probably good she has atleast a little company but this is so wrong compared to nature.
Unfortunetly, a lot of people like the self-gratifying view of dolphins and will continue to indulge themselves by going to these pathetic, hypocritical places.
Hi, im Sarah Speakman the creator of the “free lolita petition”. I now have around 1,050 signatures, but please keep signing. Everyday i am posting the link to people and informing local tv stations here in the UK about Lolita. I have informed major charities (WWF and Born Free). Please keep signing and checking back to the petition for updates. thanks Sarah x
Free Lolita! Abolish tanks
My reply to wild orca being put in captivity is here below this photo:
http://flickr.com/photos/sparkyleigh/3004847/in/set-75139/
My wild Orca set: http://flickr.com/photos/sparkyleigh/sets/75139/
Its a situation where she can’t win, and nor can we. If she goes back to the ocean, she won’t last for 10 minutes, and if she stays in that tank, she will just end up dying because its so small and made with CHLORINE :( Just hope for a bigger tank and that she will stop performing :)
im only 13 but what u guys do i think is gr8 no wild animal sould be in captivity i really want to go on in my life and try and achive somthing to help animals if anyone has advice can u please send me some hear is my email adress dod_the_god@hotmail.com thank you
i think if lolita was a human he would have killed his self by now he is like a slave i think the owner sould be put in a tank not much bigger than him with no one he understands no one he can talk to play with and be free
we all like to play we like to laugh but lolita doesnt get a hasent had any opertunites to do this beacuse he is in a small tank by his own PLEASE DO WHAT EVER YOU CAN TO FREE ORCAS AND LET THEM KNOW WHAT ITS LIKE TO BE FREE
SAAB showed ZERO corporate responsibility in this ad. All they did was give MORE MONEY to Lolita’s CAPTOR!
@daniel - Good for you, it is very good to stand up for what you believe in.
I watched Lolita show in ~2000, and didn’t know about her tragic destiny. She was separated from her
mother during the capture.
I ASK MIAMI SEAQUARIUM MANAGEMENT:
PLEASE, FREE LOLITA, if you have
a heart…
Do you able yourself to live 40+ years in a tank ?
i think your a bunch of dopes, yea we use animals but who said they are all wild, i own a pure bred wolf and he comes and goes as he pleases but he is still my pet and used in advertising too. half of what you see on tv is not true. feel free to look at these well fed happy animals as saving them for the future, from thoes other people who like to hunt them for sport or other. they keep doing that, even tho they are told not to… there will be none left and life as we know it will sease to exist. think of it as protecting them for the future, why not make a little money out of it, we pay to make them happy. if you sleep better at night.
you seem to be forgetting animals dont have the minds and brains that we do.. your almost treating them as human, yea they feel yea they think.. but dont hold stuff like we do, dont retain information like we do and dont need to be amused as often as we do
In my country many people a year are taken by sharks, and of course it is always the sharks fault. But when I see fishing programs of stupid stupid humans causing fish pain and suffering for no other reason than sport, It makes me think we owe the sharks a feed or two. I just hope we don’t poison the sharks with human stupidness.
I loved the song” Release me” but was upset by the images and I feel that the whale Lolita must feel lonely and that the tank is too small. I hope something good comes out of this for all animals,after all we humans are supposed to be the intelligent ones.