Normally I don’t blog about things like Superbowl commercials. But the 2015 Superbowl commercials were awfully “special” weren’t they? This year, they seemed to be focusing on making everyone cry rather than laugh. (Except the one with the screaming and the goat. That was hilarious!)
There are three in particular that I really want to address.
#likeagirl and #makesafehappen and #nomore
I love the #likeagirl idea. I love promoting fair treatment, equality, and the idea that girls can do anything that a boy can do. All 10 of us at my house sat attentively glued to the commercial. Not a sound in the house. I felt tears swelling up as we watched these young girls be strong #likeagirl.
And then, the Always(R) logo popped on to the screen. And all of us laughed out loud. I mean, LAUGHED.
Why ruin such an amazingly wonderful message with the image of a maxi pad??
In a split second, the message was stomped on. OK so it didn’t totally lose it’s value, but it lessened it.
Did they mean for the message to be that just because girls have periods doesn’t mean we are weaker? I don’t believe that was the overall message of the commercial.
Always(R) did a phenomenal job with the commercial and the overall message. We were all HOOKED. I was pumped imagining the #likeagirl world my two little girls are going to grow up in. Better yet, pair up with an organization like Girls For A Change (GFC) who work day in and day out to help empower girls. But a maxi pad commercial in the middle of the SUPERBOWL? FAIL.
It would have been an incredible commercial if it had come from Nike or Harvard or the WNBA or some science and technology agency or SOMETHING traditionally geared towards boys and men. Do you disagree that it lost something in translation when it was a commercial for a maxi pad?
I hope the #likeagirl movement continues and grows stronger, but I’d like to see it happening from organizations that actually have some sort of influence over boys and men. Regardless, it’s worth the watch. The commercial was so well done. But let’s get the conversation moved beyond female hygiene and beauty products, please.
And then there’s the #MakeSafeHappen. Seriously?
Nationwide has received some serious backlash for this commercial. I’m sure you’ve already heard others talking about it. In response, they offered this explanation:
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.
Oh they started a conversation alright, but I sincerely hope the message did not get lost in the blowback! How many people are actually talking about preventable injuries around the home and what we can do to fix that today? I hope many, but from what I’ve seen on social media so far, that’s NOT the conversation that is coming out of this commercial.
On the one hand, as a grieving parent, I’m really upset by it. The commercial didn’t lead me to think about those types of injuries. It made me think of death and loss. It made me think of the baby that died in my arms that will never learn to ride her bike or go sky diving or get married. While all of us at my house were shocked by the commercial, none of us struck up a conversation about how to prevent those accidents. (OK, we did talk for just a minute about the colorful dish detergent packs, but only with a smart-aleck remark by my husband that if a child has access to laundry packs, that is NEGLIGENCE, not an accident.) And then we moved on from it.
But the anger lingered for me and for many. The anger that they would take something like the death of a child and use it for their own benefit. It was an extremely insensitive commercial.
On the other hand, I applaud the effort to talk more about safety. Children’s health is my platform, right? So I should be THRILLED beyond words that someone has taken this topic and blown it up for all to see.
But was it self serving? Because guess what? Everyone and their brother is talking about Nationwide today.
Is it about child safety in the home, or is it with disappointment and disbelief? Either way, Nationwide is trending, the hashtag is trending, the commercial is trending.
So my hope is that it DOES spark a real conversation. About all of it. Safety in the home, using the correct precautions, and thinking about things like safety belts, helmets, water safety, chemical hazards. There was a missed opportunity here too. I’m very, VERY disappointed that they did not include accidental shootings because that is happening so frequently these days too… but then they would have had to contend with the NRA, right?
If a real conversation about safety in the home ss what we take away from the commercial, then good.
But I’m still mad.
It’s been entertaining to watch the backlash on social media. Like this one, that is sick humor, but still kinda cracked me up.
#NoMore – you are not alone. This one is about domestic violence and abuse. Simple, powerful, important message.
I think the best part of this message is that they used the voice of what sounds like an educated woman and showed images of a middle class home. This is not to understate the importance of taking care of ALL victims, regardless of race, income levels, etc, but I think it reminds people that domestic violence and abuse can happen to anyone. And that we have to be open to seeing it and helping, even if the person can’t come forward on their own.
