After a two-year holdout, we finally decided to run real television ads. In the past, we’ve depended mostly on word-of-mouth and limited our advertising to online search for a couple of reasons. For one, we don’t know if television ads are worth the money. More importantly, television ads are such a huge creative statement, and so hard to do well, that we were worried it’d be near impossible to find an ad agency that could make ads we’d be confident in airing.
This year, we realized that in spite of how much we’d grown, a ton of people still hadn’t heard of Groupon, so we decided to give in to our Napoleon complex and invade the rest of the world with a proper Super Bowl commercial.
The trouble was figuring out what to do and with whom to work. We had tried working with creative agencies before and had never been that impressed. Our peculiar taste in humor made it really hard for outside agencies to come up with concepts we liked. This time around, we had better luck with the ad firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky. We really admired some of the work that CP+B had done in the past, so we gave them a shot at pitching us concepts, and they came up with an idea we couldn’t resist blowing millions of dollars on.
The gist of the concept is this: When groups of people act together to do something, it’s usually to help a cause. With Groupon, people act together to help themselves by getting great deals. So what if we did a parody of a celebrity-narrated, PSA-style commercial that you think is about some noble cause (such as “Save the Whales”), but then it’s revealed to actually be a passionate call to action to help yourself (as in “Save the Money”)?
Since we grew out of a collective action and philanthropy site (ThePoint.com) and ended up selling coupons, we loved the idea of poking fun at ourselves by talking about discounts as a noble cause. So we bought the spots, hired mockumentary expert Christopher Guest to direct them, enlisted some celebrity faux-philanthropists, and plopped down three Groupon ads before, during, and after the biggest American football game in the world.
You can view the already aired commercials, as well as new ones as we release them, at SaveTheMoney.org . And if you’ve saved enough money for yourself and feel like saving something else, you can donate to mission-driven organizations that are doing great work for the causes featured in our PSA parodies. If you guys pony up, Groupon will contribute matching donations of up to $100,000 for three featured charities – Rainforest Action Network, buildOn, and the Tibet Fund — and Groupon credit of up to $100,000 for contributions made to Greenpeace.
Annie
onFebruary 6, 2011 1:38 pm
Well done Groupon….Love it
Cant wait to see it tonight.
Thomas
onFebruary 6, 2011 4:49 pm
met Scott from CP+B last year. Great creative team. Can’t beat them, together you guys did a great twist on group buying, getting the important message in one sentence.
Congratulations.
….on a plane now to show Sean in Miami that a billion is so last year.
LUIS
onFebruary 6, 2011 5:20 pm
Super!!!!!!! Nice Job !!!!!!!!
nick
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:01 pm
Shame on you for exploiting the misery of the Tibetan people to advertise your company. If this is the sensitivity you have for others, you surely can’t be a company I want to do business with. Take me off your email list and see if you can find a way to benefit the Tibetan people instead of exploiting them for your gain.
Adam Lipkin
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:10 pm
So after two years, you decide you need to run an ad making light of the Tibetan situation? Seriously? What the heck were you thinking, other than that you want your customers to leave?
Eric
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:13 pm
You guys screwed up. You owe the Tibetan people a public apology for trivializing their position. I know I am not the only person that will be boycotting groupin from here on out.
Concerned Viewer
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:18 pm
Your commercials were disgusting and insensitive. Definitely not amusing at all.
alicia
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:19 pm
Your ad was detestable and I will never use your company again. Idiots.
Mike Dillard
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:21 pm
You guys left out the single most important sentence in each of these commercials…
“… And $15 will be donated to save (Tibet)(whales)(ETC)”
Without the punchline, these commercials just make you look like asses.
Mike
Anthony
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:35 pm
Sorry Groupon. Major fail by you guys. Quick look through Facebook status’ and Twitter search Groupon shows a ton of people finding it offensive. I thought so too when I first watched it.
Jennifer
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:38 pm
Definitely did not get the “donate to a nonprofit organization” vibe from the Tibet ad. It seemed more of “these people are loosing their culture, but we can get a great deal on their food!”.
Extremely Offended
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:39 pm
I found your ad very offensive. Regardless of how you defend it, it came across as making light of a very unfunny situation in Tibet. Shame on you.
Free tibet
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:40 pm
I can’t believe you claim to actually support these causes while simultaneously making light of them to line your pockets. I don’t care if you donate the next ten years profits, this is inexcusably insensitive and vulturishly opportunistic. There are people, animals, entire ecosystems dieing right now while you chuckle and offer to give a little ‘handout’. You are preposterously arrogant. I’ll be making sure to uninstall all of my groupon applications and letting anyone I know with a shred if decency know what you’ve done.
Ria
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:41 pm
People SO didn’t “get” what you guys were doing. Everyone loves to jump to conclusions when they’re drunk and stuffed with pizza. By tomorrow, I’m sure the pizza coma will wear off and people will be ready to see what the whole thing is about.
Gil Yehuda
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:43 pm
Dear Groupon, There’s a bit of a disconnect here. You explain in this post that you “loved the idea of poking fun at ourselves” since you “grew out of a collective action and philanthropy site” But as viewers of your tv ad during the superbowl, we don’t know your history, we just see your ad — and it does not read like “poking fun at ourselves” but as making light of human suffering by promoting the feeling of getting a good deal on something.
So I think you make a classic error — you assumed that we see the world the way you do. You thought it was cute, but it was inside humor. So without reading this blog, I thought your ad agency was simply callous. But now that I read this, I have to tack on that you were self oriented when you choose this ad campaign.
As a social shopping site, I thought you would promote your “social” facet — something that would tie into the times and generation you are targeting. I think you missed the boat. Next time, ask your fans how they would want to see you portrayed on TV.
Dave Van de Walle
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:43 pm
I would have gone with Lyle Waggoner and half-price snowtires. But that’s me.
Cindy
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:45 pm
Comedy’s risky… If you have to explain the joke, it’s not funny. You say “parody” but we all hear “exploitation”
William Clements
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:48 pm
They’re okay.
I worry that the joke may be missed by a lot of people and instead they’ll be upset.
People get upset over just 2 or 3 insensitive words in commercials these days, even if they are meant to be a joke.
Curious what the typical feedback will be.
Will
Shoes
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:50 pm
Huge Misstep. You failed to communicate the message behind the cruel jokes. The fact that you are the only brand in the top 20 with consistently negative feedback in #BrandBowl demonstrates it:
Hopefully people will take them time to figure out what the hell you were trying to do, but your message was completely buried in the joke with no reference to the matching donations and no call to action for the charities you parodied.
Brutal ads.
Kyle
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:53 pm
Spending millions on a self-promoting ad and offering a trivial $100K for each of the charities as an ethical defense for your atrocious ads. Very clever, Groupon. I’m a regular Groupon purchaser and I’m never going to buy one again.
Melissa
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:54 pm
Your ads were extremely insensitive and not funny. Watching them made us never want to buy a Groupon again. The average person most likely doesn’t realize you are trying to poke fun at yourself. You just came off as tasteless. And why not donate a lot more than $100,000 to show you really care about these charities?
Francisco Cervi
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:57 pm
Shame on you, your ads and Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The ads not only are stupid but racist and plain effed up. The worst one the one about the suffering of Tibetans. A disgrace.
Taylor
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:57 pm
Well played.
Donna McCarthy
onFebruary 6, 2011 7:59 pm
Appalling…disgusting…sad….
Mark Wilhelm
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:00 pm
Good job, Groupon. Your commercial was funny, but I’m not sure if the people you targeted with this ad were smart enough to understand it, much less follow up on it and try to learn more. If they had, there probably wouldn’t be a shitstorm brewing on Twitter.
Stephanie
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:08 pm
Epic FAIL guys… in the worst taste ever. Wow.
Ryan Murphy
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:13 pm
Exploiting Tibetans is fun and profitable! I especially like how Groupon is hiding behind an offer to match contributions to your Tibetan fund “up to $100,000 total.” How much more than that did you blow on your Super Bowl spot exactly?
Francisco Cervi
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:14 pm
Shame on you, your ads and your ad agency. Those ads are racist and plain dumb. Again. SHAME ON YOU. I am canceling my subscription and deleting ur app off my iPhone.
Allyson Kapin
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:17 pm
I think it’s awesome that Groupon raises money for nonprofit organizations, in particular the Tibet Fund. I know the founder has a deep connection to the social justice community, so I was really surprised to see Groupon highlighting Tibet’s horrible political situation and turn it into a light hearted ad where people in the US could get discounted Tibetan food in places like Chicago. Really distasteful and poor judgement. Good intentions is not enough.
hope
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:22 pm
Andrew, I think what you and your team have done with groupon is fantastic, but these ads were so off the mark and insulting to the thousands off people in need that you are “poking fun at”
Didn’t you hear about the whole @KennethCole thing earlier this week? Besides the fact that the commercials were completely insulting, they didn’t even drive people to the web to donate.
I’ve been a pretty loyal customer, but with all of the other deal sites out there, I’m probably going to take a groupon break. The ad was a really bad move.,
Brad
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:25 pm
you messed up. Big time.
Joe
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:25 pm
Nice idea to fund raise.
Liv
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:26 pm
I wish that came across at all in the ad. I was really offended when I saw the Tibet ad. It wasn’t until I actually research it that it made sense. You guys took a huge risk. I applaud you now but I don’t think most people got the point of your commercials. Definitely not on twitter.
