Nationwide's Morbid Super Bowl Ad Around Deceased Child Sparks Controversy, Criticism

Nationwide's "Make Safe Happen" Super Bowl ad "provoked such a huge, overwhelmingly negative reaction on Twitter that the company released a statement" late last night, according to Abid Rahman of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. The ad, which featured a boy "talking about all the things he'll never get to enjoy because he's dead," quickly "became a trending topic on Twitter and somewhat overshadowed an earlier more well-received" Nationwide ad featuring actors Mindy Kaling and Matt Damon. Nationwide's statement acknowledged that the ad had "started a 'fierce conversation.'" The company said that it "wanted people to talk about the issue rather than sell insurance" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 2/1). FOXSPORTS.com wrote though the message was "certainly important, the method of delivery ran afoul of many viewers' sensibilities" (FOXSPORTS.com, 2/1). In DC, Marissa Payne wrote under the header, "Congrats To The Nationwide Commercial For Being The Debbie Downer Of The Super Bowl." The ad alluding to a child’s death in a "scary commercial warning parents of the dangers" of household accidents "did not go over well" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 2/1).

RUINING A GOOD TIME: In Las Vegas, Stephanie Grimes wrote someone at Nationwide "thought it would be a good idea to kill everyone’s good time" with the ad. It "didn’t have the feel of a PSA so much as a straight brand pitch, and was an instant buzzkill during what’s supposed to be a good time" (REVIEWJOURNAL.com, 2/1). YAHOO SPORTS' Jay Busbee wrote Nationwide will "end up being the most talked-about ad but for all the wrong reasons" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/1). In L.A., Saba Hamedy notes the "morbid commercial sparked social media jokes and general confusion" (L.A. TIMES, 2/2). Messaging expert Frank Luntz said the Nationwide ad is a “good message, but it’s not a good message to send during the Super Bowl when people are in a celebratory mood. You have to understand your audience” (“CBS This Morning,” 2/2). In Chicago, Brandon Wall writes under the header, "Nationwide Insurance's Super Bowl Commercial Was Insanely Grim." Viewers were "caught off guard by an incredibly dark ad" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/2). In New Jersey, Virginia Rohan wrote this year's Super Bowl ads were "generally tamer and far less sexist than their predecessors," except for the "shockingly morbid spot from Nationwide" (NORTHJERSEY.com, 2/1). In San Jose, Chuck Barney in a front-page piece wrote Nationwide "laid a blindside hit on us" with the ad. Barney: "Flag them for unsportsmanlike conduct" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 2/2).