I voted mockery. I think the two cowboys, the similarity to Jack, and reference to 'losing half the herd' are pretty blatant BBM references. Like Steve, tho, I am wired to BBM, so I could be wrong, but I doubt it.
I've wondered about this ad too. The play it all the time here in the Pittsburgh market. Like all of you, I'm wired to think BBM in reference to many things too... so I don't know how objective I'm being.
But,as folks have said... now that it's been brought up... it does remind me a little of the bar scene and Jack referencing the lightning strike during his first summer on Brokeback. The thing that's odd about the ad - if it's meant to be a BBM spoof - is that they chose two much older guys. Maybe they wanted to reference BBM a little but not too much.
If it is a BBM reference it does bother me. But, a lot of spoofs of BBM and of the poster too, really get under my skin. There are exceptions to that for me (for instance I thought the BBM legos were really cute). But, I can see the argument about there being a homophobic undercurrent in this ad if it is a Brokeback reference.
In a way, I'm not willing to give the ad makers the benefit of a doubt. So, I'm voting mockery.