‘He Gets Us’ Super Bowl commercials spark debate — again
“He Gets Us,” a marketing campaign designed to teach people about Jesus, aired two commercials during the Super Bowl for the second year in a row.
And just like last year, the “He Gets Us” ads sparked a heated debate.
Viewers don’t agree on whether the religious commercials should be celebrated or condemned as a waste of millions of dollars.
‘He Gets Us’ ads on Jesus
The Super Bowl commercials from “He Gets Us” aired during the first and second quarters of Sunday’s game. Each one focused on the Bible’s call to love your neighbor, reminding viewers that “Jesus didn’t teach hate.”
“Jesus washed the feet of friends and enemies. No ego or hate. He humbly loved his neighbors. How can we do the same?” wrote the people behind the “He Gets Us” campaign in an X post about the first of the two ads, which was focused on foot washing.
Jesus washed the feet of friends and enemies. No ego or hate. He humbly loved his neighbors. How can we do the same? pic.twitter.com/kXift42ZG9
— HeGetsUs (@HeGetsUs) February 11, 2024
Also on X, “He Gets Us” encouraged people to reach out to their neighbors and make them “feel seen, heard and loved no matter what they believe.”
The campaign then shared a link to an article explaining why loving your neighbor is so important.
“Each one of us is a part of one larger community. Jesus knew that all too well. It’s why he wanted us to use our differences as a catalyst for conversations that can lead us to invite each other in rather than keeping one another at bay,” the article said.
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Pushback to ‘He Gets Us’ ads
That message may be uncontroversial, but the “He Gets Us” commercials sparked debate.
Like last year, some viewers questioned why the people behind the marketing campaign spent so much money on Super Bowl ads instead of putting it toward helping people.
“Super Bowl ads cost $6-7 million for 30 second spots. The ‘he gets us’ (initiative) had TWO spots. Imagine what $14 million dollars could have done to feed people or provide medical care, instead of spending it on a fleeting 60 seconds,” tweeted one X user.
Others raised concerns about the content of the commercials, arguing that they were either too political or didn’t provide enough biblical context.
Jason Whitlock, a sports columnists who identifies as Christian, tweeted that he wasn’t a fan of the foot washing commercial, prompting one of his followers to describe it as a “woke Jesus commercial.”
The “He Gets Us” ad that aired second got the fifth-lowest score on the USA Today ad meter.
Praise for ‘He Gets Us’
Still, the “He Gets Us” Super Bowl commercials had many fans, including people who appreciated the campaign’s willingness to stir up faith-related debate.
“I love the fact that the He Gets Us ad made people from both sides of the political/cultural spectrum mad. That tells me it did its job of causing people to reflect on things and is a pretty good sign that it is grounded in truth. The truth often makes people uncomfortable,” argued one X user.
Another said that, while he has reservations about the “He Gets Us” initiative as a whole, he appreciated that the commercials reminded the Super Bowl’s huge audience of Jesus’ love.
“‘Jesus doesn’t hate anyone’ is a fundamentally good message ... and I’m glad 200 million Americans saw it,” @ZachWLambert tweeted.
