In 2005, Go Daddy took a risk and produced a TV commercial to run on Super Bowl
Sunday.
The gamble paid off - in a way that no one quite anticipated. FOX® TV Network
pulled Go Daddy's first-ever
Super Bowl commercial
after approving it in writing and airing it once during the 2005 broadcast. Fox
yanked it before its second airing, sending record numbers of viewers to the Go
Daddy Web site to see what the fuss was about. (Ironically, a college marketing
textbook featuring the legendary Go Daddy commercial notes how Fox is actually known
for its "irreverent programming.")
Each successive
Super Bowl ad has been more
effective than the last. After the 2006 SuperBowl, Go Daddy's new market share surged
to 32 percent. The 2007 ad helped boost Go Daddy's industry edge to 42 percent and
was ranked by IAG Research the "Most Recalled" commercial for the entire year.
Go Daddy's 2008 commercial featured IndyCar Star Danica Patrick, as well as an Alfred
Hitchcock-like walk on by Go Daddy CEO Bob Parsons. It broke all previous company
records, netting 1.5 million visits to GoDaddy.com before the end of the big game.
It's believed to be one of the largest spikes in Super Bowl advertising history.
"Danica's 'Exposure' is probably our funniest ad ever," declared Go Daddy CEO Bob
Parsons. "It is definitely our most effective ad in terms of immediate results."
The outspoken CEO, renowned for his marketing prowess, posted the ad to his blog,
www.BobParsons.com, about 90-minutes before kick-off and asked readers to share
their thoughts. Comments varied widely, but no one can argue the commercial's effectiveness
for generating online traffic. Catch the GoDaddy.com 2009 Super Bowl comercials "
Enhanced"
and "
Shower" featuring Danica Patrick, here at videos.godaddy.com
and at other popular sites like Hulu.com.
"We're thrilled," beamed the
Go Daddy executive.
"Think about it, it was one of the greatest Super Bowl games ever played and yet
fans still took time to come to our site during the game."