According to USA Today, the mishap could be the result of the COVID-19 situation. Indeed told USA Today that its team had to use stock videos due to shooting difficulties during the pandemic.
“One of the productions shots had to be canceled and we were able to fill a specific need through a content house,” Indeed said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to confirm if other advertisers were able to use this clip, which is only about one second in duration.”
The company added that it will not be changing the clip, as the “spirit [of the advertisement] remains the same.”
Guaranteed Rate’s chief creative officer Charley Wickman told Adweek that the company adopted stock footage to uphold COVID-19 safety procedures. Wickman did not want to jeopardize members of the team, hence the move to use a royalty-free clip licensed from a company called Filmsupply.