Like most people, this past Sunday the 4th of Feb, I watched the Super Bowl. I’m normally not into sports, simply because I don’t have a lot of time and hardly watch TV anyway. However, my mother-in-law was in town and so was my wife’s aunt and uncle. So we had a nice family event, even though the Bears lost. My daughter made “Go Bears” banners for every one and my son was given a Bears football from his uncle, he held that all night. They are twins, and just turned nine recently.
The commercials were mostly great this year.
I really liked the Career Builder series of commercials. They were all pretty funny. If you didn’t see them, click the banner.
I would have to say the one we all laughed over was the Snicker commercial. I mean, it was totally funny. It’s the way a commercial should be, memorable in a good way. It’s stupid and homo-phobic, but the stupidity is what really made it hilarious.
GM had a few commercials and probably one of the more memorable commercials since I can remember. It’s not memorable because it’s good, it’s bad, really bad. I call it their “Suicide Commercial”. The message seems to be “when it gets tough and you feel like a failure and everything sucks… just jump off a bridge so you won’t have to worry about it any more”.
I know what the message was supposed to be, but I sat there with my mouth open in total disbelief of what I just saw. I really can’t believe they actually showed a suicide in their commercial. Yes it was a robot, but when you give a robot “human-like” qualities, it’s not a robot anymore. That robot had feelings, and it showed on the screen. It was sad and considered itself a failure, just because it dropped a little screw. It left, and couldn’t hold down a job because it was so disappointed in itself for being such a failure. It was falling deeper and deeper into depression. Then it jumped off a bridge to stop feeling. Then, the robot wakes up with a couple seconds left, to show it was a dream…. Sorry GM, damage done! Too little to late.
What message does this message send!? All I know is my nine year old son kept asking me: “Why did it jump of the bridge, Daddy?”
So I’m not sure if GM wants people to become aware of suicide or what, but something went terribly wrong and this ad campaign and commercial should come to an abrupt end.
I sent the message below to GM and am going to see what their response is.
If I was in charge to clean up the mess, this is what I’d suggest to GM if they respond to my message.
They should set up an organization for suicide and depression awareness education. They should set up a marketing campaign around their Super Bowl mistake. In fact, their little robot could be the mascott. I want to see the CEO, on TV, apologizing to America about the commercial and telling us what they are doing because of it. In fact, it will make people more inclined to buy cars by being truthful and honest about their mistake.
Did they even think about the thousands of people who lost their jobs due to plant closures? Do they know what that does to a person, a community, a town? IT DEPRESSES THEM! They are slapping everyone in the face with this commercial. The commercial is wrong on so many levels, not just children suicide. How many people have committed suicide because of their plant closures? Are these the kind of thoughts GM wants people to think?
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TO: General Motors.
Good day,
This email is concerning your super bowl commercial and how appalled I was that GM, actually aired it. You act as if you are condoning suicide as an answer to when things don’t go your way. You show a robot, who “fails” at its job. It gets fired or quits, unsure. Then we see how unhappy it is, and how much it is heart broken to see its love around town. Then, as the only answer to its misery, it jumps and commits suicide.
How can you say this is a positive image!?
Yes, it wakes up, and it was all a dream, but my two 9 year olds saw it. They kept asking why it jumped. “Why did it jump into the water, daddy?”
I’m not sure who came up with your marketing campaign, but it must not have been thought through. I am a filmmaker and imagery plays a big part in telling the story and the way people feel. I’m sure you paid a lot of money to first, make the commercial, and second to air it during the super bowl. Unfortunately, your new image is greatly tarnished in my eyes.
I implore you to stop showing this commercial immediately. You are showing kids: When times are tough, and you are so sad and feel like a failure, kill yourself and you won’t have to deal with it any more.
How many MILLIONS of people have seen your ad? How many seeds have you planted in the minds of kids and desperate people?
If you want to know what I think you should do to rectify this situation, contact me. You have my information.
Sincerely,
Michael S. Copeland
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For More information Visit M S Copeland Dot Com