Adrian
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:27 pm
Taken as just one commercial, it seemed to be in bad taste, but the whole is incredibly funny. I hope more will take the time to see the ad campaign altogether.
David Conrad
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:27 pm
Been using Gropon for a while but I was shocked in a horrible way with the Tim Hutton commercial mocking the plight of the people of Tibet. Shame, shame, shame. This coming off the heels of the Kenneth Cole tweet mocking the struggle for freedom of the Egyptian people. Who will your next target be: women’s voting rights, black’s equality, LGBT youth suicides? Can’t wait to see what other brilliance comes out of your advertising agency.
Elliot Levy
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:30 pm
Aaron Cooper and CPB should be fired for truly missing the mark on this campaign.
Your Tibet ad was absolutely tasteless. As a result I’ve just canceled by Groupon account and will ask others to do the same. I urge you to learn more about the plight of the Tibetan people – it is not a subject to take lightly. I was there in October and witnessed firsthand the pain of families who have had loved ones tortured or killed after speaking out against Chinese occupation. Is that amusing to you?
No doubt you will get attention from this ad, but I hope in the end it will result in a loss of customers for your site. You just lost one frequent user here.
Whatever inside joke you were trying to play on here was completely overshadowed by the poor taste of the ad.
Damaris Alfonso
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:31 pm
Awful. Just awful. Fire the Creative Director that approved this.
Steve Kettering
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:33 pm
Well, you folks went and outsmartedyourself. The ad came off as in extremely poor taste. The bottom line is this: the tragedy in Tibet is real, ongoing, and however it’s couched, you tried to leverage that reality to make money.
Disgusting.
Bill Nicolai
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:34 pm
I have never used a Groupon coupon and after witnessing your shamefully exploitive ad, I never will. And by the way, I am a consultant in the retail internet business with clients whose sales are in the billions and I will do my best to minimize their commercial use of your service. You deserve to fail.
david kane
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:34 pm
Someone on Youtube had this to say about your twisted Tibet-groupon commercial.
Wow, this is f***ing offensive.
“Millions of jews were murdered through starvation at Auschwitz… but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy this GREAt brisket at Katz’s Delicatessen, thanks to Groupon!”
Do you get it?
Annie
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:35 pm
Terrible, tasteless ads – good intentions gone BAD. Fire your ad agency pronto.
Dave
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:35 pm
The Tibet spot I saw on TV tonight. Tasteless. Tacky. Vulgar.
John Green
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:40 pm
$100,000? Really? You’re going to donate $100,000 after paying $3m per spot for the ads?
Stay classy!
grouponsuxass
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:41 pm
Groupon is a humorless tasteless company. You obviously don’t know humor and going after tibet like that was dispicable. Next time you can spend millions trying to salvage your customers back.
g
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:42 pm
Unfortunately your Super Bowl ad, although not the intent, went off as very insulting. Possibly the time constraints did not allow for a proper delivery and led to bad editing. None-the-less it upset a large number of people. You should make it clear that it was not your intent to belittle the tragic human rights issues in Tibet and use the media coverage of your faux pas to really help Tibet.
Jill
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:43 pm
Epic fail, Groupon. The TIbet ad was very offensive and not funny at all.
dj stickypants
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:53 pm
Nice commercial a-holes.
Jack
onFebruary 6, 2011 8:58 pm
Tasteless and wrong! Fifty years of Chinese genocide and you give them some money and all is in balance. Sure you don’t but I am done with groupon!
adam mclane
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:00 pm
No excuses guys. Man up and admit that this was in bad taste. To make light of the plight of the Tibetan people for the sake of telling people about your services is pretty lame.
The sooner you can distance yourselves from the ad agency and the people in your business who thought this was a good idea, the better. $100k? How about donating the full cost of production and the full cost of buying the spot to a cause supporting Tibet?
I know one thing for certain, I’ve bought my last Groupon for a while.
Joseph
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:00 pm
I can’t believe that Tibet ad is what you created for the Superbowl. Exploiting their tragedy, to sell coupons for restaurants? Is that really the best ad you could have come up with?
Lara
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:01 pm
If y’all had done some ad about animals, it MIGHT have been funny, but what you actually did was very demeaning, in my opinion. I know that you probably won’t notice or care but I unsubscribed!
deanadelsol
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:01 pm
I only saw the Tibet ad. It did not work for me. I found it tasteless and offensive. I simply don’t understand why a company would want to appear so insensitive and exploitive.
Lisa Rothstein
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:02 pm
Should have made it clear about the philanthropy angle. Consensus on Twitter and among people I know is that you used the oppression of the Tibetans as cheap attention-getting tactic for your company. I believe you lost more customers than you gained tonight, and you have some fence-mending to do.
Only good thing that might come of it is the controversy might get you some bounce in the media. Otherwise, a dumb, costly move.
Jim
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:02 pm
Wow, epic fail. Way to buy yourselves PR nightmare.
Dwayne Ali
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:07 pm
I only saw the Tibet ad….but it really comes off in poor taste. Using oppressed people as the set-up for a joke is not a good idea.
TJ
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:09 pm
I’m still flabbergasted. I can see why Alex Bogusky left CP & B now–they just don’t know when too far is too far–and neither did you all until tonight.
I know the internal culture of groupon must be great. But all was lost in translation tonight, to my chagrin.
Marc Slutsky
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:10 pm
As I watched this ad, my usual sense of humor gave way to the pain of human suffering. Could you image a 1944 ad saying, “As Jews are dying in Auschwitz, they also make great matzo balls at Ratner’s deli, come for a bargain and partake of Jewish culture. You do better and we desire better. This may be an opportunity to upgrade all of our sensitivities.
Carl Starrett
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:12 pm
With the exception of the spot with Cuba Gooding Jr., your commercials missed the mark. The one spot about Tibet was just dumb and the one with Elizabeth Hurley was offensive and really turned me off to your brand.
While your company may have a “peculiar” sense of humor, that’s hard to introduce to a market that knows little or nothing about your company. I’m interested in good deals, not your sense of humor. Your spots distracted from the core message to your target market: people seeking deals. Tell me about your product and how to use your services. Sell me on the brand to establish the customer base and then introduce me to your humor.
I also think humor is best conveyed with a “mascot” like Jack in the Box or the Geico Gecko. Your spots were just confusing and did nothing to sell the brand to me.
Will
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:14 pm
Wow. This is the most ill conceived and/or regrettable ad campaign, that I can remember, in recent history.
They simply don’t come across as psa parodies. They come across as truly tasteless ads.
Of course they will generate publicity, and they say there is no such thing as bad publicity…right?
Tell that to this, now former, customer.
Disappointed
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:14 pm
You guys aren’t as clever as you think you are.
TibetDrolma
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:20 pm
The level of tastelessness exhibited in the Tibet ad was unreal. I didn’t even bother trying to watch any of the others. I sincerely hope you’ll rethink next year’s ads. I’m absolutely not a fan of these ads, and will not be buying any further Groupons.
Rufus T. Firefly
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:21 pm
Bad move. REALLY bad move. It was a total fail in terms of first impression. Jolting in a very negative way.
I expected better.
Tyler
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:25 pm
Huh. Your ad guys must have misplaced the funny.
Tiffany Eggers
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:29 pm
I am truly appalled at your latest Groupon commercial series. I recently became a member, made a purchase and am deeply regretting it. Clearly your priorities are not what I thought they were. I will be deleting your app and pulling myself from your email list. Some things are funny and others really not. So disappointing.
Jon Garfunkel
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:33 pm
You may have heard that the ad campaigns fell a bit flat here. Comment?
Crispin
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:33 pm
Welp, that’s the end of the groupon era. Gone in one $3m blunder!
Mike
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:36 pm
These ads are tasteless and completely turn people off from your service. There is no reason to exploit people and the environment to show getting a good deal. Your service is valuable and can be a huge value to demonstrate, especially in this economy. Big miss with these ads.
Papa2Hapa
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:37 pm
The fact that you WON’T donate to these charities unless people do is pretty tasteless. It is also a paltry donation considering the wealth and success of Groupon. It is also completely offensive that you would think you are somehow “informing” a public that you would otherwise feel is ignorant of these causes. To make light of the situation in Tibet and the serious problems of deforestation in Brazil only plays into the lowest common denominator of America. If you want to perpetuate the idea that it’s okay to make fun of Tibetan refugees just to promote your company, then you’ve completely failed as a “culturally responsible” company.
Tom aciyo
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:40 pm
As a veteran commercial editor I found the ads patently unfunny and offensive. There was absolutely no light i could imagine them even seeming to be humorous. As a current restaurant owner who has a groupon in progress, I feel embarrassed to honor them at all. They are calamitous for a small, new business and regret bowing to the severe sales pressure to try them. shame on me.
Alex Olorenshaw
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:41 pm
Fantastic. You’ve done something here that’s funny, silly and genuinely subversive, and put paid to the idea that adverts should almost always go after the lowest common denominator.
I presume you’re sitting back and getting a whole lot of satisfaction out of the (ridiculous, but I suppose inevitable) outrage this has caused?
From what I’ve seen you’ve not really gained a foothold in the UK yet. I hope that once people see this campaign for it really is, your presence and popularity will increase.
