Nationwide: On My Side?

My wife served Super Bowl snack/dinner a little late last night. My family, including my 15-year-old daughter and my 11-year-old son, was still sitting around the dinner table in the first half when Nationwide aired its #makesafehappen Super Bowl spot last night.

As it ended the voiceover said, “At Nationwide, we believe in protecting what matters most, your kids.”

Tell that to my kids who audibly gasped about 15 seconds earlier when the boy in the spot announces that he “couldn’t grow up because I died in an accident.”

My kids didn’t exactly feel protected. And as a parent, PR guy and marketer, it frankly pissed me off.

By now we know Nationwide wasn’t stupid here; it was positively intentional. They knew exactly what they were doing. They wanted to use their millions to shock America into a discussion about accidental deaths of children from things that are around the home.

Personally I think this is a great idea. We should focus on that. Accidents like those are the number one cause of death for kids. I get it.

My issue isn’t the message. My issue is the forum. Yes, there are hundreds of millions of people watching and yes they are watching with their friends and families.

But they are watching with their friends and families! Really!

And Nationwide knew what it was doing and what was coming. It had a statement ready for release in the second half.

It even invited CNN to chronicle the decision leading up to the choice of the final commercial as possible cover from the backlash. And it is sticking to its guns saying the spot wasn’t created to sell insurance but was meant to begin a conversation.

But will the gamble pay off? Or will the conversation focus more on whether folks will continue to buy insurance from Nationwide because it is now synonymous with jarring American families with reality when they are expecting to be entertained?

As they said their intention was to bring more attention to the issue in 60 seconds than it has in 60 years. But the question is did Nationwide destroy the trustworthy brand it built over 60 years in a “Super Bowl minute?”

If you ask my kids, they say the spot scared the heck out of them. And they won’t be afraid to tell you that.

What do you think?