Audi Defends Its Super Bowl Ad About Equal Pay After It Quickly Becomes a Flashpoint

'Daughter' gets strong support as well as a lot of criticism

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Audi was looking to spark a reaction with “Daughter,” its politically minded Super Bowl spot advocating equal pay for women, and it undoubtedly got one.

But along with a lot of positive reactions, the automaker is also dealing with a deluge of negative comments about the ad in social media—with many viewers pointing out that Audi’s 14-member U.S. executive team consists of 12 men and two women.

The 60-second spot, posted Wednesday to YouTube and Facebook and closing in on 5 million views as of noon Friday, has a remarkably high ratio of negative sentiment—almost 40,000 dislikes to just 4,000 likes.

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