SeaPig
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:42 pm
The adds were funny. But “blowing millions” on the ads and only matching $100k to the “featured charities” isn’t going to sit well with the inherently-indignant.
Joseph
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:42 pm
Just having seen the Tibet ad, I thought it was crass and inappropriate. Here’s a people who have suffered a genocide and expulsion and it’s being mocked to show how a Groupon user can save their own money. Now coming to your site, I get the backstory: “Wouldn’t it be funny if we flipped altruism on it’s head and focused on narcissism?” Well the concept is shallowly funny, but the execution was not. The ad was cheap and trivializes a whole people just so more people can learn about your website. Shame on you.
Past Groupon Supporter
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:44 pm
Sorry guys, 100,000 is pocket change to you. You guys dropped the ball. Bye bye Groupon. And yes, I will spread the word and support all of your competitors especially as a business owner.
John Galt
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:45 pm
Tibet ad was tasteless and in poor form. Trivializes the plight of an occupied and oppressed people.
AndrewOloffson
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:46 pm
Now that you explained your intentions, the Super Bowl ad is pretty funny. Unfortunately, I don’t think most people caught your humor, thus resulting in so many negative responses on the Huffington Post.
Gerald
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:47 pm
and what time was this written at?
Modest Marvel
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:50 pm
That appeared to backfire….
T Robbins
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:51 pm
Your explanation makes sense. And, even from a Buddhist POV (it was about TIbet, after all) the ad was non uncompassionate. I still don’t think it worked, though. The self-mocking “wink” was just not obvious. In fact it was so subtle I had to read your blog to have it explained.
sam
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:55 pm
These new advertisements from GROUPON are not only INSENSITIVE but NOT even remotely FUNNY. I understand that they were trying to make light of people’s suffering in Tibet and the destroying of the Brazilain rain forest, but the ads were not only NOT funny but childish. I am very surprised by the lack of professionalism of Groupon (and I work for a national television broadcaster that should tell you that my standards aren’t that high to begin with)… but seriously … people in Tibet are dying and GROUPON trys to profit off of their pain and suffering … TOTALLY UNCOOL…. maybe your next ad can make jokes about people dying of Cancer or AIDS or even a good domestic assault commercial !!!
GPCooper
onFebruary 6, 2011 9:57 pm
Hey I just wanted to pop in and say this campaign was beyond stupid, and the notion that you were “poking fun at yourselves.” Yeah, good job selling that one. Might need a coupon for that weaksauce explanation.
Comic Book Guy
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:02 pm
Worst. Ads. Ever.
Frederick Reynolds
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:04 pm
The Chinese occupation of Tibet has been characterized by acts of murder, rape and arbitrary imprisonment; torture and cruel, inhuman and degraded treatment of Tibetans on a large scale. To mock the atrocities Tibetans face on a daily basis–especially for economic gain–is despicable. My company is ceasing all marketing activities with Groupon immediately.
David
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:04 pm
These were tasteless. You should be embarrassed.
Bryson
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:05 pm
hahahahahaha. I love how you guys thought this was going to be a good idea. Poke fun of human suffering and use it to get people to buy half-off coupons? Really bad move. not funny. not cool.
You thought you were poking fun of yourselves, but you couldn’t have been more wrong.
Amy
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:05 pm
Sorry but the ads sucked. They were offensive and tasteless. By trying to win over new people who do not know your history, how are they supposed to get the mockumentary aspect? And the page you set up with the videos and donation links does nothing to clarify that. The ads were not funny. They came across as convenient ways for people to gloss over any concern for REAL issues by just focusing on themselves. Because really that’s what you are doing – getting people to focus on their wallets, not on those in need. There was a serious disconnect in your ads, and you have lost subscribers as a result. Backfired, didn’t it? Not to mention the notion that Groupon spent millions of dollars on AD time. How does that help the planet, hm?
Phil
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:08 pm
Spent $3M to lose customers. Yep, that’s about it.
Betty
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:11 pm
I already donate to my charities and don’t need you mocking their causes.
Goodbye Groupon.
Sherry
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:13 pm
I’m embarrassed on your behalf.
Kevin
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:15 pm
These were the worst commercials in superbowl history
lrdlb
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:16 pm
Poor taste and lack of foresight in all the ads I saw….parody redefined -NOT!
Jesse Petersen
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:18 pm
Ou tried, but you failed and you ticked off the entire Twitterverse in 30 seconds. Better have a statement ready for the morning news, because it will be all bad news if you don’t.
David
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:20 pm
Well, if your goal was to get people who formerly liked your service to unsubscribe, it worked.
Julie Hellman
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:22 pm
Not good enough. You blew a chance to come out as a socially responsible organization.
I will work hard to share my disgust over these ads. Groupon may be a great idea but I cannot support a company that would exploit the millions of Tibetans who have been driven from their homeland for a Super Bowl commercial.
Shame on you.
Julie Hellman
Tenzin Tashi
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:26 pm
Unbelievable. First of all, do some research. Tibetans, in general, as a culture, don’t eat fish and they don’t make curry! It’s beyond me that you would try to poke fun at yourself at the expense of exploiting a culture that has been through nothing but pain and suffering the last fifty years. Why don’t you try to put your time and energy to a real noble cause instead of wasting your time pretending that coupons are a noble cause. I will never, ever purchase or endorse your product. Unbelievable.
Tim
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:29 pm
The Tibet ad was heinously offensive. Somebody actually ok’d that to go on the air?
Paul
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:31 pm
Should perhaps wait a bit before you advertise again.
Less laughs in genocide than groupon thinks.
JB
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:33 pm
These ads were tastless. Think I may stop using Groupon.
kim
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:38 pm
Bad form. Bad taste. You are losing customers. How about you donate $1 million to each cause based on the less than appealing ads you created. There is irony and cynicism and sarcasm and humor, non of which you’ve conveyed here.
Barbara
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:38 pm
Unless you wanted to create controversy, a la “bad publicity is still publicity” you really stepped in it. I’ve unsubscribed, and from what I’ve seen around the net, others are also unsubscribing in droves.
Roberta
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:39 pm
It works and it’s okay.
Frances
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:42 pm
Awful. Ridiculing deadly serious issues, like the fate of Tibetans, thinking it’s funny their culture is being crucified if at least they have a restaurant in the US? How flip, insensitive and nasty-minded. And the others on tonight? Even worse. You have lost my business.
karen
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:48 pm
absolutely awful
Roy Larsen
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:49 pm
I am stunned that you think mocking these causes to pich getting 50% off a cheeseburger is funny or enhances your service. Your marketing guys have a tin ear and I’ll be suprised if you leave these ads up on your site or air them again.
awesomerobot
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:52 pm
Wow, I see what you guys were trying to accomplish here – but I think you completely missed the mark. Most people are going to see the ad, not follow through to the website – and just think that you guys are a bunch of jerks.
Jeff
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:52 pm
You guys suck. I hope that your tastelessness in producing the SuperBowl shorts is the beginning of the end for you all.
Dave H
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:54 pm
I can understand what you were trying to do, but making a joke out of Tibet’s struggle for cultural survival? There might have been a way to do that commercial without being insensitive, but you certainly didn’t find it.
Megan Goering
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:54 pm
I see how this could’ve seemed like a good idea, but unfortunately the narrative didn’t come through and the ads came off as Groupon had feared: Not Funny Enough, not quite right, and – yikes – exploitative to the kinds of causes ThePoint originally sought to aide. The “mock”umentaries lost the audience, and unfortunately left the causes in question to bear the brunt of the joke instead of the company.
Making fun of Groupon itself through classic, self-deprecating humor would have been fantastic. Unfortunately the ultimate story customers heard was that Tibet’s struggle doesn’t matter because we can make ourselves feel like it’s A-OK by buying half-cost food around the corner. Poor form.
muhfuhkuh
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:56 pm
Ooh, here’s another! I’m telling ya, I’m a marketing GENIUS!
“1960s. The Watts riots. The scene of chilling brutality and suffering. Dogs unleashed on unsuspecting black onlookers. Children firehosed and beaten with batons. Homes and properties set ablaze…
Just like the fiery pits at Neely’s Bar-B-Que, where I just saved $10 on a $20 fried chicken and baby back ribs with two large sides. Finger-lickin’ savings at Groupon!”
Then link to the NAACP donation page on groupon.com.
Aaaand SCENE! This stuff is fun, I do admit.
Hill Salomon
onFebruary 6, 2011 10:59 pm
Clearly these comments are moderated, right? It’s been flooding negative sentiment for hours on the real-time web and tumblweeds in here.
Huey
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:00 pm
Do not like he Tibet one.
Pierre Nick
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:04 pm
Sadly, you failed at mentioning those great philanthropic measures in your ads. Which gave myself and many others a bad taste in their mouth.
john
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:07 pm
the superbowl ad was terrible. tasteless humor and bad advertising.
worst ad of the night, by far.
Bill
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:09 pm
Terrible. Awful. If I never buy another Groupon it will be too soon.
Existential Punk
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:10 pm
Your ad was tasteless and inappropriate, Shame on you!
Daniel Christopher
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:10 pm
I only saw your tibet ad today. It was the most tasteless thing I have seen in a long time. It actually made me feel ashamed to be an american, and personally responsible for exploiting an oppressed culture. Good work.
Baron
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:13 pm
I love a non-PC joke. I laughed when Jeremy Clarkson made fun of Mexicans. I laughed when Family Guy did their dumpster baby musical number. I can laugh at a lot of things and not care if people think I’m an a-hole.
