There was a ambiguous commercial that aired during the most recent Superbowl featuring Tim Tebow and his mom, Pam, in support of Focus on the Family, a Christian pro-life advocacy group. The commercial seems to only be advertising the group's website to learn more about the Tebow story, but it also has a tagline: "Celebrate family. Celebrate life."
While people have their own opinions on abortion, having a celebrity appear in a commercial or promotional video can alter how people receive the intended message. The commercial focuses on Pam Tebow, allowing her to briefly express the troubles she faced with her son's pregnancy, but more importantly, how she was able to tough it out and overcome the issues that surround pregnancy and parenthood.
Viewers of the commercial may have felt uplifted, enraged, or passive, but the goal of the commercial was to highlight the benefits of choosing life without explicitly mentioning abortion or pro-life expressions. The message could also be viewed pessimistically; don't have an abortion because your child may end up being a star. On the other hand, it can be viewed positively; choosing to have a child can result in a wonderful and gratifying experience for both mother and child, even if the mother is faced with complicating circumstances during pregnancy.
While people have their own opinions on abortion, having a celebrity appear in a commercial or promotional video can alter how people receive the intended message. The commercial focuses on Pam Tebow, allowing her to briefly express the troubles she faced with her son's pregnancy, but more importantly, how she was able to tough it out and overcome the issues that surround pregnancy and parenthood.
Viewers of the commercial may have felt uplifted, enraged, or passive, but the goal of the commercial was to highlight the benefits of choosing life without explicitly mentioning abortion or pro-life expressions. The message could also be viewed pessimistically; don't have an abortion because your child may end up being a star. On the other hand, it can be viewed positively; choosing to have a child can result in a wonderful and gratifying experience for both mother and child, even if the mother is faced with complicating circumstances during pregnancy.
Tim Tebow's religious personality has been discussed by journalists, mainly because he represents an altruistic athlete committed to Christianity and abstinence. He stands in contrast to stereotypes of athletes as promiscuous macho men. Therefore, he seems to be an appropriate candidate for the position on a pro-life television commercial. His personal views and lifestyle are in accordance to the pro-life mentality. Tim's personal story of his birth requires further research, but his family was stationed in the Phillipines during Pam's pregnancy. It has been reported that she was recommended an abortion by one of the doctors there, even though abortions are strictly illegal in any form.
The overall message of the commercial seems to communicate that having and raising a child is not easy, and can even be dangerous, but the rewards of being a parent are well worth it. Tim Tebow's football star persona gave this commercial the appropriate celebrity endorsement, since it was aired during the Superbowl. The problem appears to be that the commercial did not succeed, despite all the hype that it was given prior to the Superbowl. Also, there were people who criticized CBS for approving a pro-life commercial, while denying a commercial for a dating website geared for gay men. People have proclaimed that CBS was hypocritical for allowing a pro-life commercial but not allowing a homosexual ad.
In my personal response, I feel that both pro-life and homosexual advocates have the right to advertise. The current TV climate tends to favor more Christian messages
No comments:
Post a Comment