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The advertisements are always half the fun of Super Bowl Sunday – especially for those of us non-sports fans. Naturally, every year there are at least a few that fall flat and some that are fully controversial.
Admittedly, I didn’t see the He Gets Us ad during its initial airtime, but watching it in retrospect legitimately made me laugh out loud. First of all, as people have said, the photos look painfully AI-generated at worst and uncanny valley at best. They’re not AI-generated, which apparently is just the style of the photographer, but it adds an unsettling quality to an already really strange concept – that concept being people coming together despite their differences and disagreements over foot washing, of all things.
There’s more to the issue here than just a weird ad, though. Last year the campaign received well-deserved backlash for being a subsidiary of The Servant Foundation, which itself had ties with The Alliance Defending Freedom, an anti-LGBTQ organization that has fought to limit abortion access and LGBTQ rights. Another donor was David Green, CEO of Hobby Lobby, which has also notoriously contributed to anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-abortion rhetoric.
The campaign now functions under Come Near, but despite its attempts to distance itself from outwardly bigoted groups, the ads went unappreciated. Many have pointed out the questionable motive behind spending millions of dollars on funding the Super Bowl ad alone, given how that money could have contributed to people in need. Viewers have also observed that the majority of the images feature minorities or struggling individuals having their feet washed by clean-cut white people, adding to the performative nature of the ad. As it is, few seem impressed by the ads, with even religious conservatives unapproving of them for appearing to lean too far left. It seems no amount of washing feet can cleanse this campaign from an unappealing reputation.
Temu had the next laughable ad. This company has been haunting my internet searches for far too long already, and a “Shop Like a Billionaire” song and cute animation aren’t about to get me to change my tune about them. We already know that items sold at wildly low prices are huge red flags, whether it’s because they were made using exploitation or because they are of horrible quality (most likely both). The slogan isn’t new, but the attempt to Disney-fy their way into our wallets is a departure from last year’s Super Bowl ad. Beyond the general revolting amount of overconsumption they encourage, it’s insulting that they expect people to believe that billionaires spend their money on cheap, low-quality junk. But if they want to use that slogan, I’ll happily stand behind the idea that there’s no such thing as an ethical billionaire, and advertising the purchase of endless low-price goods certainly aligns with that.
Finally, an advertisement sponsored by the state of Israel itself called for the release of Israeli hostages. The video ignores the fact that Gazans have been facing displacement, bombing, and food and water shortages for over 120 days due to Israel’s endless oppression, and of course, the occupation of Palestine. To make matters worse, while the Super Bowl and its famed advertisements were playing, Israel was launching brutal attacks on Rafah. Many have been forced to flee to this area because of the bombing elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, and the bombing of Rafah once again indicates genocidal intent. In response to the advertisement, 10,000 people filed complaints to the FCC for lack of clarity that it was funded by a foreign government. And of course, glaringly, Israeli President Netanyahu has rejected a hostage exchange for a ceasefire.
An advertisement slot during the Super Bowl costs millions, but guaranteeing a spot doesn’t guarantee a positive reaction. These grossed me out the most, and I wasn’t alone.