Groupon Yanks Controversial Super Bowl Ad on Tibet

Groupon is pulling its Super Bowl ad featuring Tibet -- as well as ads that feature endangered Brazilian rainforests and whales -- after backlash against the spots.

Groupon CEO Andrew Mason, in a blog post on Thursday, said the company will stop running the ads as soon as possible.

"We hate that we offended people, and we're very sorry that we did -- it's the last thing we wanted," Mason wrote. "We've listened to your feedback, and since we don't see the point in continuing to anger people, we're pulling the ads."

Mason noted the company thought it was poking fun at itself, "but clearly the execution was off and the joke didn't come through."

The Tibet ad began with actor Timothy Hutton talking about the cultural difficulties the people of Tibet face, presumably at the hands of China (where Groupon hopes to do business). But then Hutton lauds the discount he got on "fish curry" -- oddly, a dish that's not associated with Tibet -- at a Chicago restaurant.

The rainforest commercial features actress Elizabeth Hurley getting a discount on -- yes -- a Brazilian wax at a New York spa. Cuba Gooding Jr. talks about how the number of whales is dwindling, but then talks about the coupon he got for a whale-watching cruise.

In an interview with the Camera in Boulder, Colo., last week, a Crispin Porter +Bogusky executive noted the Groupon Super Bowl ads might provide "unexpected comedy" and could prove controversial. The company also created the Best Buy ad featuring Ozzy Osbourne meeting Justin Bieber.

While the Osbourne-Bieber ad was a huge hit, the Groupon ads definitely fell short. Late night talk-show host Conan O'Brien and his crew parodied the ads this week with spots featuring Saddam Hussein and the BP oil spill, among others.

Mason noted that Groupon is raising money for the three causes, collecting more than $500,000 in donations and matching funds from the company. That aspect of the discount coupon company's campaign wasn't evident in the advertisements, which are expected to cease by the weekend.

In his blog post, Mason thanked others who stood up for the company, linking to Lawrence O'Donnell's defense on MSNBC's "The Last Word." O'Donnell called Groupon the Super Bowl champion for its fundraising efforts. And he notes the objectification of women in other Super Bowl ads, most notably Web hosting company GoDaddy's ads. (For the record, we here at Woman UP don't like those ads either, even if they do feature Joan Rivers.)