When viewers tune in for Super Bowl ads – because let’s face it, if your team isn’t on the field, they can be the highlight – the expectation is that they will be funny, witty, or fabulously produced. Each one will leave us laughing, quoting them on social media, or expounding on the cool factor. This year, many spots fit into these categories.
Then there was the Nationwide ad.
No doubt you’ve seen it by now, or read a detailed description of the ad, titled “Make Safe Happen.” A young boy is shown, with a voiceover detailing all of the things he won’t experience from youth through adulthood; he then tell us he won’t do these things because he died in an accident and couldn’t grow up.
Reaction to the ad was immediate and predominantly negative. The festive Super Bowl atmosphere, some said, was punctured by the ad’s “super-depressing” tone and message. Critical posts continued into the post-game work week.
According to Nationwide, the spot was not meant to sell insurance at all, but to be a conversation starter. The company’s Chief Marketing Officer, Matt Jauchius, took that one step further by telling Time.com, “We were trying to save kids’ lives by making people aware of this.”
So, despite the negative backlash, if the ad was meant to start a conversation, and to raise awareness around common household dangers to children, didn’t it hit the mark rather squarely?
“I spent all day Monday reacting to the social media onslaught,” says Alison Jacobson, founder of Safety Mom and a paid spokesperson for the Make Safe Happen campaign. “By Tuesday, however, the tide was definitely turning as people engaged on both sides of the conversation.”
There is an old saying that no PR is bad PR, and that can sometimes be up for debate. In many cases, “bad” PR is unexpected and then reacted to through spinning the story. In the case of Nationwide, however, viewer response wasn’t thrust upon them, it was invited. Some would argue even orchestrated. A negative reaction to a “conversation starter” isn’t always backlash after all; it is exactly what it was meant to be.
In today’s interactive world, anticipated response must be weighed as much as the initiating messages being sent out. Projecting how viewers – or readers, or customers – will likely react is part of being prepared with the right answers. Particularly in the social media world, reaction is voluminous and immediate. It’s all part of the equation.
Mapping out your messaging, and planning out responsive measures, are key to building PR campaigns which fit your brand. If you are ready to strategize the best communication strategies for your business, we are ready to lend our expertise and support your success. We’d love to hear from you.
– BML
