Did a U.S. insurance firm "kill a kid" during the Super Bowl just to make a point?
Well, yes and no. The ad in question is by Nationwide, a firm that usually deals with car, life and home insurance. They already made headlines in advance of the Super Bowl with an ad featuring TV comedian Mindy Kaling .
But the company also bought a 45-second spot during the show for a much darker public service announcement. The spot starts off harmless enough with a young boy lamenting about missing out on big childhood moments.
"I'll never learn to ride a bike. Or get cooties. I'll never learn to fly..."
As the ad goes on you think it's just because he's not growing up fast enough. And then Nationwide pulls a "Sixth Sense" twist on us and reveal the kid's been dead the entire time.
"I couldn't grow up. Because I died from an accident."
The ad goes on to point out the number one cause of childhood deaths is preventable accidents.
This is, of course, just an ad so no children were actually harmed in the making of the spot. Which is probably why viewers on social media were reacting with posts like this:
So remember to cherish the next time you tuck your kids into bed tonight because according to Nationwide, it might just be their last.