Over the holidays, we were watching television when we saw the following commercial air from Match.com entitled "Match Made in Hell". (CAUTION: trigger warning for some)

Yes, the commercial features Satan "matching" with the year 2020 and their whirlwind love affair throughout the year.

At first, I didn't understand why Satan would be featured in a commercial. I hit the "Rewind" button and then turned up the volume. That's when I realized that the commercial was making a point about how horrible a year 2020 had been. So horrible, in fact, that it (the year, portrayed by a female actor) would only "match" with Satan himself.

Being in the advertising field, I am fully aware of the risk that Match.com is taking with the ad, as it could (and has) upset many people. And, as evidenced by their reactions, many people ARE upset over the commercial, saying that their television set is no place to "glorify" Beezlebub and that they will be boycotting Match.com and any network that airs the spot.

From what I saw in the commercial, it in no way glorifies anything about Satan (except for maybe presenting him with a chiseled appearance - that dude must work out constantly!), but I understand their concern. There were similar concerns when Rock n' Roll music emerged, with some people so passionate about the topic that they went as far as to burn things. Even with those concerns expressed, Rock 'n' Roll music survived. Will Match.com survive?

About the commercial:

  • The ad was created by Actor Ryan Reynolds' production company.
  • Some of the scenes feature an empty stadium, an empty theatre, an empty gym, a dumpster fire, and hoarding of toilet paper - which are all very indicative of 2020
  • 2020 feeds Satan (what I at first assumed to be a strawberry but is actually) a Habanero pepper.
  • The commercial featured a re-recorded snippet of "Love Story" from Taylor Swift (one of the first to publicly air), so it appears that she gave the "green light" for it to be used.
  • The actor portraying 2020's love interest is HUGE! I found that he is a professional bodybuilder, and stands 6' 7"!
  • The actor portraying 2020 is Natalie Roy

Alas, it is neither my place to chastise Match.com for using Satan in its commercials nor to chastise anyone for not liking said commercials: I'm just here to report it.

Anyhoot, here are some of the reactions to the Match.com Satan/2020 commercial. Enjoy.

There seems to be, for some, distaste for the commercial. On the flip side, some see the brilliance in the ad:

Taylor Swift is not only on board with the ad, but is excited about her music being used in the commercial.

This one is in response to the above Tweet from T-Swift:

Now there is a second ad out by the same production company, featuring Satan and 2020. It's an "interview-style" spot that we've seen from Match.com in the past:

(My favorite line: "I filtered out joy, happiness, toilet paper, and reason".  "Boom"!)

Have you seen the commercials yet? (If not, why not? The links are posted above.) What are your thoughts: Brilliance or Blasphemy?

 

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