Is Nationwide on our side?
Poor Kid. He probably thought he had a chance of a lifetime when he was told he’d be in a Superbowl ad. But he was only destined for mockery from the internet.
March 17, 2015
During Super Bowl 49, many fans of the big game laughed at the Doritos ad, questioned why “Game of War” had Kate Upton promoting it, and cried as the Budweiser dog was saved by the Budweiser Horses. However, the most memorable ad to many was made Nationwide. Yeah, everyone know the one. The boy who couldn’t grow up. It starts with him not being able to ride a bike. Viewers think, “Well I wonder why? You seem like a healthy kid to me. Maybe this is a confidence building PSA.”
Then he continues, “I’ll never get cooties, or travel the world with my best friend. I’ll never get married…” That’s where this ad gets interesting. Viewers question, “Why? You’re a kid, that doesn’t even apply to you. Maybe this is an anti-bullying ad.”
Then the mic drops, “I couldn’t grow up, because I died from an accident.” In many houses across the globe, every parent with a kid in the room did a double take. This is an ad during the most watched television event of the year? My brother was thankfully not in the room, but my sister was. She asked, “Is this a real issue? That is scary…”
Yes, Nationwide is right. Child accidents are a big thing, and they need to be addressed. Is right to address them during the Super Bowl? In my honest opinion, no. It is an important topic, yes, but the fact is that the Super Bowl is a football game that is meant to be entertainment. (Nationwide did say) the ad was meant to generate talk, but all it did was earn mockery from people on all sides. The internet instantly made memes: “Nationwide isn’t on his side,” “The Seattle Seahawks would’ve passed at the end, but they died,” or a reference to another, better ad, “McDonalds wants you to call your mom and tell her you love her. Nationwide says you’re dead.”
Therefore while it did generate talk, it failed spectacularly at getting any new fans for Nationwide. The outright humorous approach the Internet took on it proves that ads need to be thought out before they are aired. Nationwide needs to go to Budweiser, take an advertisement class, and not ruin it by making an ad about dogs dying in accidents.
