Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly Clapback Advertising: The Art of the Response Ad
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Jan 24, 2026 A look at clapback ads and how brands and communities answer one another. Stories include a Super Bowl spot that provoked a provincial pride response. A car ad that prompted a youth orchestra to fire back. A tech scandal handled with humor to regain control of the narrative.
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Clapback Ads As Marketing Answer Songs
- Clapback ads are marketing 'answer songs' that respond directly to another ad or cultural moment.
- They can be retaliatory, crisis-driven, or playful and reshape public perception quickly.
Newfoundland's Rapid Cultural Retort
- Vrbo aired a Super Bowl ad that used a Newfoundland folk song to mock rural rentals and sparked outrage.
- Newfoundland quickly produced a counter-ad celebrating local culture and earned massive unpaid media coverage.
Reframe Crisis Quickly With Tone
- When a company's scandal isn't about its product, respond quickly and use tone to reframe the story.
- Use humor strategically and address obvious questions rather than issuing only lawyerly statements.