84 Lumber responds to controversy (and confusion) over its Super Bowl commercial

PoliticsTV
Feb. 6, 2017, 12:19 p.m.

84 Lumber responds to controversy (and confusion) over its Super Bowl commercial

Libby Hill

A Pennsylvania building supply company made a big splash on the Super Bowl Sunday with a commercial Fox deemed “too controversial for TV.”

Telling the tale of a mother with her young daughter and their trek across Mexico in hopes of a haven in the United States, the 84 Lumber commercial aired in part Sunday night. The company directed viewers to its website to view the conclusion of the story.

The rush to view the rest of the Super Bowl advertisement was so furious that it briefly overwhelmed the company’s website.

During the non-televised portion of the ad, the mother and daughter reach an enormous wall in the desert. The mother breaks down into tears, and the daughter pulls out a handmade U.S. flag she’s been crafting during their journey.

Then the mother sees that the wall has a door, recently built by a team of workers including one man who drives off in a pickup truck filled with, you guessed it, lumber. The mother and daughter swing the doors open into brilliant sunlight.

Onscreen text reads: “The will to succeed is always welcome here.”

Some viewers condemned the company for advocating for illegal immigration. Others viewed the ad as a call for humanity when discussing the subject.

In a tweet linking to the entire commercial, 84 Lumber described the ad as “a symbolic journey toward becoming legal American citizens.”

On its Facebook page Monday morning, 84 Lumber has been actively replying to customers accusing it of supporting illegal immigration with the following message:

“We do not condone illegal immigration. The journey of the mother and daughter symbolizes grit, dedication and sacrifice. Characteristics that we look for in our people at 84 Lumber. President Trump has previously said there should be a ‘big beautiful door in the wall so that people can come into this country legally.’ We couldn’t agree more.”

84 Lumber’s commercial was timed to coincide with a national hiring campaign.