Super Bowl Commercial Update

It's been over a month since Focus on the Family's ad appeared in the Super Bowl. From time to time I hear comments that maybe Focus shouldn't have placed the ad, or should have placed a more hard-hitting ad. "What good has it done?" I hear some ask.

I figured since I'm on "the inside," I'd share one letter (of many) that we've received. This is from Susan, who's given us permission to publish it here:

I need to thank you so much. It's not like me to reach out to strangers or agencies for help. I was truly feeling lost. I saw the ad during the Super Bowl and it stuck in my head. I feel like that commercial was made to reach out to me.

Later that week I googled it and watched the ad over and over. Then I went to your website and watched the related interview. I felt drawn to reach out to you and I am so glad that I did. You may think that all you did was email me back, but you did so much more than that!!! You gave me hope and encouragement. You let me know that if I need help it's out there. (I went to the related website you suggested in your email.) You reminded me that I can't be perfect, but God loves me.

You also gave me a wake up call. Why was I worrying about what the baby's father wanted me to do? I am always trying to make other people happy. I kept thinking that unless I have an abortion, he won't be happy. Well, you put the focus back where it belongs. It doesn't matter what makes him happy, or me happy for that matter. It's about what will make God happy.

I tried to convince the father of this and he wouldn't listen. I just kept telling myself what you said about how I can't control how others feel about my pregnancy. Once I made the decision that it didn't matter what he says or thinks, I'm keeping the baby, I felt so much better! I am excited. I do want to be a mom and I will do my best (although we know I'll be far from perfect) for this baby. I mean I'm scared, too. I have a lot to figure out, especially financially, but I will put my trust in God.

I think I was partly afraid that God was mad at me for getting pregnant out of wedlock. While I know he isn't proud of me for it, thank you for reminding me that he still loves me. I didn't need to compound one sin with another. My mistake can't be erased, but I can ask for forgiveness.

The father is mad at me and says I'm ruining his life. That's OK. I can not control him or his feelings. I can only protect the baby.

I can not thank you enough for putting me back on the right track and reminding me what actually matters in life. I don't know how I forgot something so important, but I did.

Your organization, through the Super Bowl ad and your thoughtful email, saved this baby's life. I have no doubt about that. And in the process maybe you saved my soul. Words just can not express my gratitude, but thank you, thank you, thank you!

The Lord moved so powerfully to save this woman's heart and her baby's life. And her story is just one of many. Because of the Super Bowl ad, more than 1.5 million people have visited FocusOnTheFamily.com to watch a video of the full story hinted at in the ad.

And surprisingly (to me, at least) the ad itself -- a light and friendly affirmation of life -- has "caused over 5 million viewers to reconsider their view of the legality/morality of abortion."

Isn't it wonderful what the Lord has done through a seemingly innocuous commercial that simply affirms the preciousness of life?

Comments

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1. Tabitha said the following at 4:59 PM on Mar 16:

That is truly amazing.

It saddens me when people feel that something is not worth it, just because the immediate results aren't seen, or hundreds and thousands don't come rushing to God, begging for redemption, and starting anew.

But truthfully, it doesn't matter whether reaching out touches one or millions... Every single person it touches is worth it.

It makes me think of a message in one of the stalls at a local department store. What started as an attempt to write something meaningful and take attention away from the 'I had sex with so and so' comments typically scrawled in the bathroom, has now turned into a full-fledged debate on the white wall of a toilet stall. I have no doubt in my mind, that in the least, that debate has planted seeds in women who thought they were just making a quick pit-stop.

2. EM said the following at 5:09 PM on Mar 16:

Praise the Lord!

3. EKB said the following at 5:15 PM on Mar 16:

Wonderful news. Praying for Susan and her baby.

Just curious, how was the stat about 5 million reconsidering their views on abortion calculated?

4. Ted Slater said the following at 5:36 PM on Mar 16:

EKB (#3) -- Great question. It's estimated that some 100 million people saw the ad, and a recent report showed that 5% of them were so touched that they were moved to "reconsider their view of the legality/morality of abortion." Pretty cool, hm? :-)

5. Larissa said the following at 6:10 PM on Mar 16:

Wow... this nearly made me cry with joy! It's just...wow...!

Thank you for running the advert even in the face of fierce opposition. It was worth it jsut to see that one life was changed by it, yet alone 5 million views being affected too!

6. ZacIssacs said the following at 8:22 PM on Mar 16:

Absolutely Brilliant!

7. Wesley said the following at 8:44 PM on Mar 16:

I couldn't help but be reminded of James 5:19-20;

"My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."

8. Kimberly Eddy said the following at 8:58 PM on Mar 16:

Wow, that's wonderful. That email blessed me.

