Scroll down to see both commercials side by side.
After Budweiser released their 2015 Super Bowl ad, "Lost Dog" (nothing to do with beer I must add. You don't even see a clear Budweiser bottle), GoDaddy went ahead and unveiled their 2015 Superbowl commercial, mocking "Lost Dog", with their production of "Journey Home". After tens of thousands of online users took to social media to complain about the ending of the commercial, where the dog is being sold online by its owner, Godaddy went ahead and pulled the commercial.
GoDaddy responded Tuesday evening on its website, saying:
"This morning we previewed GoDaddy's Super Bowl spot on a popular talk show, and shortly after a controversy started to swirl about Buddy, our puppy, being sold online. The responses were emotional and direct. Many people urged us not to run the ad…. The net result? We are pulling the ad from the Super Bowl. You'll still see us in the Big Game this year, and we hope it makes you laugh. Finally, rest assured, Buddy came to us from a reputable and loving breeder in California. He's now part of the GoDaddy family as our Chief Companion Officer and he's been adopted permanently by one of our longtime employees."
Whether they expected such a reaction or not is beyond me but it makes for a great marketing plan. Their public known intention, to market themselves and be a topic of discussion, seems to have worked. Shock sold, and with their retraction they get to save face and still be trending, gaining them a whole lot of publicity. In addition, the actual Super Bowl commercial they air will gain greater attention because of this reaction.
Write this down.
"This morning we previewed GoDaddy's Super Bowl spot on a popular talk show, and shortly after a controversy started to swirl about Buddy, our puppy, being sold online. The responses were emotional and direct. Many people urged us not to run the ad…. The net result? We are pulling the ad from the Super Bowl. You'll still see us in the Big Game this year, and we hope it makes you laugh. Finally, rest assured, Buddy came to us from a reputable and loving breeder in California. He's now part of the GoDaddy family as our Chief Companion Officer and he's been adopted permanently by one of our longtime employees."
Whether they expected such a reaction or not is beyond me but it makes for a great marketing plan. Their public known intention, to market themselves and be a topic of discussion, seems to have worked. Shock sold, and with their retraction they get to save face and still be trending, gaining them a whole lot of publicity. In addition, the actual Super Bowl commercial they air will gain greater attention because of this reaction.
Write this down.