However, these commercials were lame and not at all funny. These just made you look completely insensitive and I hope you become the next Pets.com.
Pamela D
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:13 pm
You blew it BIG. Crispin was lazy and went for the easy cheap shot. Start figuring out your way out of this FAST before it gets worst.
Torturing of human being is NEVER EVER funny.
Maybe you can send discount tickets to hell.
Jigme Ugen
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:16 pm
Your concept of story-line based on mockery of tragedies are insensitive and the Tibet issue was taken too far given the history behind it – a despicable way to trivialize the suffering of and oppression of an entire people. Its a parody done in complete bad taste. Talking about taste, Tibetan’s do not excel in the art of Fish curry making, nor is the Himalayan restaurant in Chicago a Tibetan restaurant and I will not even comment on that server and his hat. Horrible research right there- guess you really care huh!
Earon Davis
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:17 pm
I think the Tibet ad was completely inappropriate and without redeeming qualities. It shows that you believe Americans to be completely selfish and greedy – or that you hope that’s how we are. Dude, you are giving the human race a bad name.
MarcusTandy
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:23 pm
You stupid f*Cks… you just did a joint-venture with Tencent in China and now you think you can drop a commercial poking fun at Tibet…
You’ll die in China. No doubt. You need more than a Creative Agency, PR Agency. You need some common f*cking sense.
I bet the Creative Agencies you decided not to use wouldn’t have been so retarded as to let you do that.
Internet darling you maybe for now, but take the offers whilst they last. You’ll fry just like Myspace did as there is no barrier to entry for your (ahem) model.
My bet is you will crash and burn or maybe sell for ~35m.
Michael
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:24 pm
Completely inappropriate and sick. Goodbye, Groupon.
Zaphod B
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:25 pm
tasteless, and a big turn off
Robert Dobbs
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:29 pm
These ads are great! When are you going to do one about Darfur?
Adam Walker Cleaveland
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:29 pm
I have a hard time believing that you’ve only received 1 comment on this blog post…are you censoring comments about your Super Bowl ads?
Anon
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:37 pm
A xenocidal agenda is wiping out the precious remains of an ancient culture, but thanks to Groupon, we ate cheap!
Kristen
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:46 pm
i’m in the business and get playing with “the line,” but you totally crossed it.. tasteless… classless… try actually going to tibet and seeing the very real and deadly struggles of these people… you might think twice about making these people the butt of your “parody”… c+p… thanks for making me embarrassed about how i earn my daily bread.
Stephen
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:47 pm
I guess these comments are being heavily moderated as no one has yet spoken about the elephant in the room, namely how awful the Groupon ads were.
Concept may have been humerous but the execution was just terrible and in many ways plain offensive (not in a good way either).
Dominic
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:48 pm
Your commercial was not funny, only offensive and insensitive. You completely failed. BTW, I’m not giving you my email so you can send me spam.
You suck.
Former Groupon Fan
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:57 pm
Wow! What totally tone-deaf marketing! You’ve hit a new low, and I suspect your servers will just about melt down dealing with all the people quitting Groupon now.
You had a chance to say “Hey: you can save a butt-load of money with Groupon, and do some good, besides.” Instead, you decided to go the cynical route, pretend to be sincere, then pull the rug out from under your audience. So very, very stupid.
And no, I do not need to lighten up. You need to grow up. Or, as is more likely, go out of business.
J
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:58 pm
Worst commercial ever. Insensitive and racist, this commercial does not put Groupon in a positive light.
yourprotagonist
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:58 pm
It’s almost as though you knew people would be offended by one or more of these spots, so you published this fig-leaf of a disclaimer beforehand.
Have you asked any Tibetans how funny they thought the spot with Timothy Hutton was?
Chris
onFebruary 6, 2011 11:59 pm
Wow. Keep it classy. Millions killed, a culture destroyed, but they make good curry so all is ok!
Duncan Kime
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:01 am
Hated the adverts and have unscubsribed. Free Tibet! Save the whales! Unsubscribe from Groupon!
snorie
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:07 am
wonderful!
Spenser
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:07 am
I have to say – I’m very disappointed with the creative direction of all your TV spots. They made light of extremely serious social and human rights issues as if to say – we know the plights of the world, but instead of banding together for a good cause, we should just band together for a great deal. I have been a loyal Groupon user and I really think you could have taken another direction with your first TV ads.
B
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:11 am
I caught the Tibet one during the Superbowl. That was really f*ing insensitive. You used real human suffering to make a joke to try to sell your product.
I’m discontinuing my business with Groupon because of it.
Have any interest in making it right? You’d better pull these ads, issue an apology, AND make those donations free of the fetters of requiring Groupon users to “pony up” first.
PS- None of your “gist” came through, either. (The gist of the concept is this: When groups of people act together to do something, it’s usually to help a cause. With Groupon, people act together to help themselves by getting great deals.) The commercial was just totally flippant, and I think you’ll soon find there are a lot of others who agree. You screwed up. Best to just admit it, make reparations, and try to learn from it.
Amy
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:17 am
I see now what you were attempting to do, but you turned a lot of people off with these ads. Search groupon on twitter and you’ll see what I mean…
americanMediaMaker
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:23 am
As I was watching the Super Bowl an advertisement came on that showed images of the Tibet and the dialogue spoke of how their culture is disappearing. The commercial quickly snapped out of its educational tone to a snarky “what’s in this for me” attitude, then pitched whatever product it was for. All of that being said. I didn’t really know what your company was about. So I came across this page and read about why you decided to make these commercials.
I now understand your intentions, but frankly these ads were poorly executed. I feel like you were making fun of Tibet as much as you were bringing awareness to it. You welcomed apathy. The worst enemy of action and something that plagues our society.
Perhaps there was too much insider humanitarian humor, but in the future I would greatly advise not marginalizing causes (even sarcastically). As creators and communicators we have a responsibility with what we present to the public. While I commend you on the fact that at some point you attempt to get these causes donations but please, capitalism clearly has gotten the best of you guys.
“We really admired some of the work that CP+B had done in the past, so we gave them a shot at pitching us concepts, and they came up with an idea we couldn’t resist blowing millions of dollars on” – did you read yourself type this? the chinese govt is erasing tibetan culture from the world… as people can only afford rice and beans once a day. seriously, i hope this was a wake up call.
Oh H.
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:23 am
Groupon exploited the plight of suffering Tibetans to promote the company during the Superbowl. How shameful.
Oh H. San Francisco
Chris K
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:24 am
I was really hoping you guys would trivialize other mass tragedies – here are some ideas: 1. the holocaust and then give me a great deal on bagels. 2. the looting of the egyptian museum, but then 2 for 1 at SFMOMA! 3. 9/11, but hey! half price upgrade on american airlines!!!
I actually HATE your company now and you’ve lost business from me. forever.
Mike
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:27 am
Worst move in advertising history. I understand that you may actually support the causes that were spoofed in these ads, but that doesn’t excuse the tasteless way that you presented them. You’ll probably just come back by saying that “you just don’t get the ads”, but if that’s the case, you know who else didn’t get them? About the 20 people on my facebook feed who already said that they’re unsubscribing from your daily emails, and, I have no doubt, many thousands of your formally loyal customers. Good move guys.
Oh H
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:33 am
•“Dear @Groupon – over a million Tibetans have been killed during Chinese occupation. Your ad wasn’t funny.” (via Devbost on Twitter)
•“Groupon seems to have achieved the unique feat of paying $3M to lose customers who previously loved them.” (via RohitBhargava on Twitter)
Oh H
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:34 am
What is funny about exploiting the deaths of one million Tibetans? #Tasteless
ebaum
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:39 am
Hay guyz. What’s goin on up in here? Cool commercial bro!
Jonathan Jaeger
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:42 am
I didn’t think the ads were particularly offensive, more so I was debating whether I thought they would sell. But, in the end,the back-and-forth over the propriety of the ads might actually end up in more donations to good causes. Whether it helps Groupon, update us with the numbers
HeyItsFred
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:46 am
Regardless of where your roots are from, the commercial you decided on was incredibly tasteless and unfunny. Given the quality of writing on your site, though, I must admit that I should not have been surprised. Enjoy this moment, Groupon, you and your “peculiar taste of humor” just became the most hated company of the Super Bowl.
Linda
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:54 am
But guys…unless one reads this “explanation” for your new ads, one may not get your point that this is a parody and that you are accepting donations for these very real causes. In the meantime, they just seem sort of tacky. Sorry Groupon, I love you, but this is not real cool. Get your own good deal by demanding a refund from the ad company.
