The Super Bowl is much more than just a football game. It is a time when marketers unveil their most innovative ads for their newest products. Since this sporting event has such a large audience, it is a wonderful opportunity for advertisers. Many Super Bowl ads are fondly remembered for years. However, some are complete disasters. Here are the five biggest Super Bowl ad failures.
1. Nationwide’s “Dead Child” Advertisement
In 2015, Nationwide Insurance ran an ad featuring a child who died in a car accident. A vast majority of the audience was appalled by such dark marketing. The insurance giant experienced a great deal of backlash and was forced to issue a statement explaining the ad’s purpose was to begin a conversation. However, the public felt this was a manipulative way to sell insurance. Although this ad was responsible for many parents visiting a website loaded with information and resources telling them how to keep their children safe, it was a major flop in the media world.
2. Dodge Charger Ad
During the 2010 Super Bowl, Dodge ran an ad for its Charger, but it was very disrespectful to women. It encouraged men to drive this type of car to rebel against the acts of kindness they are forced to do for their wives or girlfriends. This entire theme was not well executed. The message was meant to make men turn to a rugged American automobile to feel manly, but it came off as insulting to women. Many feminist groups argued the entire ad could have been taped without words. It could have included men grunting around a garage.
3. Go Daddy’s “Perfect Match” Commercial
In today’s world, sex sells. Unfortunately, Go Daddy took this idea too far in 2013. This company’s “Perfect Match” spot featured a supermodel and nerdy guy. A voice explained Go Daddy had both a sexy and smart side, which were represented by these two individuals. The narrator continued to make the point these two people were perfect together. The couple moved close and kissed in an explicit manner. Most people were tuned off by the entire thing and felt it was “disturbing.” The branding was all wrong and will be forever associated with this sloppy flop of a commercial.
4. Groupon’s “Tibetan Oppression” Ad
It is never wise to make fun of a culture during an advertising campaign, especially one that has been oppressed. However, Groupon went ahead and joked about the struggling Tibetan culture. From the beginning, this ad was not received well. Andrew Mason, Groupon’s CEO, responded by saying the commercial was meant as a “self-aware satire.” However, few people took it that way, which looked bad for the company.
5. Apple’s “Lemmings” Commercial
In 1985, Apple’s “Lemmings” ad was used to introduce Macintosh Office. It showed workers jumping off a cliff while singing an eerie version of “Heigh-Ho.” Besides the morbid meaning behind the ad, a boring Super Bowl made the spot seem even worse. The advertisement was panned across the board. Even loyal Apple lovers could not defend the message behind the marketing plot. It was so disgraceful, the company did not run another Super Bowl ad for over a decade.
Big companies spend loads of money on advertising campaigns, so it is important for them to be well received by the public. Today, the Super Bowl is known for its ads. Certain people watch just for the commercials, so it is catastrophic when one fails. Taking risks may be necessary to capture the audience’s attention, but it must be done in the right way. The above five ads display some of the worst spots shown during the big game. Hopefully, marketers can use them as examples of what not to do in the future.
