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Paul_Asay

TD for Tim T?

Posted by Paul_Asay on Feb 8, 2010 11:40:24 AM
So I was sitting on my couch yesterday, munching on nachos and sipping a carbonated beverage when I saw Tim Tebow tackle his mother.

 

It was a clean hit—no flags were thrown, no fines were levied. And it was, I must admit, a clever turn for what at first appeared to be a slick-but-standard advertising spot. The Super Bowl was full of ads featuring screaming chickens and talking babies and underwear-clad men, but only one featured a son taking down his mom (in an extremely respectful and affectionate way, of course).

 

 

The Tebow/Focus on the Family spot proved to be controversially uncontroversial. On the way in to work today, I heard one media watcher criticize the ad because he didn't know what it was even about: The pro-life ad was about as polarizing as a room full of puppies.

 

For myself, I really liked it: It was light, professional and sincere—and it played even better than I hoped it would, quite frankly.

 

But then that's what you'd expect me to say, wouldn't you? After all, Focus on the Family is, literally, paying me to write this blog. While we here at Plugged In are all about dispensing fair critiques, perhaps my opinion is not completely reliable when it comes to our material.

 

So … what did you think? Did the Focus/Tebow spot score? Or fumble?

 

And while you're at it, tell me what you thought of the other Super Bowl ads, too. What was your favorite? Did anything shock and appall you? I personally didn't think the ads were quite as funny as they had been in years' past, but some were pretty effective. This morning I have a sudden urge to eat at Denny's and wander down to the vending machine for a Snickers.

5,602 Views Tags: television, influence, advertising, super_bowl, tim_tebow, controversy


Comments (22)
Feb 8, 2010 2:36 PM LoveGod-LovePeople-LikeMovies LoveGod-LovePeople-LikeMovies    says:

Frankly, I thought the Tebow ad would be really tacky, but I was pleasantly suprised by the lightheardness and sincerity of it. My first reaction was "what in the world is she talking about?", but I figured it out when she was tackled .

 

My favorite ad was the Coke: Sleepwalker commercial (nature+music+petting a hyena = happiness), followed closely by the Intel:Lunchroom Boast ad (whose ads I enjoy even when they aren't made for the Super Bowl). And among the plethora of beer comercials, the only one that I enjoyed was the Budwiser:Clydesdale/Fence commercial, probably because I have a soft spot for young animal friendships.

 

The rest of the ads were suprisingly un-funny and full of underwear. I was slightly disturbed by the number of dark movie and game commercials there were, but it was understandable considering the target audience (teenage guys to we-wish-we-were-still-college-aged guys). And killing someone with a Dorito for their Doritos? Really?

 

Also, I heard a rumor that there was a football game in between the commercials?
Feb 8, 2010 4:43 PM ivy ivy    says:

I thought the Tim Tebow ad was one of the best.  The only other one that I liked was the budweiser clydsdale commercial.

 

I thought the Green Police Audi one was terrible in the reality that it presented.  We aren't far from it.  It is now illegal in Madison, Wisconsin to throw away a plastic bag.
Feb 8, 2010 4:51 PM Pete Pete    says:

I was disappointed. I thought it could have been more direct. Maybe it was just placement, though, as I was a bit distracted by Betty White getting tackled in the ad just previous.
Feb 8, 2010 4:58 PM PCJAE PCJAE    says:

I think the ad would have been received much better had there been less controversy surrounding it. I didn't think it was necessarily a prolife ad. It was an ad for Focus on the Family which is fine of course. What was all the controversy about? Even those of us in favor of a pro life ad were disappointed because we were waiting for the punch line. My husband and I looked at each other and said, "Is that it?"

