Super Bowl commercials are usually fun, funny, cute, crazy or all of the above. The insurance company Nationwide aired two commercials during the big game and one of them,
which featured Mindy Kaling, definitely hit the mark when it comes to our super high Super Bowl commercial expectations.
In case you didn't see it, here's the wrap-up: Mindy thinks she's invisible and she starts doing all of the things we would all do if we were invisible and then she goes to plant a smooch on Matt Damon's cheek and whoops! She wasn't ever really invisible, she had just been treated like she was. Good stuff.
The company's other commercial, however, was in stark contrast to the upbeat fun feeling that Mindy's had. In fact, it was downright tragic.
The video shows a little boy saying "I'll never get to..." to a whole bunch of life milestones as a clip of him in each scenario is shown on the screen. Finally, he says "I couldn't grow up, because I died in an accident."
The commercial sparked outrage on Twitter and the company finally felt compelled to issue a statement regarding their decision to air such a sad commercial during an otherwise upbeat TV event.
You can read the full statement
here, but here's an excerpt via NBC News:
"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...While some did not care for the ad, we hope it served to begin a dialogue to make safe happen for children everywhere."
The statement also said that after the ad aired, thousands of people visited
MakeSafeHappen.com, their new website, which is aimed at reducing preventable accidents in and around the home.
What did you guys think of the ad? Bad timing or, with the millions of people (including parents) watching, was it perfect timing?