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Groupon Super Bowl ad criticized for making light of China-Tibet conflict
By Jeff MillsFebruary 7th, 2011, 7:30 pmComments (7)
A day after running a thirty-second Super Bowl commercial starring Timothy Hutton, Groupon finds itself under fire from unhappy viewers who felt the spot trivialized a serious issue. The ad, directed by Best in Show's Christopher Guest, begins by showing scenic Tibetan landscapes as Hutton's voiceover declares, "The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their very culture is in jeopardy." The camera then cuts to Hutton sitting at a table in Chicago's Himalayan Restaurant as he says in an abrupt tonal shift, "But they still whip up an AMAZING fish curry," as he goes on to explain how he got a fifty-percent discount through Groupon.
Chinese internet users were angered and confused by the ad, as the Twitterverse went into action. "Groupon seems to have achieved the unique feat of paying three [million] dollars to lose customers who previously loved them," tweeted influential blogger and professor, Rohit Bhargava. "Groupon is doomed to failure now in China. Groupon's lax approach to the Chinese market is not going to work!" posted a user on Sina Weibo, a Chinese microblogging site that resembles Twitter.
But not everyone was offended; some people supported Groupon, pointing out that the online coupon vendor did bring attention to the Chinese occupation of Tibet. And in truth, it wouldn't make sense for Groupon to mock the plight of Tibetans, as the Chinese market is a crucial one for the company. It appears to be a case of Guest's subtle humor backfiring. Groupon CEO Andrew Mason called the ad a "spoof" on typical celebrity PSAs, and stated the ad was intended to raise funds for the oppressed Tibetan people.
Commentarium (7 Comments)
I didn't find it very funny.
I thought the deforestation one with Liz Hurley was much better, mostly because I have a very visual imagination and enjoyed the mental picture. I'm currently getting my ass handed to me on another forum for saying something so un-PC.
Get over it folks. It's satire!
I think the righteous indignation is a pseudo-elimination of self guilt. Why? Two reasons: 1) All those people bitching about the commercial KNOW that the next time yoga classes are 50% off on Groupon they will still buy it, and 2) Every Apple MacBook, iMac, iPad, and iPhone user knowingly supports a company (Foxconn) who has a pretty deplorable reputation. People have died making iPhones. Don't believe me? Google "Apple +Foxconn" and see how you feel.
I think I'm going to print up some "Fee Groupon" stickers for folks to stick on their Vespa and Sea Foam Green Prius.
Meanwhile Groupon takes a 50% cut from the Tibetan's who run said restaurant in Chicago. Still tastes bad to me.
That was just a lame commercial all the way around. Not entertaining, not funny... and a bit of tastelessness just makes it pretty pathetic.
Now if Richard Gere had done the commercial, that would have been funny.
@SR: You do know that this post has nothing to do with Apple or Foxconn, right? Did you also know that Foxconn makes more electronic components than anybody else? That they make products not only for Apple, but also for Amazon, Cisco, Dell, Ericsson, HP, Microsoft, Nintendo, Nokia, and Sony? That they most likely treat all their workers poorly? (Good luck getting real data about work conditions out of China.) And that Foxconn’s competition probably doesn’t treat its workers very well either?