text: This post has been updated. See below. 
   
   A Groupon Super Bowl commercial that pokes fun at the political situation in Tibet has managed to offend viewers both in the U.S. and China, and may have consequences for the fast-growing Internet company's expansion plans. 
   
   The ad features actor Timmothy Hutton narrating a mock public service announcement about Tibetans that quickly turns into an ad for the type of group-buying deals Groupon offers its customers: "The people of Tibet are in trouble, their very culture in jeopardy," Mr. Hutton says in the ad. "But they still whip up an amazing fish curry. And since 200 of us bought on Groupon.com we’re getting $30 worth of Tibetan food for just $15 at Himalayan restaurant in Chicago.” 
   
   It has been rumored for weeks now that the Chicago-based company, which offers daily deals from local businesses, has its eyes on China, which boasts more Internet users than any other nation. Local media outlets have reported that Groupon is on a hiring spree and is in talks to partner with Chinese Internet giant Tencent. 
   
   China’s state-run newspaper China Daily reported today that a “well-placed source” said Groupon is going to partner with Tencent to offer its services in China, and that the Chinese website will employ 1,000 people within three months. Tencent’s own Web portal published a report (in Chinese) last month saying that Groupon is entering the China market and planning to hire many employees, while Ifeng.com, the web portal of Phoenix Television, said last month that Groupon and Tencent have jointly created a new website. 
   
   None of those reports has been substantiated, with both Groupon and Tencent declining to comment. But if Groupon has aspirations in China, bringing up Tibet and saying its people are “in trouble” and that their “very culture is in jeopardy,” even jokingly, isn’t likely to please the Chinese officials whose blessing they'll need to set up operations. 
   
   The Tibet ad was one of three the company aired during the Super Bowl, each of which makes fun of a different charitable cause. A statement on Groupon's official blog describes campaign as "a parody of a celebrity-narrated, PSA-style commercial that you think is about some noble cause (such as 'Save the Whales'), but then it’s revealed to actually be a passionate call to action to help yourself (as in 'Save the Money')." Perhaps anticipating a certain level of public criticism, Groupon is offering to match donations to charities associated with the causes it parodies. 
   
   In the case of Tibet, the charity is the Tibet Fund, an organization backed partially by the U.S. State Department and which works with Tibet’s government in exile, the Central Tibetan Administration, that raises money for health care and education for Tibetan refugees. 
   
   A copy of the ad with Chinese subtitles was reportedly posted on a Chinese video site not long after the spot aired in the U.S. but appears to have since been taken down. A number of Chinese Internet users were disapproving of the ad, slamming it as a bad business move and criticizing the company for mixing business with politics. 
   
   "Groupon's Super Bowl commercial with Tibet as its main theme is super offensive," one user called Wandering D wrote on Sina Weibo, a Chinese microblogging service. "Why did they have to link their commercials with politics?" Another Sina Weibo user called nixiner quipped: "Can anyone be more stupid than Groupon?" The company "made its first TV commercial as controversial as possible. Good job!" 
   
   While Tibetan independence is treated as a sensitive topic in China -- and treated as such by the country's Internet filtering system -- it is not a topic on which most Chinese citizens vocally disagree with the government. 
   
   Politics aside, if Groupon does manage to start a Chinese website, it will have to compete with local group-buying start-ups like Letao.com that are gaining popularity. According to the China Internet Network Information Center, China had 18.75 million group-buying users by the end of 2010, and the category is likely to have “rapid growth” in 2011. 
   
   UPDATE, 10:35am Beijing time: An employee of SS PR, the public relations firm that represents Groupon, sent the following statement to CRT after this post was published: "We wanted to clarify the intention of the Super Bowl ad yesterday. The humor was designed to draw attention to causes including Greenpeace, The Tibet Fund, and Rainforest Action Network. Groupon actually started as a collective action and philanthropy site (ThePoint.com). Collective action is in Groupon's DNA and this campaign pokes fun at its own roots." 
   
   -- Loretta Chao with contributions from Yoli Zhang. Follow Loretta on Twitter @lorettac ||||| WATCH: The Best and Worst Super Bowl Commercials of 2011 
   
   Email This There is a contingent of fans that watches the Super Bowl and takes a bathroom break during the game so they don't miss the commercials. 
   
   
   
   There is something at stake here for the companies who invested an enormous amount of money to buy time. A good spot can keep people talking for weeks or help launch a lasting campaign. 
   
   
   
   Here is a list of the best, the worst and the indifferent of this year's Super Bowl spots, from the standpoint of pure entertainment. Volkswagen is the biggest winner, and Pepsi and Doritos peppered the Super Bowl with hit or miss adds. 
   
   
   
   Watch the commercials after the jump! There is a contingent of fans that watches the Super Bowl and takes a bathroom break during the game so they don't miss the commercials.There is something at stake here for the companies who invested an enormous amount of money to buy time. A good spot can keep people talking for weeks or help launch a lasting campaign.Here is a list of the best, the worst and the indifferent of this year's Super Bowl spots, from the standpoint of pure entertainment. Volkswagen is the biggest winner, and Pepsi and Doritos peppered the Super Bowl with hit or miss adds. 
   
