![Top 10 Most Memorable GoDaddy Ads [VIDEOS]](http://sebastianmourra.com/wp/wp-content/themes/thedawn/images/no-image.png)
In honor of GoDaddy’s rumored $2.5 billion sale, we’re humoring your curiosity by featuring its most controversial and memorable ads. Enjoy discreetly. And just like the disclaimer at the end of every GoDaddy commercial, “Warning: web content is unrated.”
What the heck are they selling? What’s the product? What’s “love” got to do with it? No doubt, you and millions of others have asked these questions after watching a GoDaddy commercial. The web host and domain registrar’s superlative ads have raised eyebrows since 2005, when the first GoDaddy girl graced television screens.
GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons calls their campaign “edgy advertising.” But just when people thought their ads couldn’t get more risqué, GoDaddy managed to create several more commercials that networks deemed too racy for primetime ad space. In the past few years, Super Bowl viewers especially have anticipated GoDaddy ads which feature leggy, toned beauties like WWE diva Candice Michelle and “America’s Toughest Trainer” Jillian Michaels.
Do you think GoDaddy’s lowbrow ads are harmful to its image? We invite you to share your opinions in the comments below.
With 1.7 million YouTube views, the latest GoDaddy Super Bowl ad introduces the new GoDaddy Girl. The camera pans over the woman’s hot body, but her face is kept in the shadows. Finally, after much anticipation, they reveal a surprise celebrity…
At this point, GoDaddy had had no previous TV ad experience. GoDaddy Girl Candice Michelle appears in front of a C-SPAN spinoff panel to argue her case for a Super Bowl ad. She demonstrates by doing jumping jacks and dancing amidst wardrobe malfunctions. FOX pulled the spot from Super Bowl programming.
In this ad, GoDaddy Girls Jillian Michaels & Danica Patrick are “obligated by contract” to appear in a racy commercial despite their protests. The end shows their bare legs walking on set in high heels as onlookers’ mouths drop.
Another GoDaddy ad not permitted to air during the 2008 Super Bowl, this video shows “celebrity” women as they arrive on the red carpet — with pet beavers. Soon GoDaddy Girl Danica Patrick reveals a double entendre advertising slogan…
The second GoDaddy Super Bowl ad to be banned, this video follows two office workers who easily register domain names. One guy punks his friend by buying domains for all of his family members. That is, until he reaches his mother…
Although this ad is probably the corniest of the corny, news anchor Mimi performs a strip tease on live TV in GoDaddy spaghetti straps and booty shorts. Drooling men look on.
The Lola commercial profiled a retired football player who hit the jackpot by selling lingerie on his GoDaddy website. Although the spot didn’t reveal as much skin as commercials past, CBS deemed the overtly effeminate Lola unfit for Super Bowl audiences, and it was consequently banned.
A husband and wife are joined in bed by GoDaddy Girl Amy Weber, who’s there to promote the site, and ultimately to say that GoDaddy “does it all.”
Four well-endowed women sit before a C-SPAN spinoff panel claiming they’ve never “enhanced,” except GoDaddy Girl Danica Patrick who “enhances” her website with GoDaddy.
This ad follows GoDaddy’s key demographic, three young men who watch a video of GoDaddy Girl Danica Patrick in the shower.
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Facebook is experimenting with a new type of ad that invites users to comment on a question posed by an advertiser.
The format, which mirrors a status update on a branded Facebook Page, but doesn’t depend on users signing up, invites a dialogue. The first advertiser to try the so-called Comment ads, Allstate, used the Mayhem character from its commercials, who asked “What’s the worst thing your kid’s ever done in the car?” Another advertiser, Hallmark, plans to ask, “How do you make summertime a special occasion?”
According to Advertising Age, the ad was the result of an AdExpo Facebook held last year. The Chicago ad agency Leo Burnett came out with the winning idea.
