Groupon Pulls Tibet, Whales, Rainforest Ads

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Well that was a ton of wasted money, now wasn't it?

"Five days have passed since the Super Bowl, and one thing is clear -- our ads offended a lot of people," Mason said. "We hate that we offended people, and we're very sorry that we did -- it's the last thing we wanted. "We've listened to your feedback, and since we don't see the point in continuing to anger people, we're pulling the ads," he said.
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I wouldnt say i was offended at any of them, but I most definitely raised an eyebrow at the Tibet ad.
 
They gave me a chuckle when I say them, but it just goes to show that people can be humorless dicks.
 
The Tibet one wasn't offensive, it just wasn't all that funny.

The whale one wasn't offensive, it likewise wasn't all that funny.

The forest one wasn't offensive and it was freaking hysterical.

People need to get the stick out of their asses if they were offended by any of them. So tired of the PC garbage of companies having to walk on eggshells to avoid "offending" humorless jackasses.
 
Methadras said:
They gave me a chuckle when I say them, but it just goes to show that people can be humorless dicks.
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?

I laugh at crude and tasteless jokes etc all the time. Hell, I have to check myself when I'm not around good friends, but those commercials where completely humorless. The rainforest commercial was funny only because of the subtle audio, but they were just bad commercials.
Someone was definitely asleep at the wheel when they signed off on this concept.

I was wondering how long it would take before these got pulled.
 
I think we're playing around too much with the word "offended"

I'm not offended by the Tibet ad but I can't really be since I'm not Tibetan. As it came on I thought "Wow dude be more of a dick." I just didn't think it was funny and came off as shitty. Like a car salesmen calling a passing bicyclist a pussy to try and get him to come in and buy a car.

I'm not gonna hinge my buying purchases on some jackass commercial somebody made but I don't think commercials are anymore entertaining or sell me on their product anymore than some asshole driving through the desert in a Chrysler like I'm supposed to be wowed or something.
 
This goes to show that ANYONE can find ANYTHING offensive for ANYREASON whatsoever. /sadpanda

(Oops, didn't mean to offend the anti-panda establishment!)
 
I thought they were great, because thats really how people think. You could sell cow shit for $5/lb if you label it "Premium Cow shit, 10% OFF SALE!!!!!".
 
Tibet and Whales were boring, but not really offensive. Rainforest was pretty funny though.
 
I think a lot of people need to get a life. I watched all three on the internet. Not one of them was offensive, I got a chuckle out of two of the videos. The Tibet video was just way out there. Tastless; yes, offensive; no.
 
he caved into the vocal minority. Vocal minorities are a pain to deal with.
 
I don't know, I've been to Tibet and seeing a squad of 5-6 Chinese soldiers stationed at every corner of every block with AK-47s, grenade launchers and riot shotguns, platoons of soldiers goose stepping around and officers stationed up on rooftops watching everyone, it isn't very funny. I wouldn't say I'm personally offended, but I'm much less likely to do business with GroupOn again. If anything, I'm the consumer they should be worried about. A lot of the screamers probably never use the product; I won't scream, I'll just quietly walk away.
 
TwistedAegis said:
I don't know, I've been to Tibet and seeing a squad of 5-6 Chinese soldiers stationed at every corner of every block with AK-47s, grenade launchers and riot shotguns, platoons of soldiers goose stepping around and officers stationed up on rooftops watching everyone, it isn't very funny. I wouldn't say I'm personally offended, but I'm much less likely to do business with GroupOn again. If anything, I'm the consumer they should be worried about. A lot of the screamers probably never use the product; I won't scream, I'll just quietly walk away.
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+1

I am not personally offended but after seeing what has/is happening in Tibet its hard to see the humor or why a company would enter into such a PR nightmare.

It has nothing to do with being a humorless dick but common sense. It is the same as if you were to make fun of mentally handicapped people or bashing anything related to motherhood online (public feeding), you are going to get smashed by some group.


If anything though they sure got their name out there for better or worse. I personally stopped using them long ago because they went from a neat idea to spamming me a ton of different deals, especially those that are worthless.
 
I think it is funny that more and more ads don't get people to buy what they are selling anymore. I remembered one commercials product and that was bud light which I don't drink. Will people switch brands of beer because of funny dogs serving beer, I doubt it.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
The Tibet one wasn't offensive, it just wasn't all that funny.

The whale one wasn't offensive, it likewise wasn't all that funny.

The forest one wasn't offensive and it was freaking hysterical.
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I agree with this completely. If an advertising campaign gets too many complaints its a failure and that is why they pulled the ad. There is always a tipping a point for publicity.
 
Humorless dicks? Is this tweener fucking kidding me?

Go educate yourself on Tibet, Whales, and the Rain Forrest. You just don't make jokes about people being murdered, displaced, a culture virtually being wiped out if China has its way, or Whales, of which most are on or near endangered being slaughtered daily in the name of science by Japan and other nations. Back in the 60's there were an estimated 12,000 - 13,000 Blue Whales. There are fewer than 1,700 today. Rain Forrest? What Rain Forrest? How must is left? like 8%? Something that took hundreds of thousands of years to grow gone in 15 years and guess what, only a handful of people even benefited from that industry and whats even worse, the amount of money generated was almost nothing compared to other similar industries.