Ralph
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:54 am
The “You Can Help” commercial that was aired during the Super Bowl was just terrible. Imagine instead of Tibet the focus in the commercial was Darfur? “The women and children of Darfur face the prospect of being brutally raped and murdered, but they still make a mean Kissra. And thanks to Groupon I can enjoy a $30 Sudanese meal for $15″
Mark
onFebruary 7, 2011 12:57 am
This was about as pathetic an advertisement as I could possibly imagine. I watched it with my children and it rendered me as thoroughly depressed about the state of humanity as, well, the rest of the spectacle of the Super Bowl. I made sure that I took time to explain to my children how completely reprehensible the ad was, what it signified (selfish, boorish, insensate behavior in a time when we need to be thoughtful about our actions more than ever) and I am immediately unsubscribing from your emails. Anyone who in even a weak moment could come to the conclusion that this was a socially acceptable way of promoting your product obviously has nothing to do with the world I hope to live in. I am sure you all congratulated yourselves about the “concept” of your ad, but something tells me you didn’t spend a moment thinking about how that message is interpreted by the sizable proportion of children watching this telecast. Perhaps future ads can feature the horrors of the Holocaust while touting a local bratwurst eatery. What a concept!
sam
onFebruary 7, 2011 1:01 am
you paid all that money to create an ad that is in such poor taste. Great, I want to buy a groupon so I can exploit Tibetians for their food at a discount. I’m going over to livingsocial, or yelp, or google new coupon site. bye bye flash in the pan
Corey
onFebruary 7, 2011 1:04 am
Disgusting ads. Period. Especially the one about Tibet. I can applaud your philanthropic efforts, but the commercials literally turned my stomach. Everyone in the room with me felt the same way as well, so I don’t think I’m alone here. You say you weren’t sure if you would find an agency who could make a commercial you could be confident airing. I don’t understand how ANYONE with even a tenuous grasp of what has happened to the people of Tibet could have felt confident airing that commercial. “These peaceful people have been tortured and are systematically being eradicated, but I got a wicked deal on the food they inspired at a restaurant in my city!” You really find that humorous? I find it hopelessly callous and misguided, at best. I used to watch and recommend Groupon. Barring a sincere public apology, I’m done doing either.
Josh williams
onFebruary 7, 2011 1:12 am
This is pretty much the worst PR move of the last 2 decades. Way to shoot yourselves in the foot. Had you simply mentioned that you would have donated $1 from all groupons in February to Tibet you’d look like heroes, how could you and your ad agency be so daft?
Charlsie Grace
onFebruary 7, 2011 1:34 am
The Super Bowl commercial was tasteless. The problem is that none of us know anything about “thepoint.com” or your current charity work. When you broadcast a risky commercial in front of millions of people who don’t “get it” you are building a reputation for having no moral compass. Making fun of yourself is fine, but this ad made fun of people who are hurting. That is never okay. Next time I suggest doing A LOT more testing. Your company and ad agency may have gotten what you were going for, but no one else in America did.
Besides, the premise of the commercial is all about “me, me, me.” To correct this problem you need to immediately release a public apology (via TV ads, social media, PR, etc). Then you need to talk about how serious the problems in Tibet are and show us that you mean it by taking action. Donate 100% profits or match every purchase made on groupon.com within a certain time period and give the money to some charity that directly benefits the Tibetan people. And then of course don’t make anymore Super Bowl commercials.
The cost of fixing this disaster may be huge, but loosing thousands of customers (or more) and branding yourself in this way will ruin you forever. We don’t want an excuse. We want an apology and for you to make this right. LivingSocial is gaining a stronger share of your market every second you wait to act.
Paul
onFebruary 7, 2011 1:46 am
It’s disgusting and exploitive and calling it a parody doesn’t excuse it. A parody has a target that it is ridiculing. So what is the target of this parody? Social activism? That’s sick.
BusterLa
onFebruary 7, 2011 1:52 am
Incredibly stupid and offensive. I’ll go out of my way to avoid Groupon in the future.
Victor
onFebruary 7, 2011 2:42 am
The commercials were tasteless, without class, and not remotely funny. After referring approximately a dozen friends to Groupon, I am now no longer using it – and yes, I don’t even care about the $80 of Groupon credit I have on my account. The commercials were ridiculous and I no longer support Groupon. My friends are thinking the same.
Susan
onFebruary 7, 2011 3:00 am
Interesting concept but really poor execution. Might have worked had you included links to real organizations that helped, but it came off in very poor taste. But it does capture the heart and soul of America, doesn’t it? me, me, me
Todd
onFebruary 7, 2011 3:02 am
Your Tibet commercial was disgusting and I hope you die in a fire.
John
onFebruary 7, 2011 4:10 am
Not “Well done” at all. The parodies are as tasteless as mocking Columbine, 911 or the Holocaust. Some people may find them funny, but do you REALLY want to associate yourselves with that type of people?
Guy
onFebruary 7, 2011 4:11 am
Your commercials would have been accepted as gallows humor from a hip, good-hearted company if you had only made some reference to this matched donations aspect. Instead, it looked like you were saying, “Who cares? As long as I get my stuff.”
Matthew
onFebruary 7, 2011 4:38 am
Hated the Tibet one, very offensive and you just lost a user.
Philip Rodgers
onFebruary 7, 2011 4:48 am
Perhaps the sales pitch from the ad agency explained you “position” better than the commercials but I think you find in retrospect that poking fun, even in satire, at the expense of suffering people and animals tends to offend rather than humor people.
Bob Cooper
onFebruary 7, 2011 5:00 am
Wow. Love your company and business model, but was/am stunned by the sheer arrogance and stupidity of you doing – in your words – a “parody” of “noble causes.” You really think that your user base wants to associated with the narcissistic a-holes portrayed in your ads? I assume the $100K donation plan was added after these spots were finished, as an insurance policy as if to say, “Hey, we were just kidding; ‘cuz you know, we’re hip and ironic and stuff!” Good luck with the blow back.
Yo Mama
onFebruary 7, 2011 5:01 am
FAIL; Tibet not clever or mockumentary-able…just because you have the money to buy into the Super Bowl doesn’t mean you’re excused or exempt from being called out for being cheesy and tasteless.
melanie
onFebruary 7, 2011 5:42 am
I love the concept! It was one of my favorite ads run during the Superbowl. Nice work!
Extremely offended
onFebruary 7, 2011 5:51 am
I love it. You show us things you want us to see, but we don’t. When we comment on your blog about it, you censor us. Nice double standard.
Can I log in to your site yet? So I can cancel your membership? Or are you still trying to slow the bleeding by not letting us in?
Mike S.
onFebruary 7, 2011 5:55 am
Completely tasteless. Shame on you.
Bob Miller
onFebruary 7, 2011 6:08 am
I thought your advertising during the Super Bowl last evening damaged your fledgling brand image. After reading this post this morning, I can see where you went wrong. It appears you folks are doing advertising by committee. If so, no good creative product will ever come from it.
Tighten up your advertising strategy. Let your marketing team do the job, or get a marketing leader whose shoulder you do not have to look over. Spending money like you spent last night, your advertising better be right, because if not, it’ll cost you more than you can imagine.
zzzooter
onFebruary 7, 2011 6:13 am
Trivializing the plight of the Tibetan people for you stupid commercial was abhorrent, tactless and not very funny.
Will you next make a commercial about the poor Palestinian people living in the Gaza Ghetto? Maybe the Egyptian protestors?
Shame on you! I will definitely NOT be using groupon!
Brandon
onFebruary 7, 2011 6:17 am
This one was a fail. Your snarkiness is way too buried, and instead all we really saw was an extremely insensitive and muddled message. You may want to re-think that ad agency you’re going on about.
Charlie
onFebruary 7, 2011 6:29 am
Questionable concept, poor execution. It’s hard to believe Christopher Guest signed off on these. On the upside, you may have singlehandedly resolved the Tibet issue, as it seems both Free Tibet activists and One China hard-liners finally have something to agree on: the Tibet ad was terrible.
You guys have a fine coupon site. Probably, though, you should stay out of politics.
Andrew
onFebruary 7, 2011 6:55 am
you may have wanted to included the charitable angle in your spots… as it were, you’ve simply offended a whole lot of people. nice one.
Janice Thompson
onFebruary 7, 2011 6:56 am
I have enjoyed your service for about a year now, and have purchased many Groupons. However, your Super Bowl ad last night was beyond tasteless. I have unsubscribed from groupon and will not be using it any longer.
Unsubscribed
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:00 am
Lame. Totally bungled the execution of a campaign concept that was shaky to begin with. The truly sad thing is that if there had been some mention that actual charity options were available on the site, it might have taken a little of the bite out of the cynicism and saved your asses.
Maybe next time you should check and see if someone outside your insular work group is amused by your “peculiar taste in humor.”
tenzing
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:09 am
Hey Groupon!
I know you guys are receiving a lot of flak for a perceived lack of cultural sensitivity in your superbowl ad, especially from the Tibetan community, and I’ll admit there are some minor inaccuracies (the bastardized Tibetan outfit of the waiter, and the lack of fish in Tibetan cuisine, much less curry). The truth is that neither the joke nor the fact of your helping raise funds for the Tibet Fund was obvious at the first or even subsequent viewings of the commercial, and frankly, I think Tibetans have suffered too much over the years labouring under the onslaught of Chinese hegemony and persecution, to be able to laugh at it. However, I would like to thank you, for bringing the cause of my people ( and that of the environment) to the fore in such a public way, even though your message may not have come across as intended.
Erin McMahon
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:26 am
This was pretty tasteless, Groupon. As much as I like that you’ve put up matching dollars for worthwhile causes, the failed attempt at humor is so bad that I’ll be looking for other ways to “save the money” for a while.
