84 Lumber Super Bowl Advertisement

By: Kevin Grube, pledge

The “84 Lumber” advertisement was released on February 5th, 2017 during the NFL Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. The advertisement that appeared during the game was only one minute and thirty seconds long. However, the full-length version of the advertisement can be seen on YouTube, and runs at approximately five minutes and forty four seconds. The full version has 11,109,826 views on YouTube, and was published on YouTube on February 5th, 2017. 84 Lumber Company is a construction store that sells various materials such as lumber, doors, siding, and engineered wood products. Moreover, 84 Lumber Company has locations nationwide, but is headquartered in Eighty-Four, Pennsylvania. The CEO of 84 Lumber is Maggie Hardy Magerko.

The ad centers around a mother and daughter’s journey from Mexico to the United States. While the advertisement is well-intended in nature, the end product has been described as extremely political, ultra-nationalistic, and tremendously stereotypical to those who are immigrating to the United States. This advertisement certainly feeds into the dominant ideologies about how U.S. citizens view immigrants, especially those traveling from Mexico.

The advertisement is extremely controversial on various levels. In the full-length version, the mother and daughter reach the United States after overcoming numerous environmental, physical, and emotional obstacles. They hitch a ride with “coyotes” (people who get paid to transport illegal immigrants), hop on trains, walk through desert on their path to a new beginning. When they finally reach the United States, they are shocked by what they see. A giant wall stands in their way to freedom. In the end, they walk through a humungous door (made from 84 lumber) that has a crack in it, which symbolizes peace, freedom, and hope. While this sounds like a happy ending, the advertisement clearly supports President Donald Trump’s idea of building a giant wall to keep out illegal immigrants.

The CEO of 84 Lumber, Maggie Hardy Magerko, is a “staunch” supporter of President Trump’s proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, despite saying that the advertisement wasn’t about the wall, but rather the mother and daughters “treacherous journey” to freedom. In an interview with “People” magazine, Magerko stated, “We need to keep America safe… America needs to be safe so you and I can have the liberty to talk… The wall, I think it represents, to me, security. I like security”. This statement clearly indicates that the CEO was lying, for why even have the “wall” in the full advertisement? Interestingly enough, FOX actually rejected the original Super Bowl ad with the “wall” in it because it was too controversial to air on national television. The ad was only accepted by FOX after 84 Lumber condensed the length of the commercial and changed the ending. Regardless of the backlash and controversy, the company still published the full version of the advertisement on YouTube.

As stated earlier, this advertisement is also blatantly stereotypical and supports dominant ideologies about how many Americans views of illegal immigrants. The mother and daughter are from an impoverished village and are depicted as virtually penniless. They use their money to pay a “coyote” who smuggles them in a stereotypical truck that’s filled with other Mexican people traveling to America. They hop on trains illegally to lessen the physical toll on their bodies. They walk through desert with very little food and water. At one point in the ad, a generous Mexican man gives them water. They barely make it to the giant wall.

While they do walk through the “door of freedom” in the end, the “journey” doesn’t illustrate the path all immigrants take. Not all Mexican immigrants take this crazy journey and overcome insurmountable obstacles in order to reach the United States. In addition, it’s not clear whether these are illegal or legal immigrants, but one could assume that they are illegal since they go through a “coyote”, hop on trains, and travel by foot to reach the United States. Thus, this add subconsciously generalizes the voyage immigrants take to the United States, in particular Mexican immigrants.

Traditional gender roles and stereotypes are reinforced in this advertisement. The main characters are a struggling mother and young daughter who travel from an underprivileged village in Mexico. Although they eventually reach America, they are portrayed as virtually powerless and reliant on men, for the “coyote” and bighearted person who gives them water during their journey are both men. In addition, all the 84 Lumber construction workers in the commercial are men. Why couldn’t any of these characters be women? Thus, this ad unintentionally reinforces dominant ideologies about traditional gender roles, for the men are depicted as the “hardworking, strong, and dedicated” workers who handle powerful tools and machinery.

In summation, the “84 Lumber” Super Bowl advertisement is highly controversial, political, and stereotypical, despite intending to inspire hope and opportunity. The CEO is a supporter of the U.S.-Mexico wall proposed by President Donald Trump. The wall in the advertisement is undoubtedly in support of the President Donald Trump, despite her stating that the wall wasn’t meant to be political. FOX only agreed to air the commercial without the wall. Moreover, stereotypes are reinforced in terms of traditional gender roles. While they do overcome various obstacles on their own, men are the one’s who help the mother and daughter reach their destination when they need it the most. Thus, the advertisement sparked controversy due to its clear political stance of being ultra-nationalistic and ultra-patriotic. Moreover, dominant ideologies about immigrants and their journeys to the U.S. are reinforced, in particular those traveling from Mexico.