 

I heard Dennis Prager and Laura Ingrahm comment about the ad today. They were both quite unimpressed even though they appreciate Focus on the Family. Again, I think they would have been fine with the ad if the controversy surrounding it hadn't happened.
Feb 8, 2010 5:06 PM PCJAE PCJAE    says:

Oops. I wanted to talk about the other ads. I was unimpressed with just about every advertisement. At least GoDaddy's ads weren't as disgusting as in the past. The ads with guys in their underwear? EEEWW!!! Why does anyone think anybody wants to see that? The Dorritos ads were pretty stupid, imo. I especially didn't think the young kid should be slapping an adult even if that adult was in lust after the kid's mom. The Audi advertisement was scary because I feel like we are coming to the point that there will be "Green Police" arresting and ticketing us for environmental mishaps. The etrade commercials were pretty cute, but last year's were way better. Novelty has worn off, I think.

 

No offense to young men, but I really felt like so many of the ads were made by young men sitting around a table at Denny's in the middle of the night thinking up the most silly situations they could think of while being sleep deprived. Maybe, the Super Bowl audience is mostly made up of young men who appreciated the advertisements. I have no problem with guys coming up with stuff like that if they want to have fun, but there is no way I take that stuff seriously. Those advertisements don't make me want to go out and purchase anything from the ads. I just get confused about the "why" of the commercials.
Feb 8, 2010 5:15 PM imlogansmom imlogansmom    says:
I was interested to see how it was going to look after the Facebook comments before the big game about Tim's mom talking about whether she was going to abort him.  I was pretty frustrated that CBS wouldn't air it with those direct statements, although not surprised.  My husband thought they compromised, but it was the only way CBS would have even given it air time, and I believe the Lord can use it!  I thought it was touching and sincere, and hope people will be intrigued enough to check out the website! 
Feb 8, 2010 5:21 PM ricsan ricsan    says:

I enjoyed the commercial and thought it was very well done.  Yes, it could have been more flashy but I have to say it was refreshing versus all the head slapping in the other commercials.  It had the fun factor that it needed to attract attention.  It maybe could have been placed better in the lineup, though, as I, like a previous comment stated, was still distracted by Betty White and Abe Vigoda from the previous ad.

 

Regarding all the other commercials, I really didn't think any of them were up to the really fun standards of "The Magic Fridge" commercials of the past.  They all seemed rather blase this year.

Feb 8, 2010 6:29 PM Truthwalker Truthwalker    says:

The Tebow ad was beautiful in its simplicity.  If Focus was trying to reach the heart of a mother thinking of aborting her child, then the ad was right on.  The pre-game controversy added to the impact by giving us all a "heads up."

Most of the other ads were inane, and I was quickly bored.  I did like the auto ad with the Green Police (we betta watch out!)
Feb 8, 2010 6:36 PM teaka teaka    says:

I am always amazed at how God works.  Seems to me, without all the controversy no one would've really known or understood what the whole ad was about without further investigation.  But BECAUSE OF all the controversy we all knew exactly what it was saying.  Praise God!

 

So thankful for his stand, the Lord bless beyond anything he could think or imagine!

 

Regarding other commercials, same as most, not impressed at all.  The funniest to me was the bark collar Doritio one.  I actually lol on that one. 

Feb 8, 2010 6:50 PM scrapper528 scrapper528    says:

I thought the commercial was good!  I expected more about the choice of Life she made, but with all the publicity for the couple of weeks prior to Sunday, the message got out about their story.  I wouldn't think ANYONE could say that commercial was "controversial".  But I heard this evening on Glenn Beck that the NOW (National Organization of Women) is complaining that this commercial showed "violence against Women" - Can you believe that????  It's actually funny, that they could come up with that.  HEY PEOPLE - it's a commercial - and it was supposed to be FUNNY - Tim is a FOOTBALL player, get it??? He tackles (well not really - he's a quarterback)  Anyway, I was glad you put on the commercial.  Thanks for your ministry.

 

The other commercials?  I like the one with Betty White - FUNNY!  And the Baby ones - Milkaholic?  Funny!
Feb 8, 2010 6:53 PM EXMAYOR EXMAYOR    says:

I hate to be critical, because I have been a supporter and a big fan of Focus over the years, but I was really disappointed in this ad. They had the perfect opportunity to make a strong pro-life statement (without being too "preachy") by merely having Tim's mom say she was glad she decided not to abort him, despite the advice from her doctor.

