The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2024
Vrbo played Newfoundland's folk song over animals — the province objected
Vrbo's Super Bowl ad played Newfoundland's 'I's the B'y' over a chaotic farmhouse. The province demanded it be pulled. Vrbo apologised in Canada.
Vrbo (Expedia Group)
What happened
In February 2024, Vrbo ran a Super Bowl LVIII commercial featuring 'I's the B'y' — a beloved Newfoundland and Labrador folk song dating back to the 1800s. The ad showed a vacation rental farmhouse overcrowded with animals, with the song playing as a soundtrack to the chaos.
The province of Newfoundland and Labrador demanded the ad be pulled, calling it a misappropriation of their cultural heritage. The provincial government issued a formal statement saying the ad used the song in a way that disrespected its significance. Newfoundland's tourism board released its own counter-video celebrating the song's real cultural meaning.
On February 15, 2024, Vrbo apologised and removed the ad from Canadian television. The company said it had not intended to cause offence but acknowledged the concerns. The ad remained on air in the United States, where the cultural context of the song was less widely understood.
Why it happened
- The song was not background music: 'I's the B'y' is a 200-year-old cultural touchstone for an entire province — using it over livestock chaos read as mockery, not homage.
- The counter-video was the signal: Newfoundland's tourism board producing its own response video confirmed the ad had become a diplomatic incident between a brand and a government.
- The US-Canada split was the tell: Vrbo apologised in Canada but kept the ad running in the US — the apology was geographic, not principled.
- The Super Bowl context amplified it: a Super Bowl audience guaranteed maximum exposure — and maximum scrutiny of the creative choices.
The lesson
A 200-year-old folk song is not a soundtrack for livestock comedy. When a provincial government demands you pull your ad, the creative review process missed something the audience caught immediately.
Sources
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