Nationwide Insurance's chief marketing officer says he was surprised at the level of vitriol that his company's controversial Super Bowl ad received, but that "if it saved one child, it's worth it."

Matt Jauchius spoke with Mashable on Monday about the ad, which drew a torrent of angry commentary across social media during the game. The ad, intended to raise awareness about preventable childhood deaths, featured a young boy who lamented that he'd never get to ride a bike, get married or travel the world because he had died. For many viewers, the ad's initially cute, playful tone was at odds with its bleak conclusion.

Many said that the ad struck an inappropriately macabre tone, especially during the Super Bowl.

I just saw that Nationwide commercial during break in PFT Live . . . horrifying and offensive. — ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 2, 2015

Nationwide's Super Bowl commercial is like what you get if George RR Martin wrote a TV ad. #superbowl — Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) February 2, 2015

Jauchius said the tone was designed to spark a dialogue. "The decision was about how strong an intervention are we going to stage," he said. "If we went too strong, people would shut down. If we went too quiet it runs the risk of being forgotten. ... Our hope was to create this awareness and dialogue."

As Nationwide noted in a statement, the ad was not designed to sell insurance. Another, more lighthearted Super Bowl spot featuring Mindy Kaling and Matt Damon was a sales pitch to "Join the Nation."

The ad featuring the dead boy, called "Make Safe Happen," had a different goal: to send parents to the Make Safe Happen website, where they can get tips about preventing accidents in the home. Make Safe Happen is the new name for a decades-old initiative from the insurer with that purpose.

"Two-thirds of Americans don't think they have to do anything to make their homes safer," Jauchius said. "We wanted to raise awareness for this issue."

When asked if that meant upsetting viewers who might have lost children themselves, Jauchius replied: "We spent time with many parents who have lost children in this manner and we have one on our team. And the overwhelming message was, 'Please get this message out. If you can only save one kid’s life it’s worth it.'"

Not everyone agrees that the ad was altruistic. Laura Ries, a partner with branding consultancy Ries & Ries, pointed out that the ad wasn't a public service announcement. "If they wanted to be pure advocacy, they didn't have to slap their logo on it," she said. "Selling insurance that way seems rather cold and calculated."

Worse, Ries said that viewers were bummed out because there seemed to be no solution to the problem. "The best strategy is to be specific," she said. "You leave that commercial and say 'My kid could die. What do I have to do?' One specific thing would be better than this generalized idea."

Whatever the case, Jauchius said he's starting to see opinion turn on the issue. Though the social media barrage was pretty negative, accounts in print and on TV were more measured, he said, and some comments show the ad's message came through. "People are saying, 'The ad kind of hit me, so I got my tools [and made my home safer],'" Jauchius said.

What's so bad about the Nationwide commercial? Oh yeah, nothing. #IDontKnowWhatWereYellingAbout http://t.co/76ighuVB4M — Jessica Chasmar (@JessicaChasmar) February 2, 2015

My 7yo: "That kid just drowned. It's a commercial for parents who let their kids be in the house alone unsupervised." #SB49 @Nationwide — Deanna Zammit (@DeannaZammit) February 2, 2015

As it gauges the shifting sentiments, Nationwide will wait to air the ad again — or it may decide to shelve it completely. "There's a chance it will never be shown again," Jauchius said. "It will probably take a few weeks to find out."