JL
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:28 am
People can also support the “mission-driven organizations that are doing great work for the causes featured” on their own, without giving money to the organization that funded the commercials. Sorry, Groupon, making fun of yourself doesn’t make the commercials funny or in good taste. What’s sad is that I actually did appreciate the information shared about your company, and would have been very interested in starting to use your service (I’ve heard about it from friends but didn’t know much about it before the ads), but I’m so put off by the ads that it now feels unethical to use your service. Some things can’t be purchased at 50% off…like integrity.
seth godin
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:28 am
First clue that you need to worry about the portfolio of your VP of marketing:
“I think we should run a Super Bowl ad…”
Marion Cobretti
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:32 am
Hi Andrew. I’m stuck in Toronto doing advertising for a boring company. Can I come work for you?
R. Williams
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:32 am
Regarding the Super Bowl Tibetea ad, it was childish, insulting. What were yoyu guys thinking?!!
Katie Walls
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:34 am
Tasteless. I can’t wait for your clips of Haitian tent cities and an ad for 50% French Creole cuisine. Or some footage of Egyptian protesters being run over in the streets plus 50% cleaning services for your Egyptian cotton sheets and towels. Guest’s mockumentaries work because you know what you’re getting when you buy the ticket, and they’re not selling anything but the movie itself. This campaign is a big FAIL and I’m rethinking my interest in Groupon, given the number of other similar services out there.
curt helland
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:39 am
Are you kidding me? offensive enough to make us quit Groupon, way to promote “ugly-Americanism”.
Marie
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:45 am
Yes, saw all three commercials and found them depraved, humorless and belittling of any kind of philanthropic cause you MAY have.
A Bailey
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:46 am
Guys – I’m sorry – your ads really turned me off. It was not ‘obvious’ that you were going for humor and there are some things that just don’t fit. Being sarcastic about the plight of persecuted people or the environment under siege does not resonate in any positive way – to have to go to your blog to see that you are trying to support these causes is lame. Your ad agency did you a big dis-service. By the way – the guy from the agency was on CNN this morning and he did nothing to inspire confidence…Good luck next time. I just unsubscribed from your site.
NoGroupon
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:49 am
Thought the Tibet ad was stupid and offensive. I got the joke but didn’t think it was funny. Would you guys do an ad about Katrina victims or the victims of the Tuscon shootings?
K Cavanaugh
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:52 am
Sorry, but I think you blew it. Everyone I was with agreed they were the tackiest thing going. Tasteless, embarrassing as a supporter of GroupOn. I was pleased to see the same sentiments on several Facebook pages. As one friend said, your offer to match donations to those organizations (for a grand total of $3K) feels like lame damage control.
todd
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:53 am
Sorry- Done with you…
Jim Rogers
onFebruary 7, 2011 7:54 am
Really, you guys need a marketing executive who has some idea what he/she is doing; dito for ad agency.
flamenkita
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:01 am
You’re so full of sh*t. Your ads were tasteless and Ii canceled my subscription. Grow a REAL conscience – one that is NOT tied to your pocket. Your fake phlianthropy is so cheap and tacky. There are just some things you don’t make fun of. Tibet is one of them. Bye bye Groupon. Hello LivingSocial and Amazon. I believe you fear Amazon more anyway – or at least you should.
Megan
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:05 am
You guys are jerks.
Carter West
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:05 am
I understand your concept better now, but if my experience is in any way common, it’s not healthy that I couldn’t understand it from your commercials, but only when explained.
Parody is difficult to pull off. Critical to its success is making it clear to the audience the object of the barb. The fault here is that you played the first half of these commercials so straight that it wasn’t possible to tell conclusively the object of the parody: the cause or the conventions of PSAs. Your edginess came across, but not your poking fun at yourselves, or your heart.
You’d have done better if you’d consulted with, not advertisers and media experts alone, but also with professors of literature and a few good novelists.
Joel Brown
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:10 am
I understand your intention, but I don’t think it works here. It just comes off as a parody….rather than as a true attempt to raise awareness to some serious causes.
Alex
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:13 am
What a terrible advert re:Tibet. I like some fairly extreme comedians but trivializing a country which has suffered (arguably) more than any other in the past few decades was low, and ultimately not funny. You basically tried to pin a joke on a countries struggle for independence, hilarious!
e terrell
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:16 am
Marketing 101, don’t muddy your image with your consumers, especially if all you have is a cyber presence and no product of your own! …as you can tell, none of us got the memo about the “joke” before you ran the ads… If the premise was you thought there were people who still didn’t know you, why the heck would you want this image to be your first impression? …if they didn’t know you yet, they would have no idea what you were parodying now, would they?…hence no humor because parody requires familiarity. You just came off promoting infantile self-centered consumerism at the cost of people and things suffering.
You had great social issue capital and a great rating, through your philanthropic ties…now folks are just confused…are you socially conscious or not?
I loved your humor, but it was never mean, dismissive, or arrogant, it was just quirky and whimsical… why didn’t you feature your brand image “Groupon,” the pithy cat, or create scenarios based on your terrific offer copy? All is brilliant, non-sequituer humor, defined your image, and would be instantly familiar to new customers that made it to your site. Plus, that material is made for SB ads (herding cats for EDS, The Streaker, for Bud?)
Then I think the only way out of this will be to offer a big, honest, “oops” we got carried away ad buy, even use the “we are ad neophytes” line, and “now” do a sincere tie-in with your roots, and push push push your social cause donation angle, maybe a percentage to a choice of charity with each groupon buy for a period of time… If you handle this right you may avoid being the next big Taco Bell chihuahua image crash.
…You may have thought them attractive, and flattered by their attention, but frankly, you were led down a dark alley and dateraped by your charismatic charmer, cp+bgroup.
Get yourself a morning after pill and fire their sorry asses. They never “got you.”
Todd
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:21 am
If you have to explain it then you didn’t do a good job of making a parody. Even as a parody, these fall short of the line and have simply pushed me away from the brand. Welcome to my never-buy list.
J Quinn
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:23 am
First, if you’re trying to reach people who don’t know about you (like myself), then you need to realize these people also don’t know you’re not completely insensitive **heads who are trying to promote the exploitation of the Tibetan people on top of the trouble their country already has. It took me coming to your website (yes… your ad worked in that sense) to find out that you make some semblance of effort toward supporting causes. However, your ad was a complete failure in getting me to patronize your website. I am here for the purpose of letting you know the ad campaign DID NOT WORK. Originally, I was going to make my feelings known about the Tibet ad, but I realize now that it was a poorly-thought out waste of millions of dollars (something completely contrary to your stated mission) that merely gave the impression you are completely insensitive **heads. Utter failure, groupon. Utter failure.
cljd
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:23 am
That’s the whole point….making human or natural tragedy all about me, me, me is wrong, wrong, wrong. You should fire that ad agency and whom ever approved those commercials in your company. Poking fun at yourselves like that is an INSIDER joke not to be shared with the outside, because no one gets it! How can I trust a company that makes such stupid decisions with my information and/or money? I can’t.
Sandra Bee
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:26 am
I find the Tibet ad to be in incredibly poor taste, exploiting a 50-year-old ongoing tragedy as it does. It makes Groupon participants look ignorant, selfish and greedy.The Tibetan people need their plight highlighted but not like this. Brush it aside as soon as someone waves a $15 coupon in your face. That’s the American way, isn’t it.
Former Member
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:27 am
I did a brief post about this commercial when it aired and had so many responses that I have to think that your intended message was lost to most of the viewers. The ad was senseless, inappropriate and opportunistic. Had the ads been promoting the concept of saving money on the small stuff so you can use that money to help a larger cause, great. I understand that was the “intent”, but poorly executed and in very bad taste. The ads themselves not only made the celebrities seem petty, but also made me feel, as someone who (used to) use Groupon deals regularly, as though my desire to save money was also selfish and opportunistic, and ignorant. It portrays the people who take advantage of these group deals as shallow, insensitive idiots who care more about themselves than the world. And that happens not to be the case. But thanks for reminding me that I have a choice in the companies I deal with. Take a cue from Living Social guys, have some taste. They may be in your rear view mirror, but I’m not alone in switching to them exclusively after last night.
Larry
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:28 am
Usually I’m all for humor that pushes the envelope, but as others have noted the execution of these ads was way off.
I didn’t really get that they were parody because it wasn’t quite broad enough (or deadpan enough). And while your chosen topics were questionable, I think you were also hurt by your choice of celebrity. It may have worked better with someone ridiculous, like a Kardashian or a Jersey Shore cast member. That way you could have kept a serious tone and we all would have instantly realized was intentionally absurd.
So next time just have Snooki come out and talk seriously about the struggles associated with tanning and how you can get a groupon to make things better. That way it’s clear you’re parodying the type of commercial, and not the subject of those serious ads.
Though people are talking about it, so I guess you win.
Gina Kulick
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:34 am
Your ads were highly effective….I’m in the camp of “lighten up” the ads were hilarious…but either way you got peoples’ attention and that is what advertising is all about!
Doug K
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:35 am
Really amazing to me that you don’t see how this ad is offensive. Using real world suffering as a lead-in to sell your product?!? If this is what you call your “peculiar sense of humor,” I’m questioning the judgment of your company. I’d call it just plain clueless.
Robert Gallo
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:40 am
“The trouble was figuring out what to do and with whom to work. We had tried working with creative agencies before and had never been that impressed. Our peculiar taste in humor made it really hard for outside agencies to come up with concepts we liked. This time around, we had better luck with the ad firm Crispin Porter + Bogusky. We really admired some of the work that CP+B had done in the past, so we gave them a shot at pitching us concepts, and they came up with an idea we couldn’t resist blowing millions of dollars on.”
