Best reactions to last night’s Scientology Super Bowl ad, which asked, ‘Curious?’

 
As it has since 2013, Scientology bought local spots during the Super Bowl to air a commercial, which was met with howls of derision on social media. We had fun last night watching the reaction live.

As we predicted based on past years, the ad showed up in numerous markets during the pre-game show. It then didn’t air during the Super Bowl’s first half because those are all national spots, which Scientology doesn’t purchase during the game itself. Then, right at the end of halftime, as in past years, the ad showed up during a local ad slot — but just in Los Angeles, apparently. It showed up in other markets during a local ad slot at the end of the third quarter, including here in New York. It then continued to air after the game, including during the airing of the NBC show This Is Us.

Expect it to continue airing, particularly during the Winter Olympics. It looks like David Miscavige is really pouring gasoline on this fire.

The ad itself was pretty underwhelming, considering what the church has aired in past years. Gone was the narrator providing voiceover, and the images were mostly recycled from previous spots. Also, Scientology was named right away, so viewers had a full 30 seconds to recoil in horror.

Most surprisingly, the ad suggested that viewers do something that Scientologists themselves are instructed never to do, and that’s to research Scientology on the Internet.

Here’s the 30-second version of the ad. Scientology usually puts up a minute-long version, and we’ll add it here if they do…

 
We asked some familiar names for their reaction to the spot.

Mike Rinder: ‘Curious’? Sure, about how tax exempt money is spent to act like Proctor and Gamble selling Tide.

Tom DeVocht: As an ad, I think it sucks. And, have you ever noticed that Scientology has never been able to answer the question they asked in it — what is Scientology? Seriously!

Chris Shelton: I had to laugh at that commercial. Talk about a tone-deaf response to the toxic public relations nightmare that is Scientology. They should be in full-blown PR damage control mode right now, addressing their gross mistakes of the past, showing that they have reformed and are cancelling their destructive policies and going way out of their way to be doing positive community volunteer work in each city where they have orgs. They should be publicly reaching out to make up the damage they’ve inflicted on their victims. Instead they are producing “mystery sandwich” ads which tell people to Google Scientology? Are they completely insane? That is literally the worst PR idea ever. What do they think people are going to find when they go to Google? They’re going to find Tony Ortega’s blog, they’re going to find Mike Rinder’s blog, they’re going to find my videos, Aaron Smith-Levin’s videos and of course an endless parade of articles and interviews with Leah Remini, Ron Miscavige Sr and the legion of other Aftermath contributors. They are going to find every piece of truth you can find about Scientology that will repel anyone with an ounce of common sense. In fact, they may well create more never-in anti-Scientology activists, since more than a few people have come to my channel because they Googled Scientology and then stayed because they couldn’t believe how bad it was. So I guess, in a way, I have to actually thank the PR genius who came up with this idea because this is a rare gift from Scientology – actually useful advice that anyone can follow which will ensure they stay as far away from a Church of Scientology as possible. When it comes to Scientology, I think the only thing anyone should be curious about at this point is why our law enforcement and government officials are still so backed off from launching a full-blown investigation and dismantling of this criminal organization. There has never been a better time than now to take this thing down.

Karen de la Carriere: In fact there is a lot of curiosity about Scientology. There’s a lot of curiosity online about Scientology’s runaway crime wave of 50 years of kidnapping, beatings, assault and battery, coerced abortions, and enforced disconnection. And it’s curiosity that drove interest in Going Clear, the “Truth Rundown,” and Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, too.

Marc & Claire Headley: Organizations that spend millions of dollars on Super Bowl commercials do so in order to make millions more dollars. Scientology is no different. They are trying to sell Scientology. Any pesky families or relationships that might need to be destroyed in order for them to make a buck are secondary. There are more ex-Scientologists now than active Scientologists. There is a reason for that. Scientology is a destructive business that ruins lives. Instead of getting involved in Scientology, take some advice from the scores of people who have spent their entire lives in Scientology and managed to escape. Don’t get involved. You will save yourself a ton of money and avoid a lot of unnecessary pain and agony. This was an unpaid message.

Karen Pressley: Scientology’s “Curious?” Super Bowl ad perfectly depicted their state of mind in relation to the public’s perception of them. Asking millions of viewers if they were curious about Scientology — after so much horrible truth has been spilled about their human rights abuses through Aftermath, books, blogs, podcasts and general news and their reputation is the worst in its history — is like Harvey Weinstein putting out an ad to ask actresses if they want to get into the movie business and to meet him in his office. It’s utter insensitivity and disconnection between who they really are and who public perceive them to be. I would say they should have used the air time to create some kind of bridge between themselves and the public, but I have no idea what that bridge should be, because no one would trust anything they would offer. Maybe they really knew that already, so they took the only option they really had — pretend there is no problem with their reputation and just create an ad that is clearly oblivious to public perception of them. As if they are trying to find people who haven’t yet heard anything bad about Scientology, and entice them in with their little mystery sandwich of curiosity. Fat chance.

 
Once again, in case you’ve missed them, here are the ads for the previous Super Bowls…

2013’s ad, “Knowledge”…

 
2014’s ad, “Scientology Spiritual Technology”…

 
2015’s ad, “Age of Answers”…

 
2016’s ad, “Who Am I”…

 
2017’s ad, “Your Full Potential”…

 
And here are some of our favorite Twitter responses from last night…

 
And here was the scene inside Scientology’s Fort Harrison Hotel as the ad played…

 
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Posted by Tony Ortega on February 5, 2018 at 07:00

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Learn about Scientology with our numerous series with experts…

BLOGGING DIANETICS: We read Scientology’s founding text cover to cover with the help of L.A. attorney and former church member Vance Woodward
UP THE BRIDGE: Claire Headley and Bruce Hines train us as Scientologists
GETTING OUR ETHICS IN: Jefferson Hawkins explains Scientology’s system of justice
SCIENTOLOGY MYTHBUSTING: Historian Jon Atack discusses key Scientology concepts

Other links: Shelly Miscavige, ten years gone | The Lisa McPherson story told in real time | The Cathriona White stories | The Leah Remini ‘Knowledge Reports’ | Hear audio of a Scientology excommunication | Scientology’s little day care of horrors | Whatever happened to Steve Fishman? | Felony charges for Scientology’s drug rehab scam | Why Scientology digs bomb-proof vaults in the desert | PZ Myers reads L. Ron Hubbard’s “A History of Man” | Scientology’s Master Spies | The mystery of the richest Scientologist and his wayward sons | Scientology’s shocking mistreatment of the mentally ill | The Underground Bunker’s Official Theme Song | The Underground Bunker FAQ