Nothing says America like Superbowl Sunday. And what would we do without the infamous Superbowl commercials to entertain us while we chow down on guacamole and buffalo wings? These commercials have become an iconic part of this annual celebration; and companies will pay millions of dollars to cunningly advertise their products within a 30 second window. While some commercials succeed by employing humor like the Doritos advertisements, try to invoke a teary eyed smile through the tale of Budweiser horses finding their way back home, others fall far short of being even remotely adequate. And then there are those commercials that find a way to be incredibly offensive, such as Groupon’s 2011 Superbowl commercial.
The video begins by panning over Tibet’s scenic mountains and grand palaces while the narrator, (Oscar and Academy Award winning actor) Timothy Hutton, asserts that the region”is one of the most beautiful places in the world.” As the commercial transitions to a slow motion clip of a pair of young girls dancing, Hutton mournfully informs the audience the culture and people “of Tibet are in trouble.”
Without any additional context, one might assume at this point that the purpose of this video might be to raise awareness of the Tibetan people’s struggle, or perhaps to advertise a charity organization, but this is where the commercial takes a sharp turn for the worse. Despite all of their struggles, Hutton declares, the Tibet still can “whip up an amazing fish curry.” And by using Groupon, he got his meal for 50% off! Thankfully, the Tibet have endured through social and political upheavals so they could prepare food for some washed-up Hollywood actor.
When analyzing the commercial’s attempt to use persuasive appeals, it becomes very clear as to why the commercial is so inappropriate. The most offensive rhetoric was conveyed through pathos, the appeal to emotion. The beginning of the commercial seeks to draw in the audience by inciting sadness and sympathy for the Tibet. The advertisement exhibits majestic mountains, ancient buildings, dancing children; all allegedly aspects of a culture no one would want to see destroyed. This appeal contributes to the impact of the shock factor that occurs when viewers next watch Hutton insolently proclaim that these people can suffer all they want as long as he can get his ‘authentic’ Tibetan fish curry. Perhaps the most ironic aspect of the whole video was that the Tibet don’t even have a fish curry dish, cementing even further the lack of thought that went into this advertisement. Though this was an endeavor to be humorous, the use of this method was clearly reprehensible. Additionally, the more obvious devise employed was ethos, or the appeal to credibility. By exploiting Timothy Hutton’s fame, Groupon was attempting to garner both trust and attention for their product. This alone might not be considered inappropriate, but by utilizing his fame to essentially insult an entire culture, ethos also plays a role in creating the offensive dialogue of this commercial.
Both the cheap use of ethos and the distasteful application of pathos combined to make an overall awful waste of precious Superbowl commercial time.
sportsmetro. YouTube, YouTube, 6 Feb. 2011, www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVkFT2yjk0A. Accessed 8 Sept. 2017.
I think that you make some really strong points in your post. It’s clear that Groupon did not consider the culture of Tibet or the lines they would be crossing in creating their advertisement. I would like to believe that their faux pas was out of ignorance, but I don’t understand how so little thought can be attributed to a commercial of this magnitude that not one person in the room where this idea was pitched ever thought to research the actual country in question. I think this is a perfect example of the type of world we live in, that a company as large as Groupon could have a blunder of this scale. The dialogue created due to this cultural shift towards disregard is dangerous because companies and individuals such as Hutton can make light of the hardships faced by people without the privilege of exercising their own views. Commercials such as this rob people like those in Tibet of their right to contribute to the civic discussion. Clearly, the creators of this ad were not thinking.
To imagine that people in our country today are still so ignorant about the countries and cultures of others is just disappointing. So many people come together to watch the Super Bowl across America and across the world. They don’t want to turn on the TV while the commercials are on and have their culture insulted. I enjoyed your point about Timothy Hutton being a washed up actor because I didn’t even have any idea who he was, and after watching that ad, I was glad not to. I also agreed with your observation that at the beginning of the ad, the audience is led to feel sorry for the Tibetan people. The sad music and slow motion images kind of give you a Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commercial vibe.
The commercial was hilarious to be fair. People mock American culture all of the time what’s wrong with mocking their culture as well?