Groupon Incorporated ran the TV ad for Super Bowl on Sunday, which featured Hollywood actor Timothy Hutton saying in a somber tone "The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their very culture is in jeopardy." The scene is set with a Tibetan mountain scene to flute music.
The next scene shows Hutton being served a meal at a Himalayan restaurant in Chicago, where he praises Tibetan fish curry, which is offered at a discount with a Groupon coupon.
The ad by Groupon, a Chicago-based Internet business that offers a variety of discount deals, was to generate support for The Tibet Fund, an organization which works with Tibet’s government in exile to raise money for health care and education for Tibetan refugees.
Groupon said it was matching donations of up to $100,000 to three charities including the Tibet Fund for youth empolyoment project in Tibetan refugee communities.
The Tibet ad was one of three the commercials having a different charitable cause the company aired during the Super Bowl.
Groupon's 30-second spot, is reported to have cost $3 million.