   THE WORST 
   
   Starting with a kid in a Darth Vader costume is almost cheating. You'd have to be kind of heartless not to smile at that. It would be like heckling kittens. You knew eventually The Force would work for the kid, but the reveal is still funny.Fun gag, and relatable. This might be the funny one people talk about this week.More monkeys from Careerbuilder.com, the idea being once again how frustrating it is to work with idiots. An easy concept for which to have sympathy.Creepy funny is always good. And the guy addicted to Doritos cheese dust is definitely creepy.Best of the Pepsi MAX commercials. Quick to the punchline, funny ending.A lot of short gags in this one help make it funny. The actors are also good.When you have one joke, get to it and get out. This one didn't go over the top.Ozzy and Bieber were amusing. "What's a Bieber?" was a good line. Bieber had to be in the mix somewhere today -- he's everywhere else.Solid ad. Another one with a good string of gags, although distracting from the point of the product.This is another one people might talk about. Clever enough premise, visuals will help.Cheesy, but always good to see a wordless concept pulled off well.Loved this one. Animals are hit and miss, but this was cute. It helps if you have a good, short story to tell.An inspiring sentiment about Detroit with one of its biggest stars, Eminem. Hopefully Detroit isn't counting on Chrysler to bring it back. Much better than the other Eminem commercial, for Brisk.Not sure this is the change people are looking for from LivingSocial.com, but it's amusing.Animation is pretty impressive. 'World of Warcraft' fans might enjoy this. It's a nice change of pace from polar bears.Can we please be rid of these? There is a school of thought that says advertising doesn't have to be good or pleasing -- if it's memorable and you remember the product, you can hate the ad. GoDaddy.com is the leading practitioner of this philosophy.Apparently, moguls, sea gods, aliens and ancient civilizations don't have $14,000 to buy their own Kia. No one is buying "an epic ride."Old people are funny! Sometimes they can't hear!The babies ads have been remarkably consistent. The streak ends here.Adrien Brody is an Oscar winner. Now he croons for beer commercials. That is sad enough to make me want to drink.A Pepsi MAX to the groin? Doesn't make me thirsty, or make me laugh.Who thought the Pug was in danger? Hands. No one? Who went to the kitchen for something other than Doritos during this spot? Hands. Smarter choice.Continuation of the diva theme. Doesn't outdo the Betty White/Abe Vigoda spot from last year.Kind of confused as to what the product is. Not curious to find out, even if it turns the fat thin, builds buildings and brokers peace between political factions.Eminem and tea aren't really a great match. Chrysler used Eminem much better.Peter Stormare stars in this centerpiece of the Bud campaign. Disappointing after having seen this spot hyped.This has the scale and length of a big Super Bowl ad, and "test baby" is funny. But it's hard to get excited about the possibility of cheaper hotels when there are a ton of sites doing this already. Not sure why HomeAway.com would be better from this ad.One of the longer spots, this one will be interesting to Mercedes aficionados for the variety of models. Diddy doesn't get to do much. If you're not already a fan of the vehicle, this is kind of a big shrug.This one will get a lot of attention for Kardashian. What you think of this commercial pretty much depends on how much you like watching her.Amusing reveal -- grandpa is funny. Still not terribly memorable.Making fun of rich people with a cameo by Kenny G. This is where most of America imagines Bernie Madoff has been assigned. Not bad, but again, not terribly memorable.No one is using a Xoom to create a better world. Hope we can avoid the future where everyone wears white running suits.See more at TV Squad ||||| In the Super Bowl of advertising, Justin Bieber replaced Ozzy Osbourne and Joan Rivers became a GoDaddy girl. But a pair of commercials by automakers took the early trophy for online buzz. 
   
   This screen shot provided by Kia Motors Corp., shows a scene from the Super Bowl commercial titled "One Epic Ride," with the all-new 2011 Kia Optima being held by Poseidon. (AP Photo/Kia Motor Corp.) (Associated Press) 
   
   COMMERCIAL IMAGE - In this photo released by Brisk on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, Eminem is seen in puppet form for Brisk Iced Tea's Super Bowl TV spot shot in San Francisco. (Brisk via AP Images) (Associated Press) 
   
   In this screen shot provided by TeleFlora, Faith Hill and actor, Kevin Manwarren are seen in Teleflora’s commercial, “Help me Faith,” that is scheduled to debut during the Super Bowl. (AP Photo/TeleFlora)... (Associated Press) 
   
   In this photo released by Brisk on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011, Eminem in puppet form is seen in the recording booth, in an image from the taping of the Brisk Super Bowl TV spot in San Francisco. (Brisk via... (Associated Press) 
   
   In this composite screen shot provided by Mars Inc., Comedians Richard Lewis (left) and Roseanne Barr (right) will appear in a SNICKERS® Super Bowl XLV commercial called “Logging." (AP Photo/Mars Inc.)... (Associated Press) 
   
   In this screen shot provided by CareerBuilder.com, the CareerBuilder chimpanzees are back at work, in a scene from this years Super Bowl commercial. (AP Photo/CareerBuilder.com) (Associated Press) 
   
   A two-minute ad for Chrysler starring Eminem and a Volkswagen ad featuring a mini-Darth Vader that went viral before it even aired were two of the most talked-about spots during advertising's big night, Super Bowl XLV, in which Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. 
   
