It had been hyped for a few weeks. People were talking about it in churches. Pastors and priests were talking about it from the pulpit. Abortion activists and groups were infuriated by the thought of it.
But, then Sunday night came. Super Bowl Sunday. And the Tim and Pam Tebow “Celebrate Family. Celebrate Life.” ad debuted…
… and fizzled!
But, before I get into the critique, let me offer a few words of appreciation. This ad was a positive ad, amongst a crowd of ads that celebrated things in not-so-positive way. “Celebrate Family. Celebrate Life.” is a good, positive message. It is a pro-life and pro-family message.
It just wasn’t the anti-abortion message that was being promoted …
The ad could have been so much better. It could have generated more curiosity. It could have prompted people to want to know “the rest of the story”.
But it didn’t …
… even though the story was — and is — a compelling testimony about life, and the potential that exists in every human life from the moment of conception. It simply failed to pull me in — as I’m sure it failed with most others too (were it not for those who had heard of the controversy).
So, what about the ad?
At first, I didn’t even know that it was the Tebow ad. Luckily, I had the ability to rewind with my DVR. Other people I talked to didn’t … and they missed most of it. I suspect there were many like that.
I suspect that most missed Pam’s brief mention that “he almost didn’t make it into the world.”
Looking at the ad objectively … the message was of a Mom concerned for her son; just like most Mom’s out there. Nothing particularly special about that; especially for a son playing the rough-and-tumble game of football.
I wasn’t drawn in. I didn’t feel compelled to find out more. I didn’t feel like I’d missed something. To be honest the ad didn’t really make me care about the rest of the story.
That’s my impression, had I not heard any of the rest of the story through other channels.
So, how would I have changed the ad?
A quick thought off the top of my head:
Start with a 3-second intro by Pam Tebow. Next, cut to Tim’s Highlight-Reel. A few seconds in, Pam voice-over … (something like this) “Had I not chosen life for Tim, these highlights might not exist.” [Fade to black for a few seconds]. Move to a shot of Tim and Pam. Tim: “Thanks, Mom.”
Then point them to the web to get the rest of the story. Other marketing geniuses can add in something funny or catchy … to fit the “Super Bowl Ad” mold, and to make it a little less “heavy” … but that’s the basics that I think would have made a bigger impact.
Add your own thoughts on what could be added or how the ad could have been improved in the comment boxes.