But that's cool, you guys laugh all you want.
 
SixFootDuo said:
Humorless dicks? Is this tweener fucking kidding me?

Go educate yourself on Tibet, Whales, and the Rain Forrest. You just don't make jokes about people being murdered, displaced, a culture virtually being wiped out if China has its way, or Whales, of which most are on or near endangered being slaughtered daily in the name of science by Japan and other nations. Back in the 60's there were an estimated 12,000 - 13,000 Blue Whales. There are fewer than 1,700 today. Rain Forrest? What Rain Forrest? How must is left? like 8%? Something that took hundreds of thousands of years to grow gone in 15 years and guess what, only a handful of people even benefited from that industry and whats even worse, the amount of money generated was almost nothing compared to other similar industries.

But that's cool, you guys laugh all you want.
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I have to chime in again. like I said before I laugh at crude mean horrible shit all the time. But this was a commercial making a bad jokes in the hopes that you will buy their product or whatever. They are trying to profit off of what are in reality horrible situations.
 
SixFootDuo said:
Humorless dicks? Is this tweener fucking kidding me?

Go educate yourself on Tibet, Whales, and the Rain Forrest. You just don't make jokes about people being murdered, displaced, a culture virtually being wiped out if China has its way, or Whales, of which most are on or near endangered being slaughtered daily in the name of science by Japan and other nations. Back in the 60's there were an estimated 12,000 - 13,000 Blue Whales. There are fewer than 1,700 today. Rain Forrest? What Rain Forrest? How must is left? like 8%? Something that took hundreds of thousands of years to grow gone in 15 years and guess what, only a handful of people even benefited from that industry and whats even worse, the amount of money generated was almost nothing compared to other similar industries.

But that's cool, you guys laugh all you want.
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Can we make jokes about your horrendous spelling? :D

I agree with you, none of the offended me, i was just more surprised that they went there with the commercials, and did not find them funny.
 
How's this for irony: the people who emailed them feedback whining about the ads are using computers built in China.
 
Azhar said:
How's this for irony: the people who emailed them feedback whining about the ads are using computers built in China.
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Hmmm does not seem very ironical to me.

1. Goods bought from developing nation on the cheap with poor labor standards (normal for developing nation)
2. Company trying to market a product using themes that are very real and not funny.

Now if we were talking about people protesting labor practices in china while using their macbook I could understand.
 
Honestly, I liked the commercials. I got the impression that Groupon was kinda making fun of itself and other overly ambitious salespeople who will sell you anything.
 
Well I only really laughed at the deforestation one, but god damn people. Have you ever heard of "there is no bad publicity"?

These people are all over the news now. That money was well spent.

Also, get a sense of humor.
 
The problem is they are just not very good ads. They use these world wide issues to get your attention, then change the topic to their product right after. Some (most) people don't like that, and have absolutely no interest in figuring out the inside joke.
 
infect0 said:
Hmmm does not seem very ironical to me.

1. Goods bought from developing nation on the cheap with poor labor standards (normal for developing nation)
2. Company trying to market a product using themes that are very real and not funny.

Now if we were talking about people protesting labor practices in china while using their macbook I could understand.
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The irony is that we're buying products and giving money to the very country that's oppressing Tibet.
 
Once something has 'offended' you, you suddenly expect to gain compensation, gain power over the actions of others, and if you do not, you expect to gain notoriety and fame. Offense can be taken at anything you feel should, even if you don't care at anything and it is unreleated to yourself in any way whatsoever you can pull all of that attention to yourself. In a society of fame addicts and self servingness 'offence' is taken at every possible conjuncture by one group or the other. I don't think it is possible to do anything without the mystic spirits of offense filling someone with the powers of self importance as they clamber up to fame as a spokesperson for whatever.

It shouldn't be totally the other way though, with everyone accepting everything, but when people take offense at every little possible thing, how do you differentiate when something more or less important comes along. It all just becomes noise. The adverts weren't saying any of the situations were good, though they were probably in bad taste, but they did draw attention to the problems in a way that people will probably remember more than another charity advert.
 
turbogeek said:
I have to chime in again. like I said before I laugh at crude mean horrible shit all the time. But this was a commercial making a bad jokes in the hopes that you will buy their product or whatever. They are trying to profit off of what are in reality horrible situations.
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And THIS is exactly what made me hate them from the instant that I saw them. I am absolutely astounded that anyone could possibly find any humor in these.

"HURRRR I laughed, can't please everyone I guess..." :rolleyes:

I bet that people with this attitude wouldn't think it was so goddamn funny if they themselves, or their closest loved ones were the subject of these man made horrors and someone else was poking fun at and profiting off said misery, death and destruction.
 
So does everyone here who complained about the commercial not buy products made in China? Seems hypocritical if you do. Groupon is just joking about it, while they are supporting American businesses. If you buy from China then you are supporting the destruction of Tibet.
 
The only thing that really caught me out on them was the Tibet one. I didn't want to hear some liberal "help the Tibetans get freedom" commercial so I fast forwarded it. I didn't find out till the next day it was a groupon commercial. Probably would given it a chuckle or two if I had finished watching it.
 
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