Not only did you “blow” millions of dollars on your ads also “blow”. Obviously you just don’t get it, but the Tibetans do, they believe in karma and so do we…and “we” are a whole bunch of people.
Julia Starr
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:42 am
You blew millions on this ad campaign and will match offended viewers donations up to $100,000? Wow. The good vibe I had from your service has soured. Sorry. I knew about these causes before I watched the Super Bowl and all you did was contribute to the decadence of the day by mocking them and trivializing them. You really should do some soul searching on this one.
dslye
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:42 am
There is no “lighten up.” Genocide is not a topic to be taken lightly, ever. Epic fail, Groupon.
Joanne
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:44 am
This commercial is totally inappropriate….some executive should lose his/her job for approving this garbage! This is absolutely tasteless!
maus
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:48 am
I’m canceling my subscription because of this tasteless ad. It show the caliber of people that are in control of my information at Groupon and that is not what I want.
Joanne
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:48 am
For every negative comment that has been written, 1,000 others feel the same way but will not take the time to post….just remember that the next time you review your plans for such poor execution!
Russell J White
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:49 am
Your concept was NOT properly executed and when dealing with parody, you best know what you are doing because it can go bad wrong. (Remember the movie, When Mars Attacks? Tim Burton’s completely botched “parody”) Crispin Porter + Bogusky owes you a full refund, because they took you to waters they didn’t understand. In today’s world of instant reputation shifts, you have had your reputation completely tarnished. Twitter and facebook comments are off the hook bad.
In today’s world of flock mentality when the flock turns the other direction, it is a daunting task to get them to turn back. I hope you have a brand expect on hand to help you attempt to regain your standing, because the social media (who tend to be very socially sensitive) have not only abandoned you, but have turned against you. Be thankful we are an ADD-addled society, and hopefully they will forget how upset they are today.
Becky
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:52 am
We’ve got fail. These ads are just not funny. I am discontinuing use of Groupon until they apologize about making light of the problems in Tibet. Being sarcastic about the obliteration of a culture is NOT funny.
Groupon Subscriber
onFebruary 7, 2011 8:53 am
I’ve only seen one ad so far, the one about Tibet. It was not funny, and if you do offer a sincere apology I will unsubscribe.
What were you thinking?
Phil Smith
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:00 am
Using genocide to pitch your product is disgusting. Wishing people would “lighten up” about what’s going on in Tibet and elsewhere in the world is a terrible, yet all-too-familiar, sign of the dumbing down of our society. I’d be wiling to bet the farm that less than 10% of Americans can find Tibet on a globe. Your ad does nothing to turn that around. Instead, you perpetuate the “all about me” culture that will be the true downfall of a caring, democratic society.
Ellen S.
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:03 am
I was incredulous that GroupOn would run these ads. They went well beyond tacky to offensive and callous. To attempt to profit by making fun of a suffering people is low indeed. Unless you apologize for this, I no longer want to use GroupOn and I will encourage other people not to use it as well. What were you thinking!?
paul guerin
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:04 am
It came across as incredibly shallow and cynically mocking….it didn’t have to….you could have put your message across and also put in some social awareness making a lot more friends and far fewer critics…heads up!
Julia Brae
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:04 am
The Tibet commercial was appalling. Gauche, stupid, and extremely unkind. I asked other friends: same reaction.
J Dehn
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:08 am
To believe that you didn’t consider all the hype that your ad would create is ridiculous. You had a great product – who talked you into selling out for more exposure? Tacky – enjoy your 15 minutes of fame and your profit from apathetic consumers.
GirlNoir
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:14 am
I’ll say this: I have a sense of humor, and it can be a pretty twisted one. But with the context (or sheer lack thereof) of these commercials, all that came across was insensitivity. You guys know each other and your own motivations, so you know the ads were ironic. All we saw was a wealthy company airing million-dollar Super Bowl spots encouraging people to put their own interests before ecological and political tragedies. I “get” the attitude of the ads much better having read this blog post, but I still think they were in incredibly poor taste. I’ve unsubscribed from your service and won’t be using it again unless you pull the ads and issue an apology.
Ed
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:17 am
These ads were poking fun at the political correctness and obsessiveness that surrounds a lot of “Save the…” causes. They were NOT making fun of the causes. I thought that was pretty clear. These ads were genuis. Way to go, Groupon!
Debbie
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:17 am
How tasteless. Your tactless ad depicting the systematic deconstruction of Tibetan culture as satire for your monetary benefit is appalling. Those of you who find humor in this are ignorant to history of Tibet and her people. The ad dehumanizes and devalues.
I am embarrassed to be a part of this despicable company. I am sending a request to cancel and close my account.
Mike
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:18 am
You guys blew it! The two ads I saw offended me. Making light of the loss of whales and the plight of those struggling for freedom in Tibet was not funny. In some ways, you succeeded though because everyone is talking about how bad your ads were.
Ari
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:21 am
I have unsubscribed from your site. Your “explanation” is an excuse. Yes, you got attention, but I am also taking note of those involved and further intend to boycott any creative product from them as well. Shame on you. Karma is a bitch and I hope you will see that translated into lost revenues. You spent millions on the ad and are covering donations up to 3K??? You greedy @**!#!!!!
Dan
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:23 am
Really, really bad execution on a shaky concept. The following, for example, is better:
Guy looking in window of agency at vacation package. Another guy gathers, then more. They talk about how they can’t afford it. Then they all go in and say “hey, if we all buy it, can we get a break?”
Then the person behind the counter says “oh, sorry, you missed our Groupon” or “haven’t you heard of Groupon?”
Throw in some one-liners in the conversation, make the people look interesting, and you’re done.
That way, you tell people your message, and don’t end up pissing people off. The Hutton commercial made us all frown. When the Hurley ad came on, someone said “oh, is this more Groupon crap?” and turned off the television.
Next time, spend the millions on relief for Tibetan refugees. Or do a Groupon where if people buy it for $15, you donate an extra $15 for said refugees. You really blew it, guys. Here’s hoping you can be less awful when you try again.
Dave
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:28 am
Your advert was in terrible taste. Conceptually it could have worked if you’d used a fictional issue, but dismissing Tibet for a groupon was a very silly move.
Evan
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:29 am
I thought the ads were tasteless and exploitative in the purest sense of the word. My opinion DID lighten up when I saw you were actually matching donations, but only in the sense that I no longer think you guys are a bunch of bastards. A simple line like “or if you go to groupon.com and donate $15, we’ll match your donations” at the end of the commercials would have made a WORLD of difference.
As it is, I’ve been tempted to sign up recently, but I think now I’ll hold off for a month or two so you guys don’t get the wrong idea about whether your ad worked.
tony
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:30 am
in the end you insulted your customers, as narrissistic fools. and you warned your prospects that there might be something wrong at groupon. so in a way, thanks for the warning!
Evan
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:31 am
@Cavanaugh:
“As one friend said, your offer to match donations to those organizations (for a grand total of $3K) feels like lame damage control.”
Go read those pages again: they’re matching up to $100,000 apiece. Not sure where you get the $3K from.
Julia
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:32 am
The commercials were horrible and left a bad taste in my mouth. They were so distasteful I might not buy groupon deals anymore.
frank
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:33 am
Stephen (Colbert?) nailed it above. They just weren’t funny, especially in the context of the Superbowl. The also didn’t seem Christopher Guest enough. More Best In Show, less Cuba.
Tibet does seem to be the kicker. I don’t think it’s actually insensitive as most of the audience probably doesn’t even understand the problem. It’s really just an odd choice, as non of the other “issues” can speak back (whales, rain forests) Did you consider teen prostitution? or maybe abortion?
The whole white boy ironic humor thing plays out well in private but doesn’t translate on a mass scale.
Beth
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:34 am
“…we decided to give in to our Napoleon complex and invade the rest of the world with a proper Super Bowl commercial”
I came to this site to understand how a product I love could produce such an insensitive ad campaign. There was no call to action in your ads. If you really wanted to support these causes, you would have included that information in your ads, not hidden it on your website.
At the beginning of your commercial, I opened my mouth to say “I love Groupon.” By the end of the commercial, I was embarassed to admit I have an account. Very disappointing, Groupon.
Patrick
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:36 am
Advertising is NOT all about grabbing people’s attention, it is acquiring attention and making sense.
This campaign could have been executed SO much better and have been so much clearer.
Ava Rose
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:37 am
I was deeply offended by your ads. When they started I thought what a great commercial, and then it went down hill. The humor is HIGHLY offensive. After reading your idea of what you Thought your commercial was conveying I still am like somehow you missed the mark. Your advertisement used the idea of poking fun at another countries, people, and cultures oppressions to BENEFIT American Consumerism. I missed how you were poking FUN at YOURSELVES. Millions of American’s and non-Americans viewed your commercial and I have read different responses on different sites. It is interesting to see that many individuals are offended by your commercial. I saw a quote on youtube saying “Millions of jews were murdered through starvation at Auschwitz… but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy this GREAt brisket at Katz’s Delicatessen, thanks to Groupon! ” How does that make you feel?