 

It kind of reminds me of a seeker-sensitive church preaching a non-offensive message to increase their attendance. Was Focus trying to get a pro-life message out, or just trying to increase its customer base? I certainly don't have a problem with them making it known that they sponsored the ad (with the help of generous donors), but I was hoping the focus would be on choosing not to abort, rather than the focus being on Focus.

 

They could have done so much more. If you listen to "the rest of the story"--the interview with Tim's parents on the Focus website--it is very powerful. But none of that was included in the spot, other than his mom saying that she almost lost him several times. Whenever a Christian has a platform like that, he should use it for the maximum glory of God.

 

I think the money would have been better spent buying 3-D ultrasound machines for alternative pregnancy centers.

 

I hope this isn't a glimpse of what we can expect from the new leadership at Focus. I pray that Focus will continue to be bold on the issues, as it has in the past.
Feb 8, 2010 7:15 PM gabelle1977 gabelle1977    says:

I agree with Teaka, If I had not know what the commerical was about due to the earlier controversy, I would have been scratching my head thinking, "What?  I don't get it."    And  Love-God-Love People-love movies got it when he tackled his mom?  Can you explain it to me?  I still would have been saying duh?  Otherwise it was cute.  I admire Tim Tebow.

 

My favorite commericials are the E-trade commercials!
Feb 8, 2010 7:18 PM gabelle1977 gabelle1977    says:
P.S.  Was that the originally intended commercial or was it changed for the sake of CBS and broadcasting ability?  Just curious.
Feb 8, 2010 7:21 PM DramaProf DramaProf    says:

I was disappointed by the Tebow ad--not by the tenor or basic content of the spot, but by it's lack.  I believe the ad was supposed to 'tease' viewers to want to go to the website to find out more information.  It didn't.  The spot did not capture my interest at all. 

I did not expect a controversial ad from FotF, but I did expect a little more information that would entice me to go to the website. I found the ad mildly humorous, and completely boring.

 

As for other ads:  I loved the Doritos ad, Budweiser horses are always great, and the baby pushing financial products.
Feb 8, 2010 9:33 PM jesus4u09 jesus4u09    says:
I was actually kinda let down by this. if it wasnt for all of the pre release hype. I would just consider this an average FOTM commercial. there was no Pro Life content at all...
Feb 8, 2010 11:30 PM herbtutor herbtutor    says:

I too was disappointed - I am still unsure about what was being "promoted".  I have never heard of the Tebow's, and am still wondering what was the point of the commercial? Was it to promote Focus on the Family?  I guess I was expecting something more... How someone was suppose to figure out that commercial had something to do with abortion is beyond me.......
Feb 9, 2010 1:09 PM teasjourney teasjourney    says:

In response to the comment that "they didn't really know what the commercial was about" - wasn't that the theme of many of the Super Bowl Ad's? I can remember the dreaded "underwear" commercial - but what it truly was about...I have absolutely no idea!  The Focus commercial in my opinion - lead you to where you wanted to see more...and gave you the information to get there!  Thanks!
Feb 9, 2010 5:47 AM Downtown700 Downtown700    says:

In the midst of ridiculous people parading in their underwear, and B, C and D list "celebrities" trying to revive their careers, came a clean and simple message:  the love of a mother for her son, and the care of a son for his mother.  The chatter about NOW protesting because it had an undercurrent of promoting violence against women?  How hypocritical, when the very act of abortion is one of the most violent acts against women (and their unborn children) one could ever conceive (pun intended).  I think it was genius to avoid the on-air controversy and, instead, point people to the website for the rest of the story.  The pre-game controversy was a marketer's dream - it had people talking about the "product" for weeks before the actual event.  No other ad could have generated that amount of free publicity for FoTF.

 

As for other commercials, I thought the Lebron/Dwight pre-game hoops game, with Larry Bird stealing the show (and the Big Mac and fries) was the best.  The talking babies were funny as usual, especialy the milkaholic.  And Washington couldn't have scripted a scarier ad than the Green Police - I have to think that millions of viewers watched that ad thinking it was a great idea, and wondering if their communities could start doing that.  The sarcasm was probably lost on them.

