Temu Super Bowl Commercials Face Intense Backlash Online
INDIA - 2023/12/07: In this photo illustration, the Temu logo is seen displayed on a mobile phone screen. (Photo Illustration by Idrees Abbas/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Super Bowl LVIII viewers quickly grew frustrated with a series of Temu commercials that aired during the big game on Feb. 11.
The online marketplace is sponsoring this year’s Super Bowl. The company first aired a Super Bowl commercial during the 2023 game, just a few months after launching in 2022. At least three new spots aired during Super Bowl LVIII, with ire growing as fans shared their experiences with the e-commerce app on social media.
Some critics accused Temu of spending money on Super Bowl ads, which are said to cost millions of dollars, while offering products at extremely low prices. Doing so suggests there are labor violations at play, one person alleged on X.
temu paying for a superbowl ad when everything they sell costs $1 tells me that they are doing labor violations that makes the triangle shirtwaist fire look like osha
— zoë ✨🌙 (@zoenone0none) February 12, 2024
Another X user jokingly suggested that the direct impacts of those alleged violations were exhibited onscreen.
Related: See All the 2024 Super Bowl Commercials, From Ben Affleck to Bud Light and Beyond
Given Temu’s low prices, perhaps Super Bowl ads are cheaper on the platform, as well—maybe even as low as $12, one person suggested.
You can buy a Super Bowl ad on Temu for $12
— Jaron Myers (@jaronmyers) February 12, 2024
Questions about the company’s wealth arose as one viewer noticed a second Temu commercial airing during the game.
TWO TEMU COMMERCIALS!?!?
HOW MUCH MONEY THESE GOONS GOT?— Omni ☕️ (@InfernoOmni) February 12, 2024
Another viewer wanted to know who shops at Temu enough to make the company able to afford dueling game-day commercials.
A SECOND Temu commercial??? Who is shopping there enough for them to be able to afford this?!?!!
— Meech (@MediumSizeMeech) February 12, 2024
Other viewers voiced frustration over the way that personal information was allegedly “sold on the even darker web” through the use of Temu’s app.
I feel as though if you shop with Temu you’re kind of asking for your personal info to be sold on the even darker web.
— Rolo Tony (@PoorOldRoloTony) February 12, 2024
One person who agreed compared one of the commercials to “an iPhone game where your credit card number gets stolen.”
everything about this Temu ad feels like an iPhone game where your credit card number gets stolen
— Ryan Nanni (@celebrityhottub) February 12, 2024
Other viewers kept their criticisms simple, describing Temu on X as “a gross company.”
Temu is a gross company. It's all cheap garbage
— Decoding Fox News (@DecodingFoxNews) February 12, 2024
When the company first announced its plans to air Super Bowl commercials in 2024, a spokesperson told CNBC that Temu would also be distributing $10 million in giveaways. The amount that the company spent on this year’s Super Bowl ads was unclear in the days leading up to the big game, but as of halfway through the third quarter, a third ad has aired, meaning that their final invoice is certainly racking up.
Next: OK, Wait—Is Temu Legit?
