This year’s Super Bowl ads might feel a bit more toned down compared to previous years, and there’s a reason for it. Advertisers, who forked out around $7 million for just 30 seconds of airtime during the big game on Sunday, are playing it safe to avoid the kind of backlash that hit Bud Light.
Last year, Bud Light faced a serious blowback from a marketing campaign featuring a transgender influencer, which caused a dip in the beer brand’s sales. Even now, Bud Light’s parent company, Anheuser-Busch, is still struggling to fully recover, with a hefty 13.5% decline in sales reported in its latest quarterly earnings report, mostly attributed to Bud Light’s drop in volume.
Despite this cautionary tale, there’s already some backlash brewing for at least one Super Bowl ad. Advocates for food allergy sufferers are urging Uber Eats to cut out a joke about peanut allergies from its commercial.
The commercial features various scenarios where people forget things because they’re too focused on Uber Eats’ wide range of offerings. For instance, a man munching on peanut butter in the ad forgets about its peanut content and ends up having a severe allergic reaction.
Food Allergy Canada expressed concerns that the ad not only alienates individuals with food allergies but also trivializes the seriousness of the condition, potentially encouraging others to make light of it. They’ve called on Uber Eats to either edit or pull the commercial entirely.
The backlash doesn’t stop there. The US-based advocacy group Food Allergy Research & Education also criticized the ad, emphasizing that making light of life-threatening food allergies isn’t acceptable.
Many comments on the ad’s post on social media are echoing similar sentiments, calling for edits to be made.
Despite these criticisms, Uber has yet to respond to requests for comment.
This controversy is unfolding against a backdrop where brands are being extra cautious to avoid any controversy, particularly after the fallout Bud Light faced from a social media campaign last year.
In April 2023, Bud Light teamed up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a campaign that sparked a conservative backlash, causing a dent in Bud Light’s status as the best-selling beer in the US.
Marketing professor Tim Calkins from Northwestern University noted that the Bud Light incident has had a significant impact on the industry, leading brands to steer clear of edgy jokes or anything remotely controversial for fear of facing a similar fate.
Uber Eats peanut allergy joke in Super Bowl ad
In conclusion, this year’s Super Bowl ad landscape reflects a cautious approach by advertisers, learning from the Bud Light backlash. The controversy surrounding Uber Eats’ peanut allergy joke underscores the delicate balance brands must strike to avoid alienating audiences and trivializing serious issues. As marketers tread carefully in the aftermath of past missteps, the industry is witnessing a shift toward more responsible and sensitive advertising, signaling a departure from edgy humor that could potentially backfire.
