Car brand Genesis edits helicopter out of Super Bowl ad featuring John Legend and Chrissy Teigen due to ‘sensitivity’ over Kobe Bryant’s death
- Genesis unveiled its Super Bowl ad on Tuesday then abruptly edited it
- Originally showed a stationary helicopter in the opening seconds of the ad
- Luxury car brand said it edited the ad due to sensitivity over Kobe Bryant’s death
- Bryant and eight others died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday
Genesis has edited a helicopter out of its Super Bowl ad, citing concerns about offending those grieving over the death of Kobe Bryant.
The car brand, which is Hyundai’s luxury division, initially released the 60-second ad on Tuesday, but quickly pulled it down and edited out a stationary helicopter visible in the opening seconds.
‘Today we re-cut our Super Bowl ad, to remove a stationary helicopter that was in the opening two seconds of the commercial,’ a Genesis spokesperson told USA Today on Wednesday.
‘The ad had been filmed, produced and delivered well before Sunday’s tragedy, so we took down the spot out of compassion and sensitivity to the families.’
Car brand Genesis has edited a helicopter out of its Super Bowl ad, which features singer John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen
The opening shot of the ad is seen before (left) and after (right) the last-minute edit
NBA legend Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday.
The edited Genesis ad, which features singer John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen, will still air during the second quarter of Super Bowl LIV on Sunday night.
‘We all believed that John and Chrissy best represent the kind of pure honesty and approachability that old luxury never had,’ said Bob Rayburn, executive creative director at ad agency Innocean USA, in a statement last week.
‘They stand as a symbol for keeping it real. Most luxury advertising acts like, once your income reaches a certain level, your sense of humor gets surgically removed,’ he added.
‘As a vibrant young luxury brand, Genesis wanted to take a more humorous approach, John and Chrissy embody that flawlessly.’
Legend and Teigen (above at the Grammy’s in Los Angeles on Sunday) both paid tribute to Bryant on social media after his death
NTSB investigators work at the scene of the helicopter crash that killed former NBA star Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna this week in Calabasas, California
Legend and Teigen both paid tribute to Bryant on social media after his death.
This year, Fox is reportedly charging approximately $5-$5.6 million for 30-second ad spots early in the game, when viewership is the highest.
Last year, Super Bowl LIII drew 98.2 million viewers, an 11-year low for the game.
Genesis was not the only Super Bowl advertiser affected by Bryant’s tragic death.
Snack brand Planters faced serious questions and paused its campaign, which centered on killing Mr. Peanut in a dramatic plunge from a cliff while saving the lives of actors Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh.
Snack brand Planters also faced serious questions and paused its Super Bowl ad campaign, which centered on killing Mr. Peanut (above)
The company initially said that ad, released last week, would run during pregame coverage of the Super Bowl on Sunday, followed by an in-game spot depicting the 104-year-old mascot’s funeral.
However, the plan hit a snag when parent company Kraft Heinz was forced to apologize after distributing prayer candles for Mr. Peanut that arrived after Bryant’s death.
The ad campaign was put on pause this week, and it was unclear whether the funeral spot would still air during the Super Bowl.
A Kraft Heinz spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com on Thursday about the company’s plans for the Super Bowl ad.