"In order to be 'GoDaddy-esque', a commercial must be edgy, hot, slightly tasteless and just a touch inappropriate."
From MediaBuyerPlanner.com: ABC has rejected nine versions of GoDaddy's proposed Super Bowl ad on the grounds that it is too racy, MediaPost reports. GoDaddy has a verbal agreement with ABC to air a Super Bowl spot, but no contract yet. ABC has rejected an ad that Fox is airing during its coverage of the NFC playoffs, according to Bob Parsons, GoDaddy's founder and president. In his blog, Parsons wrote that "we will have to decide to either go back to the cutting room floor, or raise the white flag."
Is Bob Parsons a marketing genius or what? Picture this (and I'm making this up, okay?). Bob, president of GoDaddy.com, sits with his ad agency to discuss advertising on this year's Super Bowl game. Here's the conversation:
Agency guy: "Blah, blah, blah . . . so what we'll do is . . ."
Bob: "Wait. I've got it! I want you to produce a bunch of ads that the censors will absolutely not allow on the air."
Agency guy: "Huh?"
Bob: "Follow me on this. When the censors reject all of our attempts to spend millions of dollars (wink, wink), I'll call the press and let them know all about it."
Agency guy: "Huh?"
Bob: "Stay with me. I'll shout it to the media heavens that my ads were simply too sexy for network television. And if anyone wants to decide for themselves, they can come to our website and watch them. Get it? The whole idea is to get people to come to the site anyway (grin)."
Agency guy: "But Mr. Parsons. Someone might see through that ploy."
Bob: "No way. Because here's the clincher. We'll run one of them on Fox during the NFL playoffs."
Posted January 13, 2006
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Tom is timely, thought provoking and all about the new brand vision packaged as a Seinfeld stand up. I went to school on his ideas.
Jeff Taylor, Founder, Monster.com and CEO, Eons.
When Tom Asacker writes, I read. Opportunity Screams is the right message for the right time.
Tom Peters
Brilliant! ... if you are trying to attract the market segment that can not get the real thing. For example lonely teen males and dumpy middle aged men. Ha ha ha ha ha.
Posted by: Indiana Gividen | January 14, 2006 at 03:43 PM
Genius.
Posted by: olivier blanchard | January 16, 2006 at 10:13 PM
Does this qualify as guerilla marketing? Regardless, it's genius! Whatever Bob Parsons is drinking, bring me two.
Posted by: Troy Worman | January 18, 2006 at 09:16 PM
Yes. It's a good strategy to manipulate the media and garner attention. No question. But, to your own preaching Tom, I'm not sure it does much in the way of telling us why we ought to buy our urls from Bob (though I did). Last year, I felt GD was making a real statement against censorship. This year, I'm starting to believe Mr. Parsons just has a thing for big ta-tas in tight T-shirts.
Posted by: American Copywriter | February 04, 2006 at 11:04 AM