This Wallbox EV Charger Super Bowl Ad Has People Fuming Mad
Wallbox's first Super Bowl ad was supposed to be funny, but the company is now under fire for being insensitive to trauma survivors. Wallbox makes electric vehicle chargers that it claims are safe, efficient, and hassle-free and would have expected its Super Bowl LVI spot to drive home that message. However, as it turned out, the ad ruffled more than a few feathers, and people are talking about it for all the wrong reasons.
Automobiles are significant sources of pollution globally, and electric vehicles help combat some of the worst environmental effects of modern lifestyles. No wonder then that electric cars are becoming increasingly popular every passing year. Unfortunately, however, EV charging infrastructure is still pretty weak globally, although countries like the U.K are enacting proactive legislation to make EV charging more readily available to citizens.
Wallbox's 15-second Super Bowl commercial featured Seth Thomas of Durham, North Carolina, as a lightning survivor who has become petrified of electricity since that fateful day. Thomas is a real-life lightning survivor who was struck by lightning while riding on a bike with his father in 2012. In the ad, which can be seen on Wallbox's official YouTube channel, Thomas is shown as somebody who is so afraid of electricity that he powers his washing machine using a stationary bicycle and switches lights on and off using a long pole. In fact, Thomas looks for every possible excuse to stay as far away from electricity and electrical appliances as possible. However, despite his aversion to all things electric, he manages to overcome his fear of electricity with the help of Wallbox's chargers because they are safe and easy to use.
The ad, called 'Supercharged Seth,' aired during Super Bowl LVI and has got people talking. While Wallbox thought the ad would present a funny take about Thomas' supposed aversion to electricity, it is now receiving pushback from certain quarters for allegedly ridiculing real-life trauma survivors. As noted by AdAge, electrocution isn't funny, and not everyone will find Wallbox's ad in good taste. Either way, Thomas didn't seem to have any problem appearing in the commercial despite his trauma, and most people seem to be taking it in the right spirit anyway.
As is the case with every year, many of the ads during Super Bowl LVI create waves, including the one featuring Larry David for the FTX crypto exchange. Some of the other notable ads from Sunday include a T-Mobile commercial featuring Dolly Parton, a Caesars Sportsbook commercial featuring Halle Berry, a Michelob Ultra ad starring Serena Williams and Peyton Manning, a Turkish Airlines ad featuring Morgan Freeman, a Crypto.com ad featuring LeBron James, and of course, the viral BMW ad starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as Zeus and Salma Hayek as his wife, Hera.