One of the things I preach about web usability is that you should never have to train someone to
use your website. But this simple rule of thumb can cross over into most things. Chefs shouldn’t
have to explain to you how to eat the food they create. No one has to tell you how to sit in a chair
(unless you’re a toddler, but that’s a different story). You also shouldn’t create an ad that you
have to explain for people to get it.

If only Groupon got it. Not only did they bite it on Super Bowl Sunday, but days later, despite
criticism, they are still re-airing the same mess of crap that they took such criticism for days
earlier without any edits. So they asked for it: yet another blog post about how much their ads
suck.

One of the problems with the ads is that it looks like they pulled a Kenneth Cole and exploited
tragedy to promote themselves. In effect, that is precisely what they’ve done. By going the PSA
route, they are mocking that there are real problems out there. Just ask Australia, and they’ll tell
you there are real problems out there. The PSA format isn’t exactly sacred and has been spoofed by
Conan O’Brien (who, by the way, has been spoofing Groupon to great effect these days) and others, but the the people behind the Groupon ads didn’t get why they were funny
and couldn’t repeat the formula to go far astray or stay away.

Another big problem with the ads is that they rely on you to go get supplemental information to get
the whole gist. Apparently, Groupon is actually donating real money to those related charities, but
you have to go to a particular web page whose URL is flashed for all of a half second to read a
poorly done page about the charities.

If Groupon had wanted to create a “Save the Money” campaign, they should have done as they do in
sports and go big or go home. If they had skipped the entire Tibet approach and made it about the
money, it would have stood a chance. It just makes me wonder where the dumb guy was in the office who saw the commercials screened and piped up, “I don’t think that says what you think it says.” There must have been one. That dumb guy could have saved Groupon from becoming “Oopson.”

Tags: ads, cross-media promotion, Groupon, Super Bowl | Category Marketing, Media