Groupon and Crispin Porter are no longer an item.

The Superbowl ads by Groupon might have been a really good deal initially, when Groupon paid $3 million to run a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl, plus the pre-bowl and post-bowl ads created by CP+B. Alas, the backlash reaction against the offbeat jokes in the ads made Groupon decide to pull the ads a week after the bowl, while were still busy betting on the winner between Groupon and Livingsocial in who offended the most.

In this Businessweek article, CEO Andrew Mason states that CP+B and Groupon are no longer an item.

The rapid growth has led to some dramatic missteps. Groupon paid $3 million to run a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl that tried to make a gag out of repression in Tibet. ("The people of Tibet are in trouble ... but they still whip up an amazing fish curry.") The spot bombed, Groupon pulled the ad, and stopped working with its ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Mason apologized publicly. The CEO says he placed too much trust in Crispin Porter "to be edgy, informative, and entertaining, and we turned off the part of our brain where we should have made our own decisions. We learned that you can't rely on anyone else to control and maintain your own brand."

No, when it comes to making jokes that the public misinterprets, Groupon does swell on its own as the recent hubub over their depression insomnia jokes proves. Does Groupon need an ad agency? Maybe a few better comedians? I hear Gilbert is available. Perhaps they just need a solid PR strategy?

The famous ads, in order of appearance durning Super Bowl Sunday.

Also related: The Beancast: Groupon, Kenneth Cole and Facebook ads pre-bowl gossip.src="adland.tv/roupon-regrets-pulls-polarizing-super-bowl-ads-air">made Groupon decide to pull the ads a week after the bowl, while were still busy betting on the winner between Groupon and Livingsocial in who offended the most.

In this Businessweek article, CEO Andrew Mason states that CP+B and Groupon are no longer an item.

The rapid growth has led to some dramatic missteps. Groupon paid $3 million to run a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl that tried to make a gag out of repression in Tibet. ("The people of Tibet are in trouble ... but they still whip up an amazing fish curry.") The spot bombed, Groupon pulled the ad, and stopped working with its ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Mason apologized publicly. The CEO says he placed too much trust in Crispin Porter "to be edgy, informative, and entertaining, and we turned off the part of our brain where we should have made our own decisions. We learned that you can't rely on anyone else to control and maintain your own brand."

No, when it comes to making jokes that the public misinterprets, Groupon does swell on its own as the recent hubub over their depression insomnia jokes proves. Does Groupon need an ad agency? Maybe a few better comedians? I hear Gilbert is available. Perhaps they just need a solid PR strategy?

The famous ads, in order of appearance durning Super Bowl Sunday.

Also related: The Beancast: Groupon, Kenneth Cole and Facebook ads pre-bowl gossip.src="adland.tv/roupon-save-rainforest-elisabeth-hurley-2011&viral.onpause=true&viral.oncomplete=true&viral.functions=embed,link" />
Groupon - Save the Rainforest / Elizabeth Hurley - (2011)

Also related: The Beancast: Groupon, Kenneth Cole and Facebook ads pre-bowl gossip.src="adland.tv/roupon-regrets-pulls-polarizing-super-bowl-ads-air">made Groupon decide to pull the ads a week after the bowl, while were still busy betting on the winner between Groupon and Livingsocial in who offended the most.

In this Businessweek article, CEO Andrew Mason states that CP+B and Groupon are no longer an item.

The rapid growth has led to some dramatic missteps. Groupon paid $3 million to run a 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl that tried to make a gag out of repression in Tibet. ("The people of Tibet are in trouble ... but they still whip up an amazing fish curry.") The spot bombed, Groupon pulled the ad, and stopped working with its ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Mason apologized publicly. The CEO says he placed too much trust in Crispin Porter "to be edgy, informative, and entertaining, and we turned off the part of our brain where we should have made our own decisions. We learned that you can't rely on anyone else to control and maintain your own brand."

No, when it comes to making jokes that the public misinterprets, Groupon does swell on its own as the recent hubub over their depression insomnia jokes proves. Does Groupon need an ad agency? Maybe a few better comedians? I hear Gilbert is available. Perhaps they just need a solid PR strategy?

The famous ads, in order of appearance durning Super Bowl Sunday.

Also related: The Beancast: Groupon, Kenneth Cole and Facebook ads pre-bowl gossip.