If you were taking another spoonful of nacho, you probably missed it.
Still, a five-second Reddit commercial that aired during the Super Bowl still managed to make most of the internet surprised after its brief, flawed message disappeared from the screen as quickly as it appeared.
For those of you who didn’t notice, here’s what the San Francisco-based company had to say in its split-second ad:
“Wow, this really worked. If you are reading this, it means that our bet was worth it. “
Designed to look like a typical post on a popular social media site, the ad also ironically commented on last week’s GameStop saga, in which a forum on the site called r / WallStreetBets called on users to start a little squeeze at the video game retailer to generate a sudden increase in stock prices. Consequently, apps like Robinhood (a company that ran its own Super Bowl commercial advertising its services) were forced to limit users on how many shares they could buy.
“The big game ads are expensive, so we couldn’t buy a complete one. But we were inspired and decided to spend our entire marketing budget in 5 seconds of airtime, ”said the Reddit ad, continuing:“ One thing we learned from our communities last week is that the oppressed can do just about anything when come together around a common idea. “
Also last week, r / WallStreetBets made plans to lead a GoFundMe campaign, eventually raising more than $ 29,000 in order to display its own fiery Super Bowl ad directed at Robinhood, which the Reddit commercial also seems to reference.
“Who knows, maybe you are the reason why finance textbooks have to add a chapter on ‘trends’. Perhaps you will help the / SuperbOwl to teach the world the majesty of owls. You may even pause this 5-second ad. “
Dozens of viewers across the country certainly did, as evidenced by dozens of screenshots of the commercial that quickly appeared on social media. Some even compared its bizarre and disruptive nature to the Max Headroom incident, a signal hijacking that took place in 1987 and has been a topic of discussion among Redditors.
Watch (and pause) the full ad below: