What is Temu? Chinese company's Super Bowl commercial goes viral for annoying jingle

Edward Sutelan

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What is Temu? Chinese company's Super Bowl commercial goes viral for annoying jingle image

Are you shopping like a billionaire? If you're buying clothing brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, or Versace, the answer is probably yes. If you're buying $9.99 dresses off Temu, the answer is probably no.

Anyone watching Super Bowl 58 probably heard a different message ... several times. It's not cheap to run a Super Bowl ad, but Temu ran three ads during regulation of the biggest game in North American sports.

For some, it was likely the introduction to Temu, and even still, the ad left little clarity outside of having an annoying jingle that likely did not win over many viewers from the game.

What exactly is Temu? Here's what you need to know.

MORE: Best, worst ads from Super Bowl 58

What is Temu?

Temu is an online marketplace that centers itself around selling products at absurdly low rates. It describes itself as "an e-commerce company that connects consumers with millions of merchandise partners, manufacturers, and brands with the mission to empower them to live their best lives."

The company describes itself as being founded in Boston in 2022. It is owned by PDD Holdings Inc., a Chinese retailer that also owns Pinduoduo, another e-commerce site based in China. Wired reported Temu's prices are low because it largely sells products directly from Chinese vendors to American customers rather than using United States-based warehouses.

Temu ran a Super Bowl ad in 2023 and launched to the top of Apple's app store. It garnered endorsements from Jason Derulo and JuJu Smith-Schuster and had massive ad campaigns on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat, according to Forbes.

“Through the largest stage possible, we want to share with our consumers that they can shop with a sense of freedom because of the price we offer,” a Temu spokesperson told CNN in a statement in 2023.

MORE: How much does a Super Bowl commercial cost?

There's plenty of controversy surrounding the company. Better Business Bureau said there have been over 3,000 complaints from customers over the past three years. It gives Temu a C+ rating and customers give it a 2.5-star review (out of five).

Among frequent complaints are that the products are low quality or not delivered at all, and that the customer service is considered to be unresponsive.

On Nov. 3, 2023, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Temu claiming the company violates customer privacy rights by collecting data and using "deceptive" and "unscrupulous" practices to get to user data, according to CBS News. The plaintiffs in the case allege Temu "is purposefully and intentionally loaded with tools to execute virulent and dangerous malware and spyware activities on user devices," concluding "Temu misled people about how it uses their data."

How much did Temu spend on Super Bowl? 

There is no telling exactly how much Temu spent on Super Bowl ads, but it's not too hard to get close to the number.

Temu aired three ads during regulation of the Super Bowl. A 30-second ad costs $7 million. That would be $21 million. There was one additional ad that aired during overtime, which could cost slightly less given it was after the window the game expected to be played. However, if it was still at the full cost, CBS would have tacked on another $7 million, bringing the total receipt for Temu's spending up to $28 million. Now that's shopping like a billionaire.

It wasn't just ads Temu spent on the Super Bowl. CNBC reported Temu gave away $5 million in coupons before the Super Bowl and planned to give away $10 million more the day of the game.

Reactions to Temu commercials

Overall, Temu's ads were not exactly considered to be a hit among the masses, many of whom were shocked to see so many ads from the company to begin with.

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.