The Super Bowl ad that succeeded in getting the most publicity was the Focus on the Family spot with college football star Tim Tebow and his mother. Pam Tebow was a missionary in the Philippines when she was pregnant with the Tebow's fifth child. She was so ill from a tropical disease and the treatment for it that doctors told her to have an abortion. Pam and her husband rejected that option. After a difficult pregnancy, they had their "miracle baby," who has gone on to obviously glowing health. At the end of the ad, Tim Tebow humorously tackles his mother, which lets her say, smiling, "you gotta be tough."
I can't find a direct link to the ad, but if you go to the Focus on the Family site and click on "The Tebow Story," a link to "Watch the Tebow spots" will appear immediately.
The actual ad that they made is charming. It is very low key. It says nothing about abortion, or even the medical difficulty that Pam Tebow and her family went through.
The controversy, though seems to have brought out the irrational in some people. Before the ad aired, tens of thousands of emails were solicited objecting to it, by people who had not seen it. Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for Women, went so far as to say that "I am blown away at the celebration of the violence against women in it." Alterian SM2, a company that tracks social media content about Super Bowl ads, said that before the ad aired, negative comments far outweighed positive. After people had actually seen the ad, though, most people liked it.
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I think at least some of the criticism aimed at the ad had to do with the fact that CBS has traditionally rejected advocacy ads, and did reject a harmless ad for a gay-dating site.
True. One of the CBS Sports bloggers said that the Super Bowl was a "sacred day" and not the appropriate time to make people think about controversial issues. This is so revealing about the civil religion.
The Gay ad was not harmless to children watching the Super Bowl.
It was the kind of in your face stunt that hurts the Gay cause. If it had been subltle like the Tebow ad it might have been allowed by CBS.
The Tebow ad also helped our cause because it was respectfull. The man kissing man ad was not.
If Gays want to move from tolerance to acceptance this was not the way to do it.
I guess that crap is harmless too?
(I removed sex spam)
Wren, would you have been against the gay dating ad if it had been the exact same situation (in the advertisement), but had a man and a woman, or two women kissing instead?
Also, what do you think of the Godaddy.com/Danica Patrick ads?
Here is a link to the gay dating ad btw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEkcs4O5pRU
Again, not good for children either way. Though I will admit the Danica ad was easier for me to watch than two hairy guys kissing.
Hollywood is obsessed with gayness. I don't think anyone should fear the gay is cool message isn't getting out.
On the other hand the pro-life issue has to fight for any positive press. This Tebow storm proves that.
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