14 DAY TRIAL // Nationwide aired 2 commercials during the Super Bowl 2015 on Sunday night, one of which, “Make Safe Happen,” was more or less justly billed by the Internet the worst ad ever to screen during the big game, because it was an unnecessary downer that manipulated people into buying insurance by using the fear of child mortality.
You can find the ad below; it starts off with a kid listing the things he would never be able to do, with the unexpected twist coming halfway in: he would never do these things because he’s dead, he was killed in a home accident.
“Make Safe Happen” was like “The Sixth Sense” condensed into 30 seconds, and no one wanted to see that on TV, during the Super Bowl.
Ad goes viral, dead kid becomes a meme
The instant the Nationwide kid died during the Super Bowl 2015 was the second a new meme was born. Everyone on social media and the blogosphere thought the ad was too much or even in very bad taste (you can’t exploit parents’ biggest fear to sell insurance!), but at the very least people would have fun at the company’s expense.
And that they did. As you can see in the tweets below, even Oreo took a jab at Nationwide for this particular ad, on Twitter. The gallery below includes some memes that are still making the rounds online.
The ad itself has gone viral, clocking in at over 4.6 million views as of the time of writing. Nationwide was aiming to get noticed with it, no doubt about it, but chances are this wasn’t the kind of attention they were after.
“Make Safe Happen” wasn’t selling insurance
Perhaps the most outrageous thing about the commercial was the fact that a kid had to die before learning to ride a bicycle and do all those other things just so Nationwide could sell insurance.
As the outrage continues online, Nationwide has released a statement to set the record straight and wash some of the shame away: they weren’t selling insurance, they were running a kind of PSA on the dangers of not child-proofing your home, alarmed by the large number of child deaths in home accidents.
“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,” they say.
“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,” the statement continues.
However, if you watch the ad, it does seem like it’s selling insurance, doesn’t it?
#SuperBowl #nationwide pic.twitter.com/LXdZTC0mNH
— Preston Monroe (@biocow) February 2, 2015
My reaction after the nationwide commercial: pic.twitter.com/1UDv45zmZB
— James C. Statton (@jamescstatton) February 2, 2015
Even Oreo is mocking downer Nationwide spot. Burn. RT @lgranatstein: RT @amfmpm: wow RT @oreo pic.twitter.com/dVQfJyz0M8 oof
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) February 2, 2015
I'm gonna pitch Nationwide this new campaign concept...#SuperBowlAds pic.twitter.com/2WS6qIadSJ
— Jennifer (@GUNNARSjem) February 2, 2015
FELL CHILD SPIRIT WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE OF ME? ~*~GET NATIONWIDE INSURANCE~*~ pic.twitter.com/YZwld4uFrl
— The Cozy Dark (@bombsfall) February 2, 2015
I'm gonna pitch Nationwide this new campaign concept...#SuperBowlAds pic.twitter.com/2WS6qIadSJ
— Jennifer (@GUNNARSjem) February 2, 2015
@jaclynciamillo say it ain't so #makesafehappen pic.twitter.com/73dMAdKZBM
— Lucas Stoffel (@lucasstoffel) February 2, 2015