The format is the latest attempt by Facebook to adapt advertising to social media communication. In January, Facebook introduced Sponsored Stories, which show user interaction with brands in the form of checkins and “Likes” in the right-hand ad column. If a user in your network, for instance, visited Starbucks, you might see that activity as an ad if Starbucks paid for the placement.
Facebook’s new ad format comes in the same week that Twitter execs shared plans to include Promoted Tweets in users’ timelines and LinkedIn announced new ad units that included mention of users’ follows and recommendations.
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We’ve already noted reports that Twitter is preparing to up its ad game by placing paid-for tweets right in the middle of your Twitter stream. Now we know the deadline for the changeover.
Promoted Tweets will start showing up in users’ timelines within the next eight weeks, according to several sources who have been briefed on the matter.
Twitter has been aggressively courting advertisers in the last few weeks, assuring them that Promoted Tweets are no experiment. They won’t just appear in Twitter search or HootSuite, as has been the case for the past year. Nor will they be banished to the sidelines of Twitter.com, the way promoted trends are. They’re coming very soon, they’re here to stay, and the company is looking into ways to make sure we’ll see them — such as making the promoted tweets “sticky,” so they stay at the top of the page no matter how far you scroll down.
If that sounds familiar, that’s because it is. It’s the same idea that Twitter had for its iPhone app — the widely reviled Quick Bar, rapidly dubbed the Dick Bar in honor of CEO Dick Costolo. Twitter seems to be betting that we’ll find a Quick Bar much less intrusive on the web — which, given the amount of advertising we’re subjected to on the average page, may be a pretty safe bet. (Twitter declined to comment for this story.)
What remains to be seen is whether advertisers will buy the idea and nudge Twitter into profitability. The site is expected to gross $100 million this year, far short of the $3.5 billion Facebook will be raking in from display ads.
What do you think? Will Twitter users revolt against sticky Promoted Tweets this fall as they did with the Quick Bar, accept them as a necessary evil, or perhaps even find them useful targeted advertising? Let us know in the comments.
More About: advertising, promoted trends, Promoted Tweets, Quick Bar, twitter
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Twitter is considering placing its Promoted Tweets in consumers’ timelines and introducing Groupon-style offers, according to a report.
The Financial Times, citing “people with direct knowledge” of Twitter’s plans, reports that company executives plan to migrate Promoted Tweets from searches to users’ timelines, a move that is likely to irritate some users.
Twitter introduced Promoted Tweets last April and drew advertisers like Coca-Cola and Virgin America. Though some users feared a spam-like intrusion into their conversations, most were either neutral or in favor of the ads. Since then, Twitter has tested putting Promoted Tweets in users’ timelines on HootSuite.
Twitter also experimented with a “QuickBar” in its iPhone app, which displayed one Promoted Trend at the top of the screen. After user protests, Twitter removed the feature.
The FT also reports that Twitter is in discussion to include Groupon-like, time-sensitive deals somewhere in its service, though the report didn’t offer any further details.
Matt Graves, a rep for Twitter neither confirms nor denies the report. “We are always talking with marketers about ways they could potentially get more out of Twitter. Some of these discussed concepts may materialize; others will not,” he says. Earlier this month, Adam Bain, Twitter’s head of revenue, told Mashable that the company has experimented with all kinds of advertising ideas, even banner ads on Twitter’s homepage in Japan. Other recent experiments include short, text ads on the homepage. Twitter is also said to be considering offering company-branded homepages.
Twitter’s not the only social media company looking into new ad formats. LinkedIn on Thursday also announced new ad units that leverage users’ activity on the network, including follows and recommendations.
More About: advertising, linkedin, promoted trends, Promoted Tweets, twitter
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LinkedIn has introduced new ad formats that integrate member activities into advertising.
The changes, announced in the company’s official blog, include the Facebook-like inclusion of relevant people in your network in banner ads. For instance, a recruitment ad could show people in your network who could refer you for the advertised job.
Another new format is LinkedIn Ads, which bolsters the advertiser’s credibility by showing how many people have recommended or follow the company. LinkedIn Ads is a self-service solution, meaning the process of buying the ads is automated. So far, the ads have only rolled out to a small portion of members.
Like Facebook, LinkedIn is grappling with the question of how to employ advertising solutions that exploit the social nature of its network without compromising users’ privacy. On June 10, LinkedIn began giving members the opportunity to opt out of being featured in advertising when they follow or recommend a company.
LinkedIn, which went public in May, posted $79.3 million in advertising revenues in 2010, about one-third of the company’s overall revenues and more than double its take in 2009.
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LinkedIn has introduced new ad formats that integrate member activities into advertising.
The changes, announced in the company’s official blog, include the Facebook-like inclusion of relevant people in your network in banner ads. For instance, a recruitment ad could show people in your network who could refer you for the advertised job.
Another new format is LinkedIn Ads, which bolsters the advertiser’s credibility by showing how many people have recommended or follow the company. LinkedIn Ads is a self-service solution, meaning the process of buying the ads is automated. So far, the ads have only rolled out to a small portion of members.
Like Facebook, LinkedIn is grappling with the question of how to employ advertising solutions that exploit the social nature of its network without compromising users’ privacy. On June 10, LinkedIn began giving members the opportunity to opt out of being featured in advertising when they follow or recommend a company.
LinkedIn, which went public in May, posted $79.3 million in advertising revenues in 2010, about one-third of the company’s overall revenues and more than double its take in 2009.
More About: advertising, facebook, linkedin
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There’s a great disconnect in the advertising world right now. On the one hand, everyone agrees that banner ads aren’t working. The click-through rate for banners is still one in 1,000. If you’re like most people, you’ve only clicked on a banner by accident and then cursed yourself for doing so.
On the other hand, banner ads are having a banner year. Analyst eMarketer this month had to double its online ad spending projections for 2011 because banners, a.k.a. display ads, are selling so well. By 2015, eMarketer predicts, display will overtake search ads as the top online ad segment. Facebook is girding for a $100 billion IPO and its business is mostly based on banner ads.
Clearly, the world has gone mad.
The other explanation is that most advertisers are able to see past click-through rates. They also understand that banners work like most advertising, which is to say in a fairly complex manner.
For instance, click-through is actually a poor measure of performance. It’s impossible to click through a billboard ad, for example, but that doesn’t mean it’s not effective. If you drive the same way to work every day for a month and see that same billboard for the new Adam Sandler movie, I’d bet you a Happy Gilmore DVD that you remember the name of the movie, know a bit about the premise and have already decided whether you want to see it or not. Yet, if that same ad appeared online, chances are you’d be among the 999 out of 1,000 who didn’t click through to learn more.
The same is true for TV ads. Only a fraction of the commercials you see on TV are so-called “direct response” ads, which include an 800 number or website. The majority don’t have any notable call to action.
For instance, there’s a well-known Skittles ad that goes like this: An older man is sad because everything he touches turns to Skittles. While this sounds great to a young observer, the man points out that he can’t hold his newborn baby boy in his arms or feed and dress himself. Then he goes to answer the phone, which turns into a pile of Skittles.
What is that all about?
Like most advertising these days, the Skittles ad isn’t touting product attributes or trying to get you to run to the store to buy something. Instead, it’s all attempting to build affinity with the brand. If you saw the Skittles ad and thought it was funny, then you might think more highly of Skittles vs. Good & Plenty. Or you might think Skittles is hip, like you, and Good & Plenty is something your parents like.
As the Sandler and Skittles examples show, advertising often has different goals. In the case of the hypothetical (and probably bad) Sandler movie, it was to raise awareness. For Skittles, it was to create a brand affinity. Sometimes you want to get into a consumer’s consideration set (particularly if you’re selling big-ticket items, like cars.) Other times, you want to convince consumers that you’re better than the competition. I didn’t make this stuff up. The purchase funnel is well-known in marketing circles. Now, ask yourself: Can you create awareness with a banner ad? Can a banner ad make you like a brand more? Can it convince you to consider possibly buying a product at some point in the future?
The answer to all the questions is yes, even if you find banners annoying and never click on them. Advertisers know this. That’s why they’re shoveling piles of cash into display advertising. Sure, search advertising works better, but people are doing a lot more than just searching online.
Advertisers also know that banners don’t exist in a vacuum. The TV ad you see builds on the foundation laid by a banner ad plus a billboard and a mention on Facebook. It all works together, and if you’re not running banners online, your competition will.
So, the next time you hear someone bashing banner ads, ask them what the click-through rate is for a TV commercial. If that doesn’t work, then feel free to pelt them with a bag of Skittles.
Image courtesy of Flickr, Davichi
More About: advertising, banner ads, display advertising, facebook, MARKETING, Skittles
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Here are two names you probably thought you’d never see in the same sentence: Rob Zombie and Woolite.
The rocker/horror movie director and the fabric care brand have joined forces for a new commercial. The 30-second spot features clips from Zombie’s movies House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects. The ad also features a Leatherface-type character doing laundry outside and the scrawled message “Don’t let detergents torture your clothes.”
It’s a definite shift in tone for the brand. Woolite’s other campaign is much less edgy: It features What Not to Wear host Stacy London comparing doing laundry today versus years ago. Reps from Reckitt Benckiser, Woolite’s parent company, could not be reached for comment on the new ad.
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Here are two names you probably thought you’d never see in the same sentence: Rob Zombie and Woolite.
The rocker/horror movie director and the fabric care brand have joined forces for a new commercial. The 30-second spot features clips from Zombie’s movies House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects. The ad also features a Leatherface-type character doing laundry outside and the scrawled message “Don’t let detergents torture your clothes.”
It’s a definite shift in tone for the brand. Woolite’s other campaign is much less edgy: It features What Not to Wear host Stacy London comparing doing laundry today versus years ago. Reps from Reckitt Benckiser, Woolite’s parent company, could not be reached for comment on the new ad.
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Citing a slow economy, newspaper chain Gannett on Tuesday announced it was cutting 700 positions, about 2% of its total workforce.
In a memo obtained by Gannett Blog, Bob Dickey, Gannett US community publishing unit president, blamed an economic recovery that “is not happening as quickly or favorably as we had hoped and continues to impact our U.S. community media organizations.” Dickey highlighted weakness in the real estate sector, slow job creation and less demand for autos as challenges to the organization. “National advertising remains soft and with many of our local advertisers reducing their overall budgets, we need to take further steps to align our costs with the current revenue trends,” Dickey wrote in the memo.
Despite Dickey’s assertion, not everyone is faring poorly. Kantar Media this month reported that the overall advertising market grew 4.4% in the first quarter compared to 5.1% in Q1 2010. But ad revenues for local newspapers fell 1.1% in the quarter, and the segment had declined for 22 consecutive quarters. Revenues for national newspapers fell 7.5%, Kantar reported. Meanwhile, Internet display advertising revenues rose 14.6% for the quarter, buoyed by — among other factors — strong demand by automakers.
Though Gannett’s digital business is growing, the increase isn’t happening fast enough to offset print declines. In the first quarter, Gannett’s revenues from traditional publishing fell 6.2%, to $929.8 million. Digital revenues rose 12.4% to $251.3 million, representing about 20% of the company’s operating revenues.
The move comes after Gannett CEO Craig Dubow received $9.4 million, including a $1.75 million cash bonus in 2010, and Chief Operating Officer Gracia Martore got $8.2 million with a cash bonus of $1.25 million. Those bonuses were awarded partially for cost cutting, which included layoffs, according to a shareholders proxy report filed in March.
Image courtesy of iStockphoto, fotosipsak
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