(PCM) One of the biggest buzz kills during the Super Bowl 2015 absolutely had to be when insurance company Nationwide aired their child death commercial during the first half of the Big Game. In fact, I’d even be willing to say that there was probably more entertainment garnered from reading everyone’s reaction tweets on Twitter after the spot aired than from watching the Super Bowl itself.
In fact, we have no idea what in the world was going on with any of the ads from this year’s Super Bowl. Normally, we look forward to some of the most clever and quirky ads to be broadcast during the game, as advertisers are supposed to be on their “A” game for these spots.
This year the Super Bowl ads were a huge downer, with the exception of perhaps two or three semi-funny spots. It seemed that all the commercials were pushing this year were dead children, domestic violence, hashtags, and lost puppies. It was really terrible!
The only area where Nationwide may have succeeded is that their brand is certainly on everyone’s lips and you know what they say … no publicity is bad publicity. Many people have already begun calling Nationwides spot the worst commercial choice in Super Bowl history. Ouch! Did the company even think it through? Any bit of common sense would have said that this was not the right time or place for airing that type of commercial.
In dealing with the backlash and controversy over the ad, Nationwide has since released a statement which says:
Preventable injuries around the home are the leading cause of childhood deaths in America. Most people don’t know that. Nationwide ran an ad during the Super Bowl that started a fierce conversation. The sole purpose of this message was to start a conversation, not sell insurance. We want to build awareness of an issue that is near and dear to all of us-the safety and well being of our children. We knew the ad would spur a variety of reactions. In fact, thousands of people visited MakeSafeHappen.com, a new website to help educate parents and caregivers with information and resources in an effort to make their homes safer and avoid a potential injury or death. Nationwide has been working with experts for more than 60 years to make homes safer. While some did not care for the ad, we hope it served to begin a dialogue to make safe happen for children everywhere.