Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. is getting a bum rap. The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported today that some overly sensitive Super Bowl watchers considered the insurer's hard-hitting ad about childhood deaths-by-accidents too morbid and out of place in the annual National Football League championship contest.
The 30-second spot features a young boy talking about how he will never learn how to ride a bike, travel the world with his best friend and get married because he died from an accident before growing up.
Though advertising professionals praised the 30-second spot as impactful, many viewers simply felt it was the "wrong place" for such a spot. They much preferred cutsey spots, such as Budweiser's puppy rescued from hungry wolf by Clydesdale horses spots. Give me a break!
Nationwide used its $4.5M platform to reach an audience of more than 100M viewers to educate them about preventable injuries being the No. 1 cause of childhood deaths in America each year.
More than 9,000 kids will die and thousands more will get hurt by accidents related to things like television tip-overs.
Yet 72 percent of parents are not aware of the dangers kids face daily, most of them either in or around their homes.
Those unaware parents are exactly the target audience the Columbus, Ohio-based insurer wanted to reach. Its ad for the MakeSafeHappen.com site is guaranteed to do more good for the US than the rescue of a whole litter of fictitious puppies.
Following the Big Game, Nationwide issued a statement that said, "The sole purpose of this message was to start a conversation, not sell insurance. … We knew that the ad would spur a variety of reactions… While some did not care for the ad, we hope it served to begin a dialogue to make safe happen for children everywhere."
Nationwide, which has been trying to improve home safety for more than 60 years, was right on all fronts.
The company got a good return on its Super Bowl investment.
Business leaders will face challenges in the upcoming year, some of which will come as a complete surprise, or beyond anyone's imagination.
Teneo has hired Philipp Grontzki, who is a 20-year veteran of corporate communications and financial journalism, as a managing director in its strategy and communications group.
Rowan Benecke, who co-founded Zeno Group and helmed Burson-Marsteller's tech practice, has joined McKinsey & Co as director of communications for North America.
BCW has named Golin's Matt Coldagelli EVP and leader of its corporate affairs practice in Chicago.
Abby Bailey, who headed corporate communications for Fedex in its Middle East, India and Africa region, has joined Teneo as managing director in Dubai.
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