I am American and have lived over half my life overseas. Your commercial reminded me of why SO many people Hate what our Country and Citizens are about. I am highly disappointed, hurt, and angry at your ad. As a individual from a marginalized class in America, I wondered how Groupon really is HELPING. After I read your statement and saw that you donate to Causes that is great. BUT you need to think about how Words and depictions (in misguided humor) HURT the groups of people your company hopes will use it. All it did was appeal to bigots in the world. Suggestions: 1 After viewing the website for Crispin Et al I think you need to find a marketing group with a DIVERSE team of people. So other VIEWS can be depicted (not just White America), 2. What kind of staff do you have hired working with your company? I think the best company’s in the US let their employees have a say of HOW IT is Advertised and Represented 3. Somehow the above statement seems like and EXCUSE and not an apology for offending people. I think Groupon would WIN people back if you actually said we did not know this would be OFFENSIVE. 4. USE your REAL customers in your commercial saying what they have gotten from groupon in a humorous way. I LOVED my 1/5 off Barnes and Noble Coupon. But now, that groupon is the LAST thing I Buy from your company. Now I am a LIVINGSOCIAL.COM GIRL.
clorimer
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:38 am
Completely absolutely inexcusably offensive– like, to the point where many people I know don’t want to use groupon anymore. Weird decision guys.
Chris Robson
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:39 am
Just got offf the phone with a Groupon Rep. He was very pleasant, but the company line is “You’re too dumb to get the joke”. Believe me, that is BAD advertising, and a bad position. Groupon should do like I have just done, at got its money back from the ad company.
Sad thing is that the ad company probably think that the controversy is great!
Austinite
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:40 am
Terrible concept, terrible execution, and terrible excuse. Terrible, terrible, terrible. To think you spent that much money on hurting your brand.
Deannda Neufer
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:47 am
An ad didn’t do it’s job if you have to either a) defend it or b) explain it. You are having to do both with these Super Bowl ads and I’m very disappointed in the actors who agreed to be in them. I have to wonder if they knew the whole concept when they signed up.
I have also unsubscribed from your site and am encouraging all my friends, privately, to do the same. I won’t post it on Facebook nor provide any other free advertising for your company by telling everyone just how sad and tasteless your ads were. And just so we are clear, I have a fantastic sense of humor, very sarcastic at times, even a little dark, you missed the spot on all three counts, by a million miles.
You went to the moon with these ads and never came back, you are that far out of the park and missed the mark by that much.
Jeff Bergstrom
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:47 am
you honestly should be ashamed of yourselves. for some reason I had it in my head that you were responsible corporate citizens. TERRIBLE! you gave all of chicago a bad name.
Leann Giorgio
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:53 am
I hope you guys didn’t go bankrupt over these ads because they were awful! Tasteless, smug and out of line. But hey, that’s a practice in advertising. What sickens me about the American people is that we just have to transform everything into a consumerist message. I doubt I will EVER use Groupon from now on. I’m disgusted by the lack of taste in these so-called high-end ads… Totally awful!
Ken L
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:56 am
Not an impressive introduction. Missed the mark completely and offended portions of your target audience. My family has used Groupon before, and your service is good. Your money would have been better spent informing people about your product.
Orr Kendall
onFebruary 7, 2011 9:57 am
The ad exploited Tibetan sufferring. What is funny about Million Tibetans dying under China’s suppression. The ad was offensive and tasteless. Shame on you Groupon.
miyo
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:03 am
”Millions of jews were murdered through starvation at Auschwitz… but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy this GREAT brisket at Katz’s Delicatessen, thanks to Groupon!”
MoNiSo
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:03 am
Congrats not only on a stupid and offensive commercial strategy but a completely tone-deaf response to complaint. Nice job.
RoxyBlue
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:04 am
Love the Liz Hurley spot. Very funny. You need Donald Trump to do one. He would definately want to Save the Money and is not, in my mind, associated with charity.
Doug Moore
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:07 am
As the above-poster noted…that’s a lot of cash to spend to drive away customers. Hello LivingSocial!
Matt W
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:08 am
I deeply agree with some of the previous comments:
“You welcomed apathy. The worst enemy of action and something that plagues our society.”
“The truth is that neither the joke nor the fact of your helping raise funds for the Tibet Fund was obvious at the first or even subsequent viewings of the commercial”
You say it’s an attempt at self-deprecation, but it sounded a lot like cynicism and token at that. I appreciate the subsequent connection to the charities, but it was buried and your matching gift pales in comparison to your ad costs and the damage you did through the message. If anything I hope people see the reality of what such a selfish, cynical and apathetic attitude actually looks like and in their disgust with Groupon, they rebel against that pervasive worldview.
It was enough for me. I unsubscribed and hope others do too.
Mingjie Li
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:09 am
Any one knows about history of Tibet? Any one knows where Tibet is? Any one knows the local language and actually talk to the local people? I think Tibetan and Chinese people both suffered from this issue. So please don’t make fun of both sides.
Kame
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:11 am
I’d like to note that as Tibet is a land-locked area, where lakes are sacred and rarely fished in, and curry is from India, Fish Curry is not a Tibetan dish. The suffering of a beautiful culture is not going to be made better by half off fish curry. Props for doing the donations but now Tibet Fund has to field a million calls on why they supported this naive advertisement. I’m not personally offended by this add but it just makes me wonder how this can be aired without proper research and without consulting even one person who may know more about Tibet then this ad agency does. It would have been as simple as a phone call.
anti
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:13 am
good bye, groupon. jeez.
unsubscribing
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:15 am
I was appalled. I found it disgusting and indicative of the worst traits in American culture. I thought I shared your sense of humor – I’ve even been known to copy/paste quirky text from your site & share it with friends. This ad changed my feelings about you
ted sudol
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:17 am
Charlie O’Finley, owner of the major league baseball team, the Oakland Athletics, during his lifetime, once noted, ‘It is better to be known and disliked than not to be known at all.’ Well, you, Groupon, are now members of the Charlie O’Finley Hall of Fame. I thought it was just me that did not understand what on earth the purpose of the Tibet ad was. This site’s comments sure prove that was not the case! Beyond its lack of taste and dignity, it was just a dumb ad. And, while you may be sitting there smugly thinking that all the controversy is good, i hope you are ultimately proven wrong.
Now, you’re offering a few hundred thousand dollars to charitable causes after blowing millions – millions – of dollars on your Super Bowl ads. If you had just stood in front of a camera and announced a $5,000,000 gift to support any one (or all three) causes and then just ran that announcement once in 15 seconds, you likely would have done better. Indeed, better luck next time….
Michael O'Brien
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:20 am
Aaaaaand… unsubscribed. Well played, Groupon. Well played. The big winner in all of this? Living Social.
Marco Martinez
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:21 am
Seriously, you guys really went beyond tasteless ads, into mockery of atrocities. I will unsubscribe from your offers, and sign up somewhere else…
Michael Halpern
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:22 am
Shame on you for your shameless advertisement that trivializes human rights abuses in Tibet. People who buy groupons are not value-free, mindless drones in search of a good deal. I wish that I could cancel groupons that I have bought. I will certainly be unsubscribing from your site unless an apology is issued.
AdMan
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:23 am
The best move here would be to step up and just admit that you made a bad decision and that the ads were completely out of line.
Or you could keep trying to defend them and see where that takes you – I would predict more backlash and more of a PR disaster.
Kelsey
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:26 am
Unlike everyone else here, I get what you were trying to do. You were SAYING the people in the ads were tasteless. Clever. If people are so upset about the state of Tibet, why don’t they donate $100k? Seems like online bitching is as far as most people go.
After all, you have done a lot of great philanthropic work (I loved DonorsChoose.org) and I will keep buying Groupons.
skhdfg
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:28 am
First thing I did this morning when I got to work was to unsubscribe–OK, in all fairness the FIRST thing I did was get coffee. But the very NEXT thing I did was to unsubscribe.
Dumbfounded
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:29 am
Incredibly offensive. Are you delusional at Groupon or just a collective of stupid people
Lisa Rothstein
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:29 am
I left the first comment last night… Looks like I was right.
You’ll probably say we just “don’t get it”. You need to take a look in the mirror. not to mention your facebook page’s wall.
I’ve spent hundreds with Groupon but no more unless a public apology is issued.
Andy Pollack
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:33 am
Great job pissing me, and the rest of America, off. You’ve lowered the probability of me buying another Groupon from 100% to less than 25%. Should have listened to your gut.
Vincent
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:34 am
don’t know how this ad will impact your strategy in china, definitely not positively. just wondering how creativity is achieved without cultural/political awareness.
Julie
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:40 am
Fantastic social commentary. Sadly the average person can’t understand multiple layers of meaning and are joining the “I’m offended” bandwagon. Instead of being offended at our own celebrity obsessed “it’s all about me” view of charity, they assume you are making fun of Tibet. Sorry you guys are having to pay for the inability of America to think deeply. I will continue to use your service, and applaud you for having the guts to do social commentary when everyone was expecting mindless entertainment.
Artie Philie
onFebruary 7, 2011 10:42 am
Let’s be honest- most Americans care about Tibet in the most marginal and abstract way- if at all. So the outrage I’m hearing seems a lot like groupthink and hivemind indignation. Get over yourselves!
Seems to me like most people commenting here would be 100 times more angry about something like not being able to find a parking space. Furthermore I bet less than 1% of these commenters will donate to the cause. Less than that number can find Tibet on a map (without Google’s help.)
Great ad, Groupon & Mr. Guest- I will continue to use my account and encourage others to do the same.