The Shocking Mistakes That Can Destroy Your Brand in Half a Minute—Are You Guilty?
Ever wonder how a Super Bowl ad about lost dogs could stir up a wildfire of controversy—and not the heartwarming kind? Ring’s “Search Party” campaign aimed to tug at the heartstrings with scenes of furry friends being located thanks to AI-powered cameras. Sounds innocent enough, right? But instead of warm fuzzies, it sent shivers down the spine of many viewers who saw it as a glaring spotlight on mass surveillance camouflaged as community goodwill. It’s a classic case of marketing missing the mark, turning an earnest plea into a trust nightmare. What can marketers learn from Ring’s stumble in an era where every move is watched—sometimes even too closely? Buckle up, this one’s a lesson wrapped in puppy love and privacy fears. LEARN MORE.
People may debate which Super Bowl ad was the best, but there’s no question which was the most consequential — and not in a way the brand wanted.
The Ring ad “Search Party” ran in the third quarter of the game, and it’s easy to understand why someone thought it was a good idea: It’s about finding lost dogs. Who isn’t in favor of that? In general? Practically nobody. In this specific case? A whole lot of people. Because it was specifically about using Ring’s networked, AI-enabled cameras to find lost dogs.
There was a giant disconnect between what the ad showed and what people understood it to show. Clearly, executives at Ring (an Amazon subsidiary) thought that images of a dog being tracked from house to house would give consumers warm fuzzies. In reality, it gave them the willies because they saw a mass surveillance device in action.
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The ad did in 30 seconds what security and civil rights experts had been trying to do for years: Educate the public about the real problem with Ring. And the public reacted quickly. Here are some headlines from the next day:
That happened because the only people who believed the ad were on Ring’s payroll. As WeRateDogs’ Matt Nelson said in a video that quickly went viral:
“Neither Ring’s products nor business model are built around finding lost pets, but rather creating a lucrative mass surveillance network by turning private homes into surveillance outposts and well-meaning neighbors into informants for ICE and other government agencies.”
(WeRateDogs began as a popular social media account humorously “rating” dogs and has since grown into a respected charity that funds veterinary care. Nelson has built a large, loyal following — and carries real credibility with that audience.)
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Nelson also pointed to Ring’s partnership with the private surveillance firm Flock Safety. Through that integration, Ring footage could be accessed by law enforcement via a community-request system that did not require a traditional warrant. Data obtained through those channels has been shared with federal agencies, including ICE, the FBI and the Navy.
That partnership ended last Friday, when “Amazon’s Ring cancels Flock partnership amid Super Bowl ad backlash.”
What marketers need to know
Smart brands confront their reputational baggage directly or design around it. BMW recognized its polarizing image and repositioned Mini as the antidote. Ring did the opposite — it built a feel-good narrative around the very capability that fuels public discomfort.
In an AI-powered world, you cannot reframe risk with sentimentality. If the public sees surveillance, no amount of lost puppies will change the lens.
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Constantine von Hoffman is senior editor of MarTech. A veteran journalist, Con has covered business, finance, marketing and tech for CBSNews.com, Brandweek, CMO, and Inc. He has been city editor of the Boston Herald, news producer at NPR, and has written for Harvard Business Review, Boston Magazine, Sierra, and many other publications. He has also been a professional stand-up comedian, given talks at anime and gaming conventions on everything from My Neighbor Totoro to the history of dice and boardgames, and is author of the magical realist novel John Henry the Revelator. He lives in Boston with his wife, Jennifer, and either too many or too few dogs.