This hit close to home. A few years ago, my pediatrician at the time was in the news. Her husband was shot and killed – suicide by cop – when he came tearing out of the house with guns pointed at the cops. He WAS a cop, he knew what was happening. As more of the story came forward, we learned that sadly, she’d been abused physically, over a long period of time, and called the cops that day because she was afraid he was going to kill her and her young daughters. She is a highly educated DOCTOR and she still faced abuse and violence in her home. And I would have NEVER guessed it. We were all shocked.
We need to support these women. Thank you to #nomore hopefully we’re talking about this now too.
What are your thoughts on these superbowl commercials? Did you feel strongly for or against any of them?
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I like the #likeagirl ad and the thought behind it. I guess it makes sense that a product associated with women would sponsor it. I wish that we lived in a world where a neutral or male-dominated product would be behind that, but we don’t (yet).![My Profile](http://katbiggie.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
The Nationwide commercial seems like a good commercial. I understand getting people to think about safety and preventable accidents, but I don’t think that the SuperBowl was the time to do that. It really wasn’t the kind of ad I was expecting. It seems more like something that would air during a Lifetime TV movie. I’d be more prepared to handle it then!
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Yes, exactly, it’s all about the timing. I think even an organization that supports more for girls would have been better on the first one.
OK, so I am not a Super Bowl/Football watcher, but kept hearing so much about these commercials after the fact that I had to watch. And I do agree that #LikeAGirl could have totally been done by the likes of Nike or another sports type company, but then again it speaks volumes of what companies like this do think of girls in general even in this day and age. Which yes very much angers me. As for Nationwide, don’t even get me started and seriously couldn’t agree more with your description of insensitive and that I think is putting it mildly!![My Profile](http://katbiggie.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
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I would love to read a rant by you one day. I think it would be hilarious! I added one more after you read this – the #nomore ad which I thought was incredible.
I love your article about these commercials, Alexa. I hadn’t seen the nationwide one… wow wow wow.
I really understand your take and insight into all three of them, both the reasoning behind WHY they are such important messages to spread in helping prevent abuse and death and oppression- But the Always was surely not gonna send that message home and how they did it in the nationwide commercial, was wrong. They could have done something just as powerful without the punch in the gut at the end. I loved the domestic abuse commercial for the very reasons you did. Your story about your doctor is just horrible. Abuse does not discriminate.![My Profile](http://katbiggie.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
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Thank you Chris. There’s been such a backlash on Nationwide that I’m afraid people have completely missed the point of the commercial. I am happy to say though that the Always commercial, despite being by a maxi pad, ranked 3rd in most popular, so that’s awesome. Maybe people WERE able to see the point #likeAGirl. My husband said it was his favorite commercial. Who knows, maybe I am overly sensitive and no one else cared who sponsored the message? Although that can’t be the case because everyone is in arms that an Insurance company sponsored the other commercial. At least people are talking about the topics!
I enjoyed the #likeagirl commercial most. I don’t have a problem with the fact that it was from Always. They mention how a girl’s confidence plummets during puberty, which is connected to having your period. Plus menstruation is a huge topic of discussion in global development. I don’t think the message was lost.
The Nationwide commercial was too much. I think they missed the mark.
Good point on the Always commercial. I think for women, it hit the mark. I hope it did with men and boys, who are the ones who really needed to GET IT.
I feel very strongly about all three. So strongly that I had to quit crying before I could type. All preventable problems. With a little education. Important ads. They start the conversation.![My Profile](http://katbiggie.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
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You are so correct. Just a little bit of education…
I’m in Canada and while we are able to watch the game we have to watch Canadian commercials. We can watch yours only online until after the game. Then most of the local news shows show them. The most powerful one for me is the #NoMore. Wow. Powerful. Your story about your pediatrician reminded me of my best pal. She phoned (lives across the country) crying. Her good friend has just revealed she’d been abused by her husband for years. And my friend had absolutely no idea. I can’t help but wonder how many people this commercial touched.![My Profile](http://katbiggie.com/wp-content/plugins/commentluv/images/littleheartplus.png)
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Gosh I hope so. I really hope those women saw and heard “this happens to other women like me. I can seek help.” Those poor women. 🙁