Advertising the Fight Against Antisemitism

Super Bowl Sunday this year broke records, drawing a whopping 123 million viewers across a variety of media platforms. While some tuned in to watch Taylor Swift cheer on her boyfriend, others to see 45-year-old Usher perform flawlessly, and many to watch the sport, there was one constant among viewers:  All were in it for the commercials. Advertisers lined up to pay as much as $7 million for a mere 30-second time slot, receiving in return the rare opportunity to engage directly with over 100 million sets of eyeballs. Super Bowl advertising is always a key platform for brand and cause awareness and this year, the need to fight anti-Jewish hate made bids for awareness. But were these ads successful? And is this the best way to combat antisemitism? 

I’ve spent my career working in and servicing the advertising industry, including roles at publishers (Inc. Magazine), advertising-focused tech companies (OnSwipe), and media-focused finance companies (FastPay, East West Bank) and have seen first-hand how brand awareness tactics and strategies are developed. I’ve seen which tend to be effective and which fail.   

There were two commercials focused on anti-Jewish hate I paid particular attention to, both funded by Robert Kraft. However, only one of the two ads used the powerful tool of advertising correctly. 

Kraft’s first ad on antisemitism featured Martin Luther King Jr.’s speechwriter, Clarence Jones, speaking out against hate amidst images of burning swastikas and people cleaning up graffiti, some wearing shirts that said “Say Their Names.” This ad was seemingly directed to the Black community and intended to draw parallels between the bigotry that Jews and Blacks have faced over time. It essentially said: “Jews, they’re just like us! They too are the victims of discrimination. They too are the underdog. Their fight and our fight are the same.” 

This is a message that resonated powerfully during the civil rights movement, when both Jews and Blacks were widely seen as underdogs and mutual victims of racism, hatred and bigotry. Blacks were still in the process of attaining basic civil rights in the U.S. and the Jewish community was trying to find its footing in the wake of the Holocaust. At that time, Israel was seen as a young, scrappy underdog country in a neighborhood with larger and stronger antagonistic Arab neighbors. 

Since then, however, the general perception is that the socioeconomic paths of Jews and Blacks in America have sharply diverged, with Jews becoming proportionally overrepresented in positions of power in the corporate and political spheres, while Blacks remain underrepresented. Meanwhile Israel is seen as having changed from scrappy underdog to global power. Whether it’s sports or identity politics, people like an underdog. Now that American Jews and the country of Israel are no longer perceived as such, Kraft’s message that “Jews experience hate just like we do” is likely to fall flat. 

If this ad doesn’t succeed in forcing people to think about race education, discrimination and hostages, what does? You need a different strategy to cut through the noise and get a positive reaction. For better or worse, people (especially young people) consume media today in bite-sized pieces and form quick opinions. A more effective way to make an impact during a 30-second commercial is with an emotional message that everyone should be able to relate to. 

The second commercial that Kraft paid for didn’t get as much buzz, but it pulled at my heartstrings and, to me, was advertising done right. A little girl heading to basketball practice with her mom sees a swastika next to a big “NO JEWS” graffitied on her family’s garage door. Her mom, trying to keep her cool, rushes her daughter into the car and drives away. In the first 15 seconds of this commercial, you’re right there with the mom – feeling scared for your kid, violated and angry. You can imagine that she spent that entire practice thinking, “Am I safe?” “What do we do now?” and “How do I protect my child?” The ad shows her returning home to find that her kindly next-door neighbor had painted over the graffiti. Everything was as good as new. In some ways, it was even better.

A powerful message draws less on real or imagined parallels between groups of persecuted minorities and more on human beings simply being decent to one another. 

Viewers had mixed opinions about the ending to that commercial, but I adored it. Now, I appreciate that I am biased. I was in Israel when war broke out and ruminated over the rise of global antisemitism: the potential bomb threats in schools, violent rallies leading to injuries and even, here in L.A., a death, the graffiti on streets and synagogues. But the reminder that kindness still exists left tears in my eyes. That someone—anyone—had this woman’s back was impactful.  And the message was clear: While most of the world remains silent — likely due to ignorance — a single good Samaritan can make a world of a difference to an individual or a family. A powerful message draws less on real or imagined parallels between groups of persecuted minorities and more on human beings simply being decent to one another. 

People often have a hard time feeling sorry for successful, smart people, even when terrible things happen to them. It’s easier and natural to root for the underdog. We Jews have been persecuted over and over again – yet we come out stronger each and every time. Do we deserve it? No. Do we need pity? No. Will we come out the winner without leveraging AI or bots, or sacrificing human life? Hell yes — because Am Yisrael will always Chai.

Maytal Shainberg leads EastWest Bank’s New Media Lending Group.