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Super Bowl sells ad to advocacy group
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Steve Chiotakis: CBS has sold Super Bowl ad time to an advocacy group called Focus on the Family. Marketplace's Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
Stacey Vanek-Smith: Focus on the Family is a Christian Group that has argued against abortion and same-sex marriage.
Commercial: By supporting Focus on the Family, Fred is helping a lot of families thrive.
Polarizing groups like Focus on the Family have traditionally been shut out of buying ads for big-ticket events like the Super Bowl. That's because networks want those commercials to appeal to everyone.
Brand strategist Adam Hanft says in the past, the Super Bowl has turned down ad dollars from animal activist group PETA and liberal advocacy group MoveOn.org.
Adam Hanft: It's a big threshold moment. I think obviously it's driven by some of the economics of the broadcast television industry is facing today. It could be the beginning of other similar kinds of advocacy advertising in big mainstream events.
Hanft says CBS is scrambling to sell ad time for the big game. A 30-second spot in this year's Super Bowl is selling for $2.5 million. Last year, they cost $3 million. The longer the economy remains weak, the louder money will talk. Hanft expects more advocacy ads to crop up on prime time TV and for big events like the Oscars.
I'm Stacey Vanek-Smith for Marketplace.
Thanks for your concern- I do actually watch the games with my son, even though I don't care for football, so I can either fast forward age inappropriate commercials or ask him to close his eyes. I wish all the commercials were rated "G." And in case you didn't realize, it is NOT a free country--I am not allowed to marry the woman I have spent the last 17 years of my life in a committed relationship with because of outright legal discrimination. You don't have to like my sexual orientation, but I have the right to it, and our family should have the same legal protections other families enjoy in the USA. And my son should have the right to watch a football game without being exposed to Focus on the Families anti-gay agenda!
Football Fans hate women. Focus on the Family is a hateful religious group that wouldn't even recognize Jesus if he was standing on the pond in front of their headquarters. They care nothing about women except to control them. That's polarizing.
As a Christian, I dont understand why it is that if Focus on the Family wants to run an ad during the super bowl Felicia from CA wants people to turn it off but its okay to watch half naked women promote drinking and sex. That is what you should be concerned with for your seven year old son seeing. God created marriage to be between a man and and a women and we will continue to fight against same sex marriage. We shouldnt have to watch that either but its a free country.
Dear Marketplace,
This morning I heard your story as I was packing lunch and preparing breakfast before the sun rose for my son, as I do every morning. It made me so mad. Focus on the Family has spent nearly two decades and millions of dollars and thousands of hours of person power to stop my right to marry another woman and for us to raise our son with all the legal protections this country affords mixed sex couples. They are one of the biggest anti-gay, anti-abortion advocacy groups in the world. Here is the letter I wrote to CBS after hearing your story:
Dear CBS,
I have a seven year old who loves sports. He has been looking forward to watching the SuperBowl for weeks. Our family even planned a special party with his cousins to watch the game. Today I learned that contrary to your previous decision to not accept "advocacy advertisements" during the SuperBowl, you have decided to air a 30 second advertisement made by Focus on the Family. Unless you change your mind, I will not watch the SuperBowl after all and I will not allow my son to watch it either. My son (and his brother) are being raised by me and my wife. His whole life he has only known the two of us as his loving parents; we have nursed him when he was ill: made sure he completed his homework; traipsed all over town so he could attend sports practice; and loved him with all our hearts. Focus on the Family has actively advocated against our rights to be parents, to be legally married, and has declared us sinners who are going to hell. For you to accept their 2.5 million dollars to push their political and religious agenda to American and global audiences around the world who are just trying to watch a football game is outrageous. I do not want my children, or any child, to be exposed to this mean-spirited advocacy group and their religious zealotry. I will share this letter with everyone I know and encourage them to turn CBS off during the Superbowl in protest of this ad. I hope you change your mind before it is too late.
Felicia Park-Rogers
Los Angeles, CA
Simmer down Harry and David. Read the whole story. All three of these groups are considered "polarizing" because they've all been declined in past years for a Super Bowl ad-buy. Forest for the trees, gentlemen. Forest for the trees. Be happy. Your polarizing group gets to advertise. Mine don't. (Nobody likes a sore winner)
Focus is a "polarizing" group, while MoveOn.org is a "liberal advocacy" group? Either they're both polarizing or both advocacy, if reporting is at least giving an appearance of neutrality. But as this story stands and how I heard it this morning, your leftist bias is showing.
