GRAND HAVEN, Mich. — For sixty seconds on Super Bowl Sunday, millions of Americans— one of the largest television audiences in history— witnessed what Jesus did.
Inspired by the washing of the disciples' feet at The Last Supper, the religious ad campaign He Gets Us, portrayed people—a presumed gay man, a black man and others— allowing their feet to be washed by their cultural "other"— a priest and a police officer, for example.
"Points of tension," said Jason Vanderground, president of BrandHaven, the Grand Haven-based ad agency behind the spot. "When there are differences, we can still treat each other with the respect and dignity that we saw [exhibited in] Jesus."
During last year's Super Bowl, He Gets Us took criticism due to it being a subsidiary of The Servant Foundation. The nonprofit had donated "tens of millions" to Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal group that's opposed LGBTQ rights-related legislation.
In addition, Hobby Lobby co-founder David Green— similarly criticized for his conservative politics— claimed to be a donor.
This year, though, He Gets Us is managed by newly-formed nonprofit Come Near, with BrandHaven still crafting the commercials that serve to "help people see Jesus clearly."
"I'm really proud of the group we have," said Vanderground, adding that "no single donor" has control over the messaging.
Following 'Foot Washing,' a 15-second, question-based spot titled 'Who is my Neighbor' aired in the second quarter, with the answer being, "The one you don't notice, value, welcome."
"In an environment where all of those things are common in our experience," said Vanderground, referencing the lasting effects of the pandemic and the presidential election, "What is a solution?"
The commercial ranked 18th in consumer engagement among other Super Bowl ads, according to TV outcomes company EDO. 'Foot Washing' finished 8th on the list.
While BrandHaven did not disclose the amount of money spent on them, the 75 total seconds of air time cost an estimated $17 million.
"I hear them," Vanderground said about those who criticized the campaign's finances. "People ask us about the cost a lot."
For example, author and activist Tim Wise posted to X, formerly Twitter, "Jesus wouldn't have supported spending millions of dollars on ads for the Super Bowl just to say ''he gets us.'"
While others on social media labeled He Gets Us as "woke," some said they taught Christians to "love sin."
Vanerground admits the campaign can be "controversial," but says it's "not attempting to do anything that is political."
"We think something needs to change," he said. "We're trying to use He Gets Us as a driver of that."
The day before the Super Bowl, He Gets Us handed out groceries to needy people in the Las Vegas area, also putting together a parking lot football field for kids play on with current and former NFL players.
"What if we took people where there's a natural tension built in?" Vanderground said. "What if they treated each other with respect and dignity?”
