Domain name registrar GoDaddy.com is making a Super Bowl play with a $2.4 million commercial in the first quarter. The company's getting a lot of buzz over the decision as well as some criticism from marketing experts.
Brand Autopsy's reaction to the news came in a blog post titled No GoDaddy No!. Comments from happy GoDaddy customers, unhappy customers and even GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons defending his strategy have flooded the site.
There's been so much hype over GoDaddy's decision that The New York Times followed up with a reference to GoDaddy's Super Bowl ad and the discussion over on Brand Autopsy's site. GoDaddy's reaping the rewards of articles pointing out the only dot coms to sign on so far are it and CareerBuilder.com.
But this has also lead to some experts saying dot coms just aren't ready for the big game. Despite the fact that dot coms do have staying power and aren't always fly-by-night like the Super Bowl bust in 2000.
CareerBuilder.com isn't catching the flack over entering the Super Bowl like GoDaddy has. Success stories like dot com Super Bowl advertisers Monster.com and HotJobs.com may have just helped paved the way for other career sites looking to get in on the game. They've added more credibility than most people attach to a dot commer advertising.
So what's in it for GoDaddy then? Let's take a look:
Analyzing the Ad Dollars
Parsons says the money for the ad came from cash reserves so the company's not banking on the ad to recoup the ad dollars. He maintains GoDaddy.com will be just fine even if the ad is a complete flop.
This is a far different attitude than the dot com advertisers of Super Bowl XXXIV. Defunct dot coms like pets.com