I wasn’t sure I’d seen what I’d seen so I went to YouTube to have another look at Groupon’s Super Bowl ad. Timothy Hutton begins seriously enough:
Mountainous Tibet. One of the most beautiful places in the world. This is Timothy Hutton. The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their very culture is in danger.
And then what follows is I guess a little like a punch line—and a pitch for Groupon:
But they still whip up an amazing fish curry! And since 200 of us bought at Groupon.com, we’re each getting $30 worth of Tibetan food for just $15 at a Himalayan restaurant in Chicago.
For the amount you have to figure Groupon spent they didn’t get their money’s worth. The ad is as dumb as it is offensive. But don’t take my word for it. Have a look yourself.