By now, you probably know about the ad featuring University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow slated to run during the Super
Bowl, and you probably have an opinion about it.
Ben Carlson, chief strategy officer at local ad agency Bradley
and Montgomery, comes down squarely on waving a First Amendment green flag. CBS shouldn’t reject ads that clear FCC
decency rules, Carlson says, and that includes the pro-life ad in which Tebow’s mother discusses why she gave birth
against advice of a doctor who worried about her health, instead of terminating the pregnancy.
The ad, expected to cost between $2.5 million and $3 million, is funded by Focus on the Family to steer
people toward services offered by the Colorado pro-life organization.
Carlson says the Tebow
ad actually could be considered a failure in terms of return on investment. Companies and organizations
have come to the point of hoping their proposals are rejected in order to generate buzz and avoid having
to pay for the ads. Bradley and Montgomery, which specializes in national accounts (none headquartered in Indianapolis),
has fielded the request at least once.
Gauging the success of the Tebow ad will be difficult, Carlson says. It
depends on how Focus on the Family intends to measure results. Is it awareness? Contacts? Changes in political views? Ultimately,
the ad will reach a broad spectrum of people because of the reach of the game.
What do you think about advocacy
ads during the Super Bowl? Is it just a game, thus entertainment, or should it also be a forum for issues? Now that the door
has been opened for more than anti-drug messages, how far should CBS go?








IBJ Conversations
13 Comments
Add Comment
Way to kill an otherwise fun evening, Mrs. Tebow.
Hmmmmmmmm?
It basically urges pregnant women to ignore their doctors' advice to have an abortion for medical reasons and everything will turn out ok.
What are the statistics on women who refuse to have an abortion when doctors recommend one? How many beat the odds and have perfectly healthy children or themselves survive when the pregnancy endangered their life?
Abortion!
My question now is, what are the stats in each direction? How many babies and/or mothers die when doctors say that there are medical complications which can result in death? How many survive? Do we actually have enough evidence to support the safety of parent/child(ren) to swing one way or the other? If Mother has abortion (legal or otherwise), how safe is it and how will it affect her for future pregnancies (if she chooses to keep child)? What are the options for the parent and child if parent chooses to have child? Will you support the idea of pro-life and making sure that mother and child can survive and have a fighting chance at life (like a good education and good nutrition and health - reguardless of how much they make)?
And for those who think that Pro-Choice is only PRO-Abortion, think about this, Pro-Choice is different. It is CHOICE, which means CHOOSING life or abortion. Pro-Abortion means that person is for abortion. Not all ProChoicers would leap for abortions, but have something called Choice. I am sorry if I offend you on this, but I hold no opinion on the pro-life, pro-abortion, pro-choice debate, but find it quite funny that people get their panties all up in a bunch if what they opposed is publiced. If you don't like it, don't read it, don't watch it, don't listen to it. There is a mute button, a channel changer button, and an off button. if you don't approve something that a tv channel shows, you can easily change the channel or just not watch tv at all. IT IS YOUR CHOICE.
It's the original, classic argument against abortion - maybe the aborted baby would have found a cure for cancer, Nobel Peace prize winner.. who knows? Tim Tebow is an outstanding athlete despite warnings of his health in utero. He's a football star. I'd be interested in what ad gays could come up with that ties into football. Just wondering.