If you weren't one of the estimated 100 million people worldwide watching Super Bowl XLV live today, you might want to do some catching up as far as the ads were concerned, if only so you'll know what everyone will be talking about tomorrow around the water cooler (or Twitter feed!)
LOSER: Groupon
Maybe coupon-deal site Groupon is feeling big ever since it got a buyout offer from Google and decided they could afford to refuse it. Hey, if you can afford to blow off a company as big as Google, you can do anything, right?
That seems to be the reasoning behind this ad which, though hilariously narrated, is drawing an immediate backlash from the Twitter community.
But at least one survey by the Huffington Post seems to suggest that only half of the people who watched the ad found it to be patently offensive.
Some tweets even suggest that the folks who were offended by the ad were probably missing the point.
The appropriateness of the ad can be debated, but if Groupon's goal was to get people talking about it, then mission accomplished. Though, the Groupon ads that aired during the pregame shows would probably offend the same people who were offended by the Tibet ad:
What critics of Groupon's ad campaign may not know, however, is that Groupon was actually trying to help solve the problems these actors are talking about.
The website for Groupon's Super Bowl XLV ads pairs each video with a donate button that allows visitors to make a donation to the cause mentioned in the commercial and get a Groupon credit for the same amount, basically allowing people to buy their coupon product and donate to a good cause at the same time.
It seems however, that Groupon's ads have backfired - partly because the LivingSocial rival didn't do a good enough joke making sure people understood that the humor was for a purpose (laugh at this joke, buy Groupon, help to save Tibet, everybody wins, right?)
Let's hope Groupon learns its lesson before they air their Sheryl Crow ad.
Looking for the winners of tonight's big ad blitz? Check out their videos after the jump.
The Super Bowl XLV ad MVPs:
9) Test Baby
That seems to be the reasoning behind this ad which, though hilariously narrated, is drawing an immediate backlash from the Twitter community.But at least one survey by the Huffington Post seems to suggest that only half of the people who watched the ad found it to be patently offensive.
Some tweets even suggest that the folks who were offended by the ad were probably missing the point.
The appropriateness of the ad can be debated, but if Groupon's goal was to get people talking about it, then mission accomplished. Though, the Groupon ads that aired during the pregame shows would probably offend the same people who were offended by the Tibet ad:
What critics of Groupon's ad campaign may not know, however, is that Groupon was actually trying to help solve the problems these actors are talking about.The website for Groupon's Super Bowl XLV ads pairs each video with a donate button that allows visitors to make a donation to the cause mentioned in the commercial and get a Groupon credit for the same amount, basically allowing people to buy their coupon product and donate to a good cause at the same time.
It seems however, that Groupon's ads have backfired - partly because the LivingSocial rival didn't do a good enough joke making sure people understood that the humor was for a purpose (laugh at this joke, buy Groupon, help to save Tibet, everybody wins, right?)
Let's hope Groupon learns its lesson before they air their Sheryl Crow ad.
Looking for the winners of tonight's big ad blitz? Check out their videos after the jump.
The Super Bowl XLV ad MVPs:
9) Test Baby
8) Kid in a Candy Store
7) Left Behind
6) Product Placement
5) "One Epic Ride"
4) "Reply All"
3) "Love Hurts"
2) "Border"
1) "The Force"
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