Groupon Is 100% Off

Advertising Age reported today that Andrew Mason, the CMO of Groupon, told Bloomberg Business Week that the company's disastrous, offensive advertising during the Super Bowl came about because he trusted the agency, Crispin, too much. You remember that commercial, right? The one in which Timothy Hutton reduced the experience of an entire religion and the suffering of Tibetans, to a $25 off diner? Makes you wish for more Go Daddy commercials on the Super Bowl.

But what's really offensive here is Mason's willingness to throw Crispin under the bus without taking any responsibility, saying "We learned that you can't rely on anyone else to control and maintain your own brand". This reminds me of Flounder in "Animal House" being told, "You F@%ked up, you trusted us". Crispin certainly showed bad judgement, but so did Mason. He can add bad manners, and lack of professionalism, to bad judgement.

I wouldn't want to be the next agency that has to present work to them. Will be brutal.