 

Overall, I'd give this year's crop of ads about a B- or C+.  Other than a handful, they were dry, boring, humorless, and mildly offensive (casual office?  really).  Congrats to FoTF for standing out from the crowd.
Feb 9, 2010 6:53 AM jfreaks5 jfreaks5    says:

After seeing the commercial, which I thought was wonderfully and positively done and as a mom, it made me cry.  I thought, "that's what all the uproar was about?  These pro-choicers are offended over that?"  It just shows how offensive the Word of God is to those around us.  I have yet to, but will, write a letter of thanks to CBS for not backing down to the protests and showing the commercial.   For those who may not know this, I heard that CBS turned down a pro-gay commercial, but did not turn down this one.

 

As for the other commercials, I thought most of them were funny and they seemed less offensive than last year, however, I thought a lot of the commercials were about men "loosing their manhood" to women.  So, I didn't like that and don't know what that theme was all about and of course, I'll let the Godaddy.com commercial speak for itself.

 

Thanks to Focus on the Family for their ministry and the commercial!
Feb 10, 2010 9:38 AM KristieMarina10 KristieMarina10    says:

I believe the TeBow commercial scored. I enjoyed the commercial especially the tenderness shown between Tim and his mom. I was a little disappointed the Pro-Life message was not bolder. I believe CBS could have allowed Focus On The Family to use more verbiage explaining why Tim is alive today.....his mother refused to abort him after being told by Dr's she should. I knew the story behind the commercial so, it was easy for me to figure out the message. The controversy surrounding the Focus/TeBow commercial actually helped the commercial be understood. I think lots of people out of curiosity read information about the controversy which explained the Tebow's story. Therefore, God used the controversy in a positive manner....Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purpose.

 

Let's see.....my other favorite commercial would have to be Boost Mobile:Super Bowl Shuffle. I was watching the game with some of my friends from high school. We just thought it was great and started dying laughing. We were in high school during the Chicago Bears Super Bowl Shuffle days. As soon as I heard the music I was transported down memory lane. Again, it looked like the Chicago Bears were having fun together....a little older but still with a great sense of humor!!

 

All the underwear frightened me not to mention my soon to be 11 yr old daughter and her friend. We were all kinda grossed out....the room consensus was......."okay, think we've had enough of the underwear commercials." I ignored the product they were trying to sell in their underwear.....I was waiting for the men dressed in fruit costumes to come out pushing Fruit of the Loom underwear! Oh yeah, not to mention some of the underwear/naked looking poses....even though they were blocked out really left some gross visuals. There could have been some really great commercials written if there were less of an underwear fetish going on in the marketing/ad industry....lol

Feb 15, 2010 5:43 PM LoveGod-LovePeople-LikeMovies LoveGod-LovePeople-LikeMovies    says in response to gabelle1977:
LOL, sorry, I was being silly. I realized it was the Tebow commercial when he tackled her. The comercial was, for lack of better words, focused on their family. That is the point. Not just pro-life, pro-loving families, where it's adorable for the grown son to affectionatly tackle his mother.
Mar 1, 2010 5:28 PM imlogansmom imlogansmom    says:
I think it's important to remind critics that this ad was originally intended to have a pro-life statement which did have Tebow's mom presenting plainly that she did choose not to abort him.  This was the point of contention for CBS, who would not run it with that statement.  The question then was to either scrap the whole thing or present a teaser and see what God would do.  I believe Focus made the right choice-- this could be the beginning to a more open commercial, and it did generate some interest.  We have been conditioned as a society to look for funny, sarcastic or sexually oriented items to be considered 'entertaining', and in that light, the commercial didn't match up to some of the others.  However, we have to remember that even though society seems to gravitate toward that, they are still hurting and facing critical issues, and the genuine spirit and love presented in that commercial will be used by God, even if considered 'lame' by the world's standards.

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