I know a very liberal relative of mine, who was chomping at the bit over CBS allowing an "intolerant" ad during the Super Bowl later said that they found it touching when they finally watched it. We had many good discussions about spiritual matters as a result of the furor over that ad.

That was nice of the other side to hype it so much that everyone was watching out for it...;)

9. JP said the following at 9:06 PM on Mar 16:

When is God good? All the time!

10. BDB said the following at 10:04 PM on Mar 16:

"Likes This"

11. Samantha said the following at 11:03 PM on Mar 16:

Just think of all the people you saved :) ALL life is valuable, of course, but someone you saved could be the person to cure cancer :)

12. obewan said the following at 4:55 AM on Mar 17:

Yes, but the real question Focus will never be able to answer is whether those 5 million people are rethinking their position because of the $2.5M spent for 30 seconds OR the FREE media storm the preceded it and still got out the same message and then more.

13. Cat said the following at 5:16 AM on Mar 17:

While I still wonder what the consequences of the ad will be I am happy to hear that it has done good. I honestly hope that the backlash I anticipate doesn't happen.

14. Amir Larijani said the following at 6:37 AM on Mar 17:

Better watch out, Ted. This cuts into Planned Parenthood's profit margin. Given that they got hammered in the Madoff scam, they need all the dead babies they can muster!

Seriously...Great news for the gal, and--yes!--the baby.

It's been a couple months since I've had a Guinness (Extra Stout). I think I'll drink one this weekend.

15. KJames said the following at 6:52 AM on Mar 17:

Even if just one baby's life was saved through this ad, it was worth it. :) God loves the unborn to the aged, and works in wonderful ways.
Thanks for posting this!

16. Mark Sandy said the following at 7:55 AM on Mar 17:

Thanks for the update. However the Focus links don't work.

17. MrsLarijani said the following at 8:04 AM on Mar 17:

Ted - I clicked on the links to the video in your post and I'm getting an error message.

18. Miss E said the following at 8:56 AM on Mar 17:

How wonderful!

God bless you, Susan. I'll be praying for you.

You guys at Focus, keep up the good work!

19. Ted Slater said the following at 9:50 AM on Mar 17:

Mark Sandy (#16) and MrsLarijani (#17) -- Hm. Someone here at Focus must've changed the URL to the Super Bowl commercial last night. Odd. I've found another link, and have updated the Original Post with this corrected link.

20. Ted Slater said the following at 9:53 AM on Mar 17:

obewan (#12), you wrote, "Yes, but ..."

My response: The Lord accomplished what He wanted to accomplish in the way He wanted to accomplish it. He magnifies something produced out of our weakness, and produces strong results.

Did God use EITHER the 30-second ads OR the media storm? Nah. God used BOTH the 30-second ads AND the media storm for our humiliation and His glory.

21. Ted Slater said the following at 9:56 AM on Mar 17:

Cat (#13) -- you anticipate a "backlash." Could you explain? Sounds kinda ominous.

Regarding the "consequences" of this ad, what are you wondering about specifically? Is the OP not sufficiently helping you understand some of the "consequences"?

22. Nate said the following at 10:19 AM on Mar 17:

That is 100% awesome. Thanks for sharing, Ted.

23. Jaye said the following at 12:08 PM on Mar 17:

Hey, isn't Jesus awesome! What a testimony of how precious each life is to Him and how important redemption and hope is, too. How exciting for this woman, and for this child. Thank you for allowing us all to be a part of this blessing by sharing this with us!

24. Alexis said the following at 12:21 PM on Mar 17:

SUSAN! PRAISE GOD! If you read this dear heart, know that you and your baby will be prayed for by someone who was in your shoes at one time and made the wrong choice. The Bible tells us over and over to not fear, so do what it tells you, and trust God for His perfect plan for your life. Be strong in the Lord, you have courage and I know you will be an amazing mother for that baby!

25. Betsy said the following at 1:15 PM on Mar 17:

WOW! I am so glad that you were able to share this.
It's easy to downplay the effects of something, and despair about how it's not working, but real live proof?? Awesome!
Praise God :)

26. Andrew said the following at 2:55 PM on Mar 17:

I hope this child grows up to be president of the United States.

I thank God for his/her life!

27. A.M.C. said the following at 4:01 PM on Mar 17:

Nerdy cost-benefit analysis of the day:

Expenditure: $2.5M for the ad
Benefit: 5 million people reconsidering their views on abortion

Cost/benefit ratio: 50 cents per possible change of heart.

