84 Lumber and the big-budget Super Bowl ad to nowhere

Washington Post ^ | 6 Feb 17 | Thomas Heath

[SkyPilot]

Building supplies company 84 Lumber tackled a heap of controversy over the weekend with its carefully-crafted — yet inconclusive — 90-second Super Bowl ad featuring a Mexican mother and daughter embarking on a difficult journey north that left the viewer wondering where they ended up.

At the end of the ponderous tale, script appears on the screen: “The will to succeed is always welcome here.”

That wasn’t the full story. The Super Bowl ad asked viewers to visit the 84 Lumber website if they wanted the rest of the story. The website version included a five-minute “director’s cut” version that concludes with the pair entering the United States through a door in a towering border wall, a direct take on one of the most combustible topics in the country today. Viewers logged on to see, and 84 Lumber’s site was overwhelmed by the traffic.

[The five most political Super Bowl commercials]

That and other commercials spurred a backlash on social media and elsewhere. Some viewers accused 84 Lumber of promoting illegal immigration. Others supported the Pennsylvania company’s values that promote striving and success.

The ads cames just a week after President Trump raised a national firestorm with his order to temporarily ban refugees and immigrants from seven mostly Muslim-dominated countries as part of his national security policy.

84 Lumber wasn’t alone in the Super Bowl ad pile on. Many other big brands, from beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev to Audi, Airbnb and Kia autos used their Super Bowl time — at $5 million per 30 seconds — to break through. The challenge is to get viewers, whether they are chatting at a party or standing among a scrum at a bar, to pause and take notice — and maybe talk about it later.

[SkyPilot]

Shame on 84 lumber. I hope they suffer the same fate at Target, whose sales have fallen dramatically.

84 Lumber, in a statement, denied they were promoting illegal immigration! Yeah, right. Then they said the ad was supposed to be "patriotic."

Hardy Magerko says she personally helped develop the commercial and its striking imagery, but her personal beliefs don’t play into the commercial.

“This came from the heart and I didn’t do it for personal gain,” she says. “It’s not about me or my beliefs or the wall, it’s about individuals… treating people with dignity and respect.”

Baloney. And now 84 Lumber is claiming they had a 50% positive rating for the ad, which is complete rubbish. The ad tested horribly to pre-superbowl audiences, but they ran with it anyway.

Now the company is backtracking even more, claiming the ad is "in the eye of the beholder" and they only wanted to portray "grit and determination." If that was the case, why didn't they portray average Americans building their home, returning veterans buying lumber, or any other scenario?

These jack asses are plying us with propaganda, pure and simple. Don't fall for it.

[CincyRichieRich]

Liars.

[VanDeKoik]

She could have showed the mom going to the American consulate, getting the proper forms, filling out everything, taking an ESL class, studying for all of the tests, paying the fees, and to really make it nice they could have had her and her daughter celebrate the 4th of July in their home as they await the final word from immigration that they have been approved.

Cut to them at an official ceremony with other legal immigrants, and then fade to logo.

Would have saved a lot of money in production.

[Hacksaw]

A good ad would be showing a Mexican work crew, who having run out of supplies, does a midnight raid at an 84 lumber yard.

[Caipirabob]

The American right has become highly aware of the massive propaganda from leftist media outlets. The perpetually dim are democrats and such crap is preaching to the choir. By stepping into an issue that should be common sense survival basics for any nation, they have alienated half of their customer base. Most likely people who supported them out of a patriotic notion to support smaller businesses compared to Lowes and Home Depot.

I myself am left in awe of how little this company thinks of the American consumer.

Their marketing department, the entire group that supported this, should be walked out of corporate. This idiot move may have destroyed them.

[CincyRichieRich]

I’ll also call them typical left wing bigots...uncomfortable with real Mexican looking characters...they had to find a safe Mexican with blue eyes...bigots.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Can President Trump win the War on Poverty?
http://money.cnn.com/video/news/economy/2017/02/04/poor-white-town-donald-trump-beattyville-kentucky.cnnmoney/index.html

[Arm_Bears]

84 Lumber screwed the pooch big-time with this ad.

[Iron Munro]

WHY THEY GET PAID THE BIG BUCKS

At the 84 Lumber Board Of Directors Meeting:

“We have $10 million dollars to spend on a 90 second Super Bowl commercial.”

“Should we use it to explain who we are and why people should buy our products?”

“Or should we use it to air a pro-illegal alien lecture and alienate half of our potential customers?”

[wastoute]

We have to hope the libtards remain this tone deaf. They are just pissing off half the country.

[ImNotLying]

84 Lumber: Building ladders for Trump’s wall is what we’re all about.

[Pollster1]

Who buys building materials: red state working people, or snowflakes on welfare living in an apartment? Offending your customer base is not always the best marketing strategy.

[texican01]

There are a couple Lumber 84 stores in the Houston area. Now I know another piece of crap store to never patronize.

[WMarshal]

Maybe everyone should just refer to it as 86 Lumber, as in something to get rid of. What a dumb ad.

[Tallguy]

Interesting that the Washington Post concludes that the advertisers were attempting to generate political conversations at Superbowl viewing parties. The hostess at the party I went to specifically requested “no politics”, and aside from a few innocuous references we did abide.

[Dr. Ursus]

The CEO on Facebook really has a self -satisfied look in her photo.

[fulltlt]

We used to have an 84 lumber here but they closed many years ago when Menard’s came in. I love Menard’s. Never did care much for 84 lumber. No loss I guess.

[Gen.Blather]

“they have alienated half of their customer base.”

I am a small company, spending on average $30,000 per year at companies like 84 lumber. I feel alienated.

[Iron Munro]

Here's the "84 Lumber" ad for the 2018 Super Bowl:

OPENING SCENE: We see an illegal alien daddy driving hell-bent for-leather busting through a border checkpoint heading south back to Mexico.

He's driving a stolen "84 Lumber" truck full of lumber and other building materials.

Mother and daughter are standing in front of their adobe brick hovel with tears in their eyes as he pulls into the yard.

They are thanking "84 Lumber" for hiring daddy off the books so he could steal the truck and the building materials to build them a fine, new American style home.

[Wilderness Conservative]

Next load for 84 Lumber my dispatcher assigns me will be declined. I dont care how many miles it may pay. Ive already said no thanks to Amazon.