Nationwide: What We Can Learn from the Worst Super Bowl Commercial Ever

Last updated on: February 7, 2015 at 11:42 am by Adam Ericksen

Nationwide: What We Can Learn from the Worst Super Bowl Commercial Ever 2015-02-07T11:42:32-05:00 Adam Ericksen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Nationwide Super Bowl commercial. (Screenshot from YouTube)

“That was a total buzzkill.”

The Nationwide commercial just finished. Entitled, “Make Safe Happen,” it stars a sorrowful young boy. He talks about his dreams of learning to ride a bike, learning to fly, traveling the world with his dog, and getting married. But he never did any of those things. Why? He explains,

“Because I died from an accident.”

Then we see various “accidents” – a tub overflowing, toxic chemicals scattered under a sink, and a flat screen television toppled onto the floor.

Buzzkill indeed. After I made that comment, I looked at my eight year old son, who happened to be standing right next to our television during the commercial…Oh the horror.

Nationwide was not on my side during the Super Bowl. Some have suggested that it’s the “worst Super Bowl ad ever.” Many of my Facebook friends felt the same way. They demanded that Nationwide apologize to all those families watching the Super Bowl who have been through the dreadful experience of losing a child. Those families just wanted was to lose themselves in a football game and now they have to think about their family’s horrific accident.

Others have defended Nationwide. They point to statistics claiming that, “Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death among children 1-19 years of age” in the United States. They also point out that in the US, “a child dies almost every hour from preventable injuries.” Nationwide, so this group claims, did parents a tremendous service by inviting a national conversation about preventing injury. As one commentator explained, we need to “give parents the information and resources they need to create an environment where their children can thrive.”

Although I agree with my Facebook friends that the Nationwide commercial was tasteless, I think our response offers us important lessons on empathy. We responded with such vitriol because we empathized with parents who have lost children due to those kinds of accidents. As I looked at my children and realized that life is precious because tragic accidents do happen, the pain I experienced was visceral.

An empathic response of feeling another’s pain is good. It is part of our mimetic nature – we are always influenced by others and the instinctual feeling of another’s pain is a good aspect of our mimetic nature. But there’s a crucial question that underlies this discussion: What will we do with our pain?

Because when we experience pain, our instinct is often to lash out. Like a wounded cat attacks with its paws when we try to console it, we often respond to pain with violence, punishment, or shame. And so we demand that Nationwide apologize for its insensitive commercial. I am not defending Nationwide in any way, but I do think that those of us who had a negative response to it can learn something from our response. For many reasons, the demand for Nationwide to apologize is completely understandable, but it is not necessarily healthy.

First, criticizing others usually has the opposite effect of our desired outcome. Criticism only leads people deeper into their previously held beliefs. For example, after receiving criticism Nationwide has staunchly defended itself, saying that it hopes the commercial, “served to begin a dialogue to make safe happen for children everywhere.” Criticism, and shaming others by demanding apologies, just doesn’t work. This is a problem because we spend our energy on futile attempts to get someone to change when they won’t.

Second, the energy we spend criticizing Nationwide is a convenient way to resist deal with our own pain. We become like cats who lash out, or someone who scratches an injury only to makes it worse. A healthier way to use our energy is to look inside at our pain. Why, for example, did that commercial trigger such animosity? What are our fears and how can we deal with them in healthy ways?

At its best, the Nationwide commercial is a reminder of what we already know to be true – life is precious. Yes, of course, we should do what we can to protect children from accidents. No matter how hard we try, we can’t always “make safe happen.” Accidents happen, due to nobody’s fault.

In response to the commercial, maybe the best way forward is to use our energy to unpack our own pain and listen to the pain of those who have lost children from such tragic accidents. Those who haven’t lost children may not be able to imagine such pain, but they can listen to it. We can all use the empathy we felt during the commercial to let others know that they are not alone in their pain.

Because it’s true – life is precious. Life is often tragically short. So, listen to those in pain. And if you have children, love them all the more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKUy-tfrIHY

super bowl commercial

Previous Post

February 6, 2015

Getting Ready for Valentine’s Day with the Wicked Truth About Love: Part 3, Super Hero

Next Post

February 9, 2015 Getting Ready for Valentine’s Day with the Wicked Truth About Love: Part 4, Rock Star

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atonement and Current Events Curriculum Faith and Families Interviews Jesus the Forgiving Victim Lent Montessori politics Reviews The Bible Explained Uncategorized Valentine's Day Wednesday Sermon Who is God?

Select a Month July 2020 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 January 2014 December 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz