By Philbert Shih, theWHIR.com
January 6, 2006 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Web hosting provider Go Daddy (godaddy.com) held a press conference at its Arizona headquarters on Thursday to discuss the trouble it is having getting its Super Bowl advertisements approved by ABC.
President and founder Bob Parsons said in a prepared statement:
“We want to be in the Super Bowl again this year. We have agreed to buy a Super Bowl commercial and are in contract negotiations with ABC television right now, but at this time the network has not yet approved the ‘GoDaddy-esque’ spots we submitted.”
“GoDaddy-esque”, according to Parsons, has become a descriptive term of sorts, coined to describe the racy and edgy advertisements that have become its trademark and have been used by other companies as in the case of Carl’s Jr.’s Paris Hilton car wash commercial. The ads submitted to ABC are without question “GoDaddy-esque,” says Parsons. “You run an ad to be noticed, not to blend in to the background – especially when the cost is $2.6 million.”
However, it is exactly that quality that has ABC concerned. The network has yet to grant approval for the ads and Parsons is skeptical that it is forthcoming any time soon. “Right now, the commercial that they have, we believe is not going to fly.”
So in search of a middle ground, Parsons says the company is working with ABC’s standards and practices board to determine exactly what will be acceptable so that it can get an ad approved.
“We are in a situation with the standard and practices board at ABC where they want an ad that meets their requirements, and we want one that meets our requirements, so we are trying to find where that line happens to be.”
But he insists that the final version will still be in line with Go Daddy’s advertising objectives. “It will be GoDaddy-esque,” Parsons wrote in his blog on Friday. “In order to be GoDaddy-esque, a commercial must be edgy, hot, slightly tasteless and just a touch inappropriate.”
The ads, Parsons confirmed, will again feature Candice Michelle, the “Go Daddy Girl” who has parlayed last year’s success into a career as a “diva” in professional wrestling’s WWE. She is also rumored to be slated for the April cover of Playboy magazine. Though the ads won’t be nearly as suggestive as a Playboy spread, “I can tell you that we won’t be dressing up Candice Michelle as a beekeeper to get an ad approved,” says Parsons.
The original Go Daddy ads that caused such a ruckus last year featured Michelle, prancing provocatively and dressed in suggestive clothing, parodying Janet Jackson’s infamous wardrobe malfunction during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show. A second ad feature, also featuring Michelle, was cancelled after the FCC received a large number of complaints about the ad, which aired during the first half. The fallout, which resulted in the second ad being published on Go Daddy’s Web site, generated a storm of controversy that created exposure beyond what the ad alone could have generated.Parsons says he is disappointed with the situation, since the Super Bowl has always been known as much for the game as the new commercials. “It would be disappointing if the Super Bowl, which has long been known as the world’s stage for the most innovative and cutting-edge advertisements, lost its relevance for adventurous companies like GoDaddy.com,” he says.
Though ABC is holding up its Super Bowl ads, Go Daddy commercials will run during this year’s NFL playoffs. Parsons confirmed in his blog this week that Go Daddy would be advertising during each game of the upcoming NFC playoffs broadcasted by Fox. The ad that will run features Candice Michelle in a spot billed as a “window washer”. Parsons said there would be an “Internet-only” version, which is sure to be “hot.”"The Internet only version of Window Washer is definitely GoDaddy-esque in every sense of the word,” Parsons wrote. Both the “window washer” television ad and the “Internet only” versions will be available on GoDaddy.com Web site this Saturday.
Just a year ago, it was unheard of for Web hosting companies to court the mainstream masses through television commercials. In fact, prior to last year’s Super Bowl, Go Daddy’s advertising plans were received with a great deal of skepticism. But Go Daddy’s bold efforts paid off in spades, proving that the Web hosting industry could successfully market to the masses.And Go Daddy’s bottom line is proof. Parsons says the media value from last year’s ad, which cost $2.4 million, was over 11 million dollars and the company has seen its market share jump from approximately 16 to 24 percent. “My gosh, what’s that worth?”
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