Comment: if the estimate is correct, this might one of the most cost-effective life-saving "procedures" outside the health care system :-)

28. Al said the following at 5:42 PM on Mar 17:

Cool that the ad has been effective. I'm a little confused on two things-- why there was even that much opposition to the ad as the Tebows' story doesn't really have to do directly with abortion-- it was a difficult pregnancy and at some point a doctor badly misdiagnosed the pregnancy as a tumor, but I didn't get the gist that there was ever really a hard decision to make regarding the infant (Tim's) life.

And second, why this ad in particular is influential in making people reconsider abortion, because, like I said, unless there was a moment where the Tebows had to weigh Tim's life against his mother's, their story doesn't seem to deal directly with facing abortion. I see how it celebrates life, and even pro-choice folks celebrate an unborn infant's life when the pregnancy is intentional, so I'm surprised that people connect their story so strongly to the abortion issue and react accordingly. Maybe there's something I'm missing.

29. BDB said the following at 5:46 PM on Mar 17:

I think the ad accomplished the goal of any Super Bowl ad-lots of buzz and visibility!

30. Matt Taylor said the following at 8:19 PM on Mar 17:

This is an answer to prayer! I praise God for his mighty hand of grace and mercy!

31. Frazer said the following at 11:40 AM on Mar 18:

Excellent story of the power of our Lord!!!

I've got a question, did FOTF ask youtube not to upload the commercial? I've pretty much boycotted youtube since they refused to upload the commercial.....

32. Sirena said the following at 11:41 AM on Mar 18:

Oh how marvelous, Oh how wonderful! Just one life would have been worth it! Thanks for the update. We need to know and be reminded how much of an impact these "small" things are. Praise be to God!

33. Trevor Dolby said the following at 1:57 PM on Mar 18:

Amir (14): You missed the perfect excuse for Guinness on Wednesday: St. Patrick's Day! But better late than never :-)

34. a said the following at 3:42 PM on Mar 18:

*like* :) *like* :) *like* :)

35. Vanessa said the following at 4:06 PM on Mar 18:

Even if just ONE baby is saved and one mind changed, the money will have been worth it.
Thanks for sharing this, Ted. God is incredible...never ceases to amaze me!!

36. Hannah Hottenstein said the following at 5:20 PM on Mar 18:

What good news! Christians need to do MORE things like this!!

37. Mary Anne said the following at 9:33 PM on Mar 18:

I am struck by this incredible testimony and about the boyfriend (father of Susan's baby). He can come to Jesus through this unplanned pregnancy. Readers ... begin praying for him!! God is able to turn the boyfriend's thinking around and honor the life of his child.
"You are the Life to my heart & my soul; You are the Light to the darkness around me; You are the Hope to the hopeless & broken; You are the only Truth and the Way (No Sweeter Name Than The Name of Jesus) Amen.

38. Martha Avila - Heartbeat of Miami said the following at 2:26 PM on Mar 19:

As president of a non-profit organization, Heartbeat of Miami Pregnancy Help Medical Clinics, I can assure you that when you sow LIFE you reap LIFE.
It is my prayer that more and more Christians answer God's call of Proverbs 24:11 to rescue these innocent babies and become involved with the Pregnancy Help Clinics with their financial support and as volunteers. Remember that we are only funded by the Christian Community and it is Planned Parenthood who gets our tax dollars.
Our 2 Pregnancy Help Clinics, fully equipped with ultrasound thanks to Focus on the Family, are stratigically located in an area that is infested with over 37 abortion businesses. We are deffinitely outnumbered. Yet, in only 2 years and 8 months, God has allowed us to serve nearly 8,000 women and help rescue thousands of babies from abortion.
Pray for all of us who labor to defend the most innocent form of life, the unborn babies. God bless you! Martha Avila - Heartbeat of Miami

39. Julie said the following at 9:47 PM on Mar 19:

Al, Consider watching the rest of the story on you tube. The doctor Pam saw early in her pregnancy recommended an abortion because he felt the pregnancy put Pam's life at risk. They refused to follow the doctor's advice.
Also, my understanding is that CBS would not allow the word abortion to be used in the ad. All the huff the liberals stirred up before seeing the ad only caused more people to be curious. I went to a friend's house to watch the super bowl just to see the ad. I'm glad the ad reached people like Susan and caused her to stand against her boyfriend's pressure to abort their baby. Good for you Susan! God bless you! If you need help, it is as close as your nearest crisis pregnancy center.

40. Daniel B said the following at 11:44 PM on Mar 20:

<< Yes, but the real question Focus will never be able to answer is whether those 5 million people are rethinking their position because of the $2.5M spent for 30 seconds OR the FREE media storm the preceded it and still got out the same message and then more. >>

Is that the real question?

The free media storm only happened after the appearance of news that $2.5M was being spent on the 30-second ad.