   Chrysler was one of nine automakers that took advantage of advertising's biggest and most expensive showcase, at $3 million for 30 seconds, to try to show they're back after two tough years for the industry. 
   
   The cinematic third-quarter Chrysler ad starred Eminem driving through Detroit and introduced a new car, the Chrysler 200 sedan, amid gritty scenes of the city. A voiceover talks about how the city has survived going through "hell and back." 
   
   "This is the Motor City and this is what we do," Eminem says. 
   
   The Chrysler ad was "the big story of the night," according to NM Incite, a Nielsen/McKinsey Co. that tracks online buzz. 
   
   Consumers repeated the "imported from Detroit" slogan over and over in online buzz, the company said. 
   
   "It was a very risky commercial, but it scored very well with our panel" that rates the ads, said Tim Calkins, Clinical Professor of Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management. 
   
   Another hit was a Volkswagen's ad that showed a boy in a Darth Vader costume trying to use "The Force" on objects, including the Passat. 
   
   "It really wasn't selling a car, it was selling a feeling, and it tapped into its target market of families very effectively, which you usually don't see in a car ad," said Robert Kolt, an instructor at Michigan State University College of Communication Arts & Sciences. 
   
   Volkswagen released the ad early on Youtube.com and it had than 13 million views before the game even started. 
   
   Elsewhere, celebrities and humor dominated. A scantily clad Kim Kardashian broke up with her trainer for Skechers, Roseanne Barr took a big hit from a log in a Snickers ad and comedian Joan Rivers, her head at least, became a GoDaddy girl. 
   
   According to the USA Today Super Bowl Ad Meter, the best-scoring ads featured dogs: A Doritos ad that showed a man taunting a dog and getting smashed under a glass door, and a Bud Light ad that showed dogs catering a party. The newspaper uses a panel of viewers who rate the commercials as they watch them. 
   
   After avoiding the Super Bowl for two years as it went in and out of a government-led bankruptcy, General Motors came back with five ads for Chevrolet. In one ad, a seemingly mundane car dealership ad is disrupted when a Camaro suddenly morphs into the Bumblebee character from the "Transformers" movies. 
   
   One miss was daily coupon website Groupon's fake public service ad with Timothy Hutton, which appeared to be a plea for help for people of Tibet but instead touted a deal from Groupon for fish curry. 
   
   While aiming for humor, "It wasn't a very effective piece of communication and clearly rubbed some people the wrong way," Calkins said. 
   
   A Homeaway.com ad featuring a "test baby" smushed against a window also garnered negative reaction from ad experts and "didn't resonate with people," Calkins said. 
   
   Some ads, predictably, drew criticism for being entertaining without doing much to sell people on the item being advertised. 
   
   Among those was an ad for Lipton Brisk Iced Tea in which an animated Eminem explains why he doesn't usually do endorsements. He throws a business type off a roof when he refuses to rename the drink "Eminem." 
   
   "It was confusing, and it didn't say a lot about the product," Calkins said. 
   
   Not all ads went for laughs. Motorola Mobility's 60-second spot during the second quarter played off of the famous Apple ad "1984." The dialogue-free Motorola ad shows a world where drones dress all in white and wear Apple iPod-like earbuds and a man uses a Motorola Xoom tablet to free and woo a girl. 
   
   The message is that Apple has become an oppressor rather than a liberator, and show Motorola's tablet as a worthy opponent to Apple's popular iPad, said Bill Ogle, chief marketing officer of Motorola Mobility. 
   
   "A lot of people just try to go for laughs," he said. "There are all kinds of sex and monkeys and horses (during the Super Bowl), but what we were trying to do is a bit more of a serious story." 
   
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target: – Man, isn’t the plight of the Tibetan people hilarious? Groupon hit a real nerve last night with a Super Bowl commercial that seemed to exploit said plight for yucks. “The people of Tibet are in trouble. Their culture is in jeopardy,” says narrator Timothy Hutton. “But they still whip up an amazing fish curry.” The ad—part of a whole series of mock-PSAs—generated an instant backlash on Twitter and YouTube for its insensitivity, the Huffington Post reports. To be fair, the company has offered to match donations to the causes it parodies. But at the same time, even jokingly referencing the Tibet situation has infuriated China, and may throw a monkey wrench in the company’s expansion plans, the Wall Street Journal reports. “Can anyone be more stupid than Groupon?” asked one Chinese blogger. “Made its first TV commercial as controversial as possible. Good job!” Other ads generating buzz included: Chrysler’s cinematic 2-minute “Imported from Detroit” spot starring Eminem was “the big story of the night,” a company that tracks online buzz tells the AP. Volkswagen’s young Darth Vader ad went viral before it even aired. “It really wasn't selling a car,” says one communications professor. “It was selling a feeling." GoDaddy also made waves with its Joan Rivers commercial… but perhaps the less said of that, the better. Click here for a complete rundown of the best and worst Super Bowl ads.