Network finally approves Go Daddy Super Bowl ad

By Tony Natale
Tribune

Another dispute between Scottsdale’s Go Daddy Group and Fox television over a Super Bowl XLII commercial is over, although Bob Parsons, owner and founder of the world’s largest domain name registrar, is not very happy about it.

“I’m disappointed the network won’t approve another (rejected) commercial,” said Parsons, whose company has more than 26 million domain names. “It’s hilarious.”

Parsons will pay $2.7 million – $100,000 more than last year – to air a 30-second commercial titled “Spot On” featuring several actors, including Indy race car driver and Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick, during the game Feb. 3.

The commercial for GoDaddy.com was approved by Fox after the network rejected 10 earlier submissions, Parsons said Thursday.

One of those rejected, titled “Exposure,” featured Patrick and included a robotic beaver.

Fox requested that the word “beaver” be removed, but Parsons said he refused.

“I think ‘Exposure’ is the funniest commercial we’ve ever made,” said Parsons.

He would not elaborate, but said the commercial “spoofs a certain pop culture celebrity phenomenon.”

Last year, Go Daddy paid $2.6 million to CBS for 30 seconds of airtime during the 2007 Super Bowl after several of its initially submitted commercials were also turned down.

The pattern of submission, rejection and final approval began in 2005 with Go Daddy’s first Super Bowl commercial, a parody on censorship involving a scantily clad model and a wardrobe malfunction, a snapped bra strap, that was yanked by Fox after its first airing.

The network’s censorship resulted in massive publicity for Scottsdale-based-Go Daddy as well as huge profits.

The company’s market share grew from 16 percent to 25 percent after the removal, the company said.

Go Daddy’s market share rose to 32 percent in 2006 and is at 42 percent of the world’s domain name market, according to the company.
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