How Jews Fought Hate at Super Bowl

The top 10 shows in television history are all Super Bowls. When I worked in the ad business, this was our Academy Awards. Advertisers would spend millions for a 30-second ad and then try to come up with super clever commercials that everyone would talk about.

But just as Pepsi and Doritos can take advantage of the biggest TV audience of the year, can a social cause do the same– a cause like, say, fighting antisemitism?

Last year, Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism made a $7 million bet that it can. It ran a 30-second ad, called “Silence,” that starred prominent civil rights leader Clarence B. Jones, a key figure in drafting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. It ended with the tagline “Stand up to Jewish hate, stand up to all hate.”

This year, it ran an ad with rapper Snoop Dogg and football legend Tom Brady angrily spewing “I hate you because” messages at each other before lamenting that “things are so bad we need to do a commercial about it.” The tagline this year was shortened to: “Stand Up to All Hate.” 

What’s funny (or not) is that last year, the Foundation took some heat for focusing too much on Jews (are millions of partying Americans in the mood to hear that Jews are victims?). This year, I’ve heard critics say that they’ve “All Lives Mattered” the message by avoiding a specific reference to Jews. In classic argumentative Jewish fashion, neither approach made everyone happy.

But just to muddle things up, I’m not sure either approach worked.

My first question: Why assume that to fight hate one must show hate?

Every TV viewer, Super Bowl or otherwise, is keenly aware that an advertiser wants to sell them on something, whether it’s to change insurance companies or stand up to hate.

But because people in general don’t enjoy sales pitches, they expect something in return for their attention. That’s why the best Super Bowl ads have been both highly entertaining and memorable.

A Super Bowl commercial that tells you bluntly to go against hate may sound important — but it’s also tedious and preachy. 

Good commercials flatter the viewer. They make you feel good about yourself. They make you identify with the people and the message. Hate is obviously bad, but who wants to relate to hate while enjoying beers and nachos with friends? Are you saying I’m the kind of person who would not stand up to hate? What do you want me to do exactly? The message feels both heavy and fuzzy.

Then there’s credibility. It’s cool to use celebrities, but if you force them to be something they’re not, the viewer sees right through it. Brady and Snoop are clearly not the kind of people who would show hatred that way, and viewers know it. Even if they end up agreeing, the set-up feels forced. 

I know, it’s easy to be a critic. Do I have any better ideas?

I can think of two.

The first would be to reframe the “fighting hate” message through a visceral, emotional lens that is more uplifting and fitting for a Super Bowl audience. Think of those moving “Think Different” commercials from Apple that elevated heroes.

The idea would be to remind the 128 million viewers that hate does not define our country; that in a nation that cherishes free speech, we most admire decent, inspirational speech; that we have prevailed for so long because of aspirational ideals that bring out our best, and because of heroes who preach love while also fighting hate.

The images and the music would have an epic feel to give viewers the goosebumps. Tagline: “When we stand up to hate, we stand up for America.”

A second approach would be to find a former hater who no longer hates. They exist. I’ve read stories of former Ku Klux Klan members who’ve taken the hard road to redeem themselves. This would be a raw, straight-up testimonial that would dramatize the power of aiming higher. The idea is that in America, things can change for the better.

Either commercial would end with, “Brought to you by the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.” Among other things, this would let America know how much Jews love their country.

And showing our love for America is always good for the Jews — especially when 128 million people are watching.