Just wanted to quickly tip my hat to a phenomenal miss by Groupon on their super offensive superbowl ad. If you didn’t see it, take the time to read the piece in readwriteweb and watch it. If you did see it, please feel free to comment here whether you agree or disagree with my assessment.
I won’t belabor the point but in short Tibet’s decades long struggle under the Chinese government for religious and cultural freedom isn’t quite ready for SNL. Why? Because it’s still happening now! It’s raw. It’s real. And Groupon’s attempt to be transcendent in suggesting that
the one good thing about Tibet is that you can at least get delicious Tibetan food made even more affordable by Groupon and Tibetan refugees
is…well, crass and more than a little f’ng stupid.
They apparently did NOT get the memo from recent dumbass social media brand decison maker Kenneth Cole, who not so funnily indicated that people in Egypt were rioting because of the great sales KC was running. Um…yeah. Hire someone to do this for you…oh wait, they both did.
Wikileaks has let loose files from Crispin Porter & Bogusky, the jackass madmen paid to create this ad, and apparently the other ads being considered were:
Don’t let the decades long famine in Ethiopia get you down! If you’re as hungry for Ethiopian fare as an Ethiopian, we’ve got the hook up!
Want to feel like a real pioneer? Today’s groupon let’s you stay in Vegas for so cheap you’ll feel like you’ve stolen land from an Indian!
Don’t let your chance to eat great food cheap disappear like the 260,000 children abducted in the US every year!
Dear Groupon, Get a clue and choose fodder that doesn’t undermine the struggles of the still or recently disenfranchised, weak or hurt…pick on people who drive SUVs or people who pull out their penises and snap pictures on camera phones. Brett Favre and Kanye would certainly help you sell ‘$50 worth of pre-paid phone service for only $25’ so they could be less conspicuous in their dick dealing, no?
BTW, here are some links to orgs supporting some of the issues referenced above:
