By Rick Griffin
Times of San Diego
SAN DIEGO — The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, a nonprofit dedicated to ending hatred against Jews in the U.S., will air its first-ever Super Bowl TV commercial during the Feb. 11 telecast on CBS as the group seeks to raise awareness of the rise in antisemitic incidents following the Oct. 7 assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists.
The 30-second spot will continue the estimated $25 million, #StandUpToJewishHate campaign, which began in March 2023. The FCAS was founded in 2019 by Robert Kraft, CEO of the Kraft Group and billionaire owner of the New England Patriots NFL football team.
The Super Bowl spot will include the advocacy group’s blue square symbol that represents the disparity between the small size of the Jewish population in the U.S. and the large number of religious-based, hate crimes against the population.
“With the horrific rise in Jewish hate and all hate across our nation, we must stand up and take urgent action now,” Kraft said in a statement. “For the first time, FCAS will air an emotive ad during the Super Bowl, football’s ultimate championship game which brings people of all backgrounds together, to showcase examples of how people can stand up to Jewish hate and inspire more people to join the fight against all hate.”
In the past three months, the number of Google searches for the phrase “Kill Jews” has increased by 1,800-percent, according to the foundation.
FCAS will reportedly not be the only TV ad from an advocacy group to air during Super Bowl LVIII. According to advertising trade news outlets, “He Gets Us,” a $100 million campaign from The Servant Foundation, is planning to return to the Super Bowl telecast for a second consecutive year with a message about Jesus Christ and restoring Christian faith and values.
A 30-second ad during the Super Bowl telecast is estimated to cost about $7 million. The game broadcast on CBS is expected to reach more than 100 million viewers.
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Rick Griffin is a San Diego-based public relations and marketing consultant. His MarketInk column appears weekly on Mondays in Times of San Diego, which trades stories with San Diego Jewish World under auspices of the San Diego Online News Association.