Nationwide casts shadow during Super Bowl with somber ad

WTVD logo
Monday, February 2, 2015
(Nationwide)
creativeContent-Nationwide

Companies have been known to pull at people's heartstrings with emotional Super Bowl commercials (we're looking at you, Budweiser), but Nationwide went for an unusually somber tone with one of their ads.

Tap to see video if viewing on News app.

The commercial appears to begin happy enough, with a young boy trying to catch up to a group of his friends on their bikes. But it turns out he'll never catch up to his friends because...he's dead.

That's right. From catching cooties to traveling the world to getting married, Nationwide's commercial is all about the things the boy will never do because he was killed in an accident.

The commercial goes on to inform viewers that No. 1 cause of childhood deaths is preventable accidents while showing images of overflowing bathtubs, toppled TVs and cleaning products kept under the kitchen sink.

"We believe in protecting what matter most...your kids," the narrator says.

Viewers were quick to react, shocked at how dark the ad was.

What did you think of the ad? Let us know in the comments below.

Report a Typo