For GoDaddy, Last Place is Better than Middle of the Pack
Wednesday, February 10th, 2010
Analyzing Super Bowl commercial results for the world’s biggest domain name registrar.
Another year, another GoDaddy Super Bowl commercial media circus. And that’s just how the company likes it.
This year was no different than past. The company created a stir. Big props to Morality in Media for sending out a x-rated news release on Christian Newswire telling parents to keep their kids away from GoDaddy’s commercials (while simultaneously telling parents to check out GoDaddy.com).
Apparently the GoDaddy ads hit consumers with a thud. USA Today’s Ad Meter ranked GoDaddy’s ads #60 and #63. Out of 63.
But that’s not as bad as it sounds. The idea is to get a reaction, good or bad. By having the “worst Super Bowl ad”, GoDaddy is getting a lot of press. Press it wouldn’t get if its commercials were ranked #32 and #33.
How much longer can GoDaddy milk this game? Adam Strong thinks GoDaddy’s commercials jumped the shark. I’ll agree that they were pretty lame. (Take one part Danica Patrick, add girls, have them act like they’re taking their shirts off.)
GoDaddy will point out that it received the biggest web traffic spike of any advertiser in the game. But those people were going to GoDaddy with hopes of seeing naked girls, not to register domains. I’m sure it resulted in more orders, but the conversion rate was surely low.
Nonetheless, this branding strategy put GoDaddy on the map. When GoDaddy ran its first Super Bowl ad, few in the general public had heard of the company. Now it’s a household name.
Now the company is taking another play from the tried-and-true publicity playbook. It’s now asking people to make their own GoDaddy commercials and upload them to YouTube as part of a contest.
That’s marketing blocking and tackling. And it works.
Further Reading:
- GoDaddy reveals Super Bowl commercial featuring the Pussycat Dolls
- GoDaddy says it saw record Super Bowl Sunday sales
- GoDaddy to Advertise in 2010 Super Bowl
Tags: GoDaddy, super bowl commercials
I’d like to see the company take the high road … just once. Play to people’s intelligence. Appeal to businesses. Instead of the sex sells approach, which obviously came off very flat in the Superbowl commercials, try talking about the actual products and the variety of domain names available. Speak directly to companies.
Humor and a novel approach could still be used without offending certain segments of the public.
Agreed MM.
Time now to bring folks; including resale market buyers; to their site/company for the right reasons.
Absolutely right Max, because here is the other thing, sure sex sells but there ads are not really that sexy. No disrespect there are millions of women sexier than Danica Patrick. Anyone over 10 knows she is not doing nudity. So many don’t go to the site. Candice Michelle who did softcore porn in an episode of Hotel Erotica on Cinemax before she became the Godady Girl, is a much better pick for the sexy angle.
Secondly why offend women, and many are offended, I know Bob longs to be Hef, but he is not in the same business. IF you are going to use Sexy at least be sexy. Again IMO
[...] critics panned Go Daddy’s Super Bowl commercials (again) this year, the company went to the marketing playbook and created a contest for customers to make their own commercials. The top prize is $100,000, which [...]