How to wreck your brand in 30 seconds

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: 

• Why are people disconnecting or destroying their Ring cameras?
• ‘Terrifying’ Super Bowl commercial has people vowing to never buy this popular product
• Amazon Ring’s lost dog ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance

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.