Groupon借超級碗發布藏獨廣告 看看CNN怎麼說(文/視頻)

京港台時間：2011/2/9  消息來源：倍可親綜合報道  

　　欲借騰訊進軍中國市場的全球最大團購網站Groupon，近日出資約300萬美元，購買了第45屆超級碗橄欖球總決賽上的廣告時段，內容竟然涉及支持藏獨，宣稱「西藏人現在有難了，他們的文化正陷入危機」。另據消息，Groupon還向藏獨組織「西藏基金會」（Tibet fund）提供資助，該基金會從1990年開始便接受美國「國家民主基金會」的經援。它的主要工作是文教方面，包括西藏聲音計劃,幾個主要理事都是國際聲援西藏運動諮詢理事會理事。

      

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　　英文配音：西藏，世界上最美麗的地方之一。但西藏人有麻煩了，他們快要文化滅絕。

　　這位洋人(提摩西赫頓)在芝加哥一家名叫喜馬拉雅的餐廳用餐，他看著美食自言自語，說西藏人有麻煩，他們快要文化滅絕，接著他用帶了點玩笑和諷刺意味的語氣說，不過，他們的咖喱魚還是一樣棒。赫頓接著講到他在Groupon網站上取得這家餐廳的五折優惠券。

　　超級盃在美國有一、二億人收看，宣傳效果巨大。現在這公司已經進軍中國，要賺中國的錢。

    美國Groupon廣告指西藏文化面臨滅絕

　　美國媒體報道，芝加哥網上折扣優惠券公司Groupon在周日超級盃美式橄欖球大賽中，動用三百萬美元播放3個電視廣告，但由侯頓Timothy Hutton演出的西藏30秒廣告，當中指西藏文化面臨滅絕﹐使該廣告引出最多負面反應。該公司發言人毛莎娜Julie Mossler表示，他們會取消該西藏廣告，並且不會再播。

　　該公司創辦人馬遜Andrew Mason在官方博客指，該廣告原意是名人諷刺式風格，有關西藏主題，但觀眾顯然僅看見人類痛苦的笨拙掩飾。馬遜則表示，該公司原意為集合群眾做些好事，在一個節省金錢機構www.savethemoney.org，發起向一個西藏基金捐助，但承認沒有做足查詢才發起活動。其實他們的管理層曾討論是否要提及該捐贈機構，但最後決定只提及Groupon 網站。

　　而英國社交媒體Alterian指，Groupon在超級盃賽事中，引來最多負面的社交議論。

　　Groupon廣告引來大陸網民在討論區議論，BBSBBS有網友發起抵制Groupon，署名sayyousayme的網友，建議大家不要訂購它的優惠券。水木社區內有網民Piaoliang呼籲，Groupon superbowl 廣告罵中國毀滅西藏文化，不要到那裡工作。

　　署名「方舟子」的網民指，俺是漢人，西藏這麼喜歡他們自己的文化，就繼續農奴制好了。而網友hahalagrange批評，Groupon要支持海外藏獨，還要弄個廣告說藏文化在俺手裡快掛了。

　　四川電腦工程師蒲飛指，他看過兩遍這個廣告，認為內容沒有太多西藏政治化的問題，沒有談及西藏主權，只是希望希望網民向一個西藏基金會捐款，在海外這是很平常。

　　蒲飛又指，大陸政治及軍事網站，例如鐵血網站論壇上，有網友批評這間公司是對中國政府及人民的挑釁，希望有關部門還擊．因為該公司要在中國運作，網民呼籲杯葛它的產品。他說：中國網民對西藏與其他地區的態度非常不一樣，平常在網站上說四川文化滅絶，沒人理你，只要講到西藏文化滅絶，差不多有一幫人跳出來說這是鼓吹藏獨之類的話。

　　湖北網民劉逸明則表示，中國網民現時比較覺醒，但在民族問題上，很多人還是比較感性，水木社區及BBSBBS不算是大型討論區，杯葛Groupon行動，未引起很大反應。他說：國內的網友一般來說是看不到（Groupon廣告），但很多像官方人士，包括公安局、國保、國安人員，包括記者，他們都會看得到，他們可能會煽動國內網友，對這個事情進行杯葛。

　　記者曾致電三名分別在褔建、深圳及北京的網友，他們均表示沒注意到這個廣告，不知道有這件事。

　　另外，BiaNews報道，創新工廠CEO李開復在微博透露，Groupon進軍中國由它早前收購的德國CityDeal 主導。今年1月上旬，Groupon進軍中國的消息被證實，其後又被確認與騰訊公司合資在中國建立團購網站，引起大陸內團購網站的警惕。拉手網等團購網站將於近日修改企業招聘條件，曾在Groupon工作者將不録取，以遏制Groupon入中國，原因是該公司在中國瘋狂挖角。

來自CNN的英文報道：

　　The Super Bowl usually comes and goes without much notice in China.

　　However, this year, America's famous sporting event took a different turn when a TV ad featuring Tibetans and a Chicago-area restaurant triggered angry comments from internet users in China.

　　The ad by Groupon -- a U.S.-based company that helps online group buyers get discounts -- was to generate support for the Tibet Fund, an organization that aims to preserve Tibetan culture.

　　During the ad, actor Timothy Hutton appears to be served a meal at Himalayan Restaurant in Chicago. He says, "The Tibetan people are in trouble. Their culture is in jeopardy."

　　(CNN) -- After taking 24 hours of online flak for a set of cheeky Super Bowl ads that critics say went too far, Groupon founder Andrew Mason has explained, but not apologized, in a blog post.

　　In three spots that ran before, during and after Sunday's game, commercials that appeared to promote humanitarian and environmental causes -- most notably Chinese government oppression in Tibet -- swerved to become tongue-in-cheek pitches for Groupon deals.

　　Critics, many of whom took to Facebook and Twitter to complain, said the ads, directed by actor-director Christopher Guest of "This is Spinal Tap" "Best In Show" fame, made light of serious situations.

　　"We would never have run these ads if we thought they trivialized the causes -- even if we didn't take them as seriously as we do, what type of company would go out of their way to be so antagonistic?" Mason wrote on Groupon's official blog.

　　In the Tibet ad, actor Timothy Hutton bemoans the human-rights situation in Tibet before quipping from a Tibetan restaurant, "But they still whip up an amazing fish curry!"

　　In the two others, actor Cuba Gooding Jr. bemoans the world's dwindling number of whales before talking up a discounted whale-watching cruise and actress Elizabeth Hurley bemoans imperiled Amazon rainforests before promoting a deal on a Brazilian wax (adding that "not all deforestation is bad").

　　Any backlash against the ads didn't appear to have any immediate impact on the popularity of Groupon's iPhone app, which was the third-most popular free application Tuesday morning in Apple's App Store.

　　Mason notes that Groupon began as The Point, an activism-based site, and that the Web page for the Groupon ads offers a link to donate to each of the causes that the ads spoof. "We took this approach knowing that, if anything, they would bring more funding and support to the highlighted causes," he wrote.

　　Groupon is matching the amount its customers donate to the causes, up to $100,000 each.

　　In a blog post, Greenpeace biologist John Hocevar (who also, coincidentally, founded Students for a Free Tibet), praised the ads.

　　"Greenpeace is happily participating in the campaign," he wrote. "The truth is that the 'Save the Money' campaign and the commercial are really helping us save the whales."

　　Mason said that, rather than making fun of charitable causes, the ads were intended to make light of Groupon itself, and advertising in general.

　　"Our ads highlight the often trivial nature of stuff on Groupon when juxtaposed against bigger world issues ... ," he wrote.

　　He also took a somewhat defensive potshot at other Super Bowl ads.

　　"When we think about commercials that offend us, we think of those that glorify antisocial behavior -- like the scores of Super Bowl ads that are built around the crass objectification of women," Mason said. "Unlike those ads, no one walks away from our commercials taking the causes we highlighted less seriously.

　　"Not a single person watched our ad and concluded that it's cool to kill whales. In fact -- and this is part of the reason we ran them -- they have the opposite effect."

　　Mason never apologizes directly in the post, but says "the last thing we wanted was to offend our customers."

　　Based on comments posted on the blog, some Groupon customers were satisfied with the explanation -- but not all.

　　"I do actually appreciate knowing the backstory here. I agree that the idea isn't exactly horrible, especially as you've laid it out," one reader wrote. "But the finished, as-aired Tibet commercial was horrible. It did trivialize the cause. That you didn't mean to be offensive doesn't mean you weren't."

但看視頻沒有什麼大了不起的。任何文化都有滅絕消失的危險。要是主題換成中國，那個面無表情的服務員一定會被罵成是醜化中國人。

問題不在於文化，在於向藏獨組織捐款。

中國菜（包括藏菜）把他撐糊塗了！
全世界近十四億華人吐口吐沫也能把他淹死！

要砸自己的飯碗？提醒一下Groupon，「藏獨」在中國沒市場，別以為MARKET里啥都可以SELL. 呵呵。