Groupon, a social networking “deal a day” group, has created waves with its heavily criticized Super Bowl advertisement. The commercial starts out with actor Timothy Hutton explaining the plight of the culture of Tibet, a country whose people have been subject to torture and oppression by the Chinese government. The commercial takes an incredibly tasteless turn (no pun intended) with Hutton stating, “But they still whip up an amazing fish curry.”
While the attempt at dry humor is admirable in a society where slapstick rules, the reaction of the masses was anything but laughter. The Internet was immediately flooded with reactions to the ad, with disgruntled Tweeters and Facebookers shocked at the attempted satire.
Groupon is a company that releases coupons for a specific business or service in major cities for a reduced price. An example would be selling a restaurant gift card, worth $50, for $20. The way they maintain this is through “group buying,” where a specific amount of people must sign up for the deal in order for it to be applicable. The idea has spread like wildfire, presumably because people like cheap things.
The issue that has been brought up is whether or not Groupon should be held accountable for their advertising, as well as what kind of limits we hold on comedy. Although they brought attention to important issues, such as the conflict in Tibet, their attempt at “deadpan” humor seems simultaneously irresponsible and exploitative. This effect is worsened when you discover that Groupon is actually promoting charities like “Save the Money.” This tidbit of information, were it included in the ad, could have possibly prevented such backlash.
Super Bowl advertisements have a reputation for causing controversy, as do many ideas that try to step “outside the box.” Another Super Bowl ad for HomeAway, a hotel rental company, was persecuted for depicting the smashing of a plastic “test baby” against a window. The company took an apologetic route and Chief Executive Brian Sharples, in an online apology, called the ad “a mistake in judgment.”
Dockers has also recently been a subject of media attention, as its recent publishing of a “Man-Ifesto” on its website proclaimed the heavily sexist message of “it’s time for men to wear the pants.” The ad points out that we have slipped into an era where men are no longer manly, but instead androgynous salad-eaters. They continue by saying we need to go back to “the days when men were men.” They fail to also point out that when “men were men,” women couldn’t vote, African-Americans counted as three-fourths of a person and “real” men definitely did not wear khakis.
Groupon Chief Executive Andrew Mason defended the commercials on their company blog by stating, “no one walks away from our commercials taking the causes we highlighted less seriously.” He continues his explanation with: “Our ads highlight the often trivial nature of stuff on Groupon when juxtaposed against bigger world issues, making fun of Groupon.” But in the end, I can’t imagine many Tibetans find comparing the rape of their culture to online discounts something to chuckle about.
Although its attempt at humor and originality are admirable, Groupon has definitely taken the offensiveness to an extreme, which many aren’t comfortable with, especially those educated in the serious situations from which they attempted to spawn humor.
“Many ethical philosophers say ‘don’t use other people for your own goals,'” said David Kennamer, professor of media ethics at Portland State. “Especially when they don’t know about it.” It appears that Groupon has broken these moral codes and done exactly that. Kennamer noted the ad “trivialized and exploited” the misfortune of the Tibetan people.
While many advertisers try to push the limit on their advertising, it still feels like some things should remain sacred. Professor Kennamer points out that those kind of ethical standards are “hard to find in our culture, generally.” By creating an advertisement that began on a positive note, only to turn into something frivolous not only tricks the viewers into watching, but it robs the ad of any integrity.
As of Friday, Feb. 11, Groupon has announced that they will be pulling their controversial ads from the air. It seems that the negative backlash has finally taken a toll on the company. Groupon’s failed advertisement may finally be the exception to the phrase, “there’s no such thing as bad PR.” ?