Tebow ad well-received but confusing for viewers

VENTURA, Calif. — Focus on the Family’s Super Bowl ad featuring star quarterback Tim Tebow may have gotten a lot of press but left many viewers with “confusion regarding the commercial’s meaning and sponsor,” according to the California-based Barna Group.

According to a poll based on 1,001 telephone interviews, including the night of the Super Bowl, when asked to describe the main message of the commercial, one in five viewers could not venture a guess; 38 percent described it as an anti-abortion; and 19 percent said it was about being “pro-family” or “expressing that family is important.”

The remaining answers included: “reminding people that miracles happen and Tim Tebow was a miracle baby,” “stressing the importance of the parent-child relationship,” “asking people to visit the sponsor’s Web site,” or “helping people think about health care issues.”

The ad generated controversy before it ever aired after CBS shifted its policy to allow an advocacy ad. Abortion-rights groups said the Super Bowl was an inappropriate venue for a hot-topic issue like abortion.

Not only was the message unclear, the commercial’s sponsor was also lost to most viewers. While 78 percent could not identify the organization behind the Tebow ad, only 14 percent correctly stated Focus on the Family. Six percent guessed some other organization or group, and 3 percent remembered the name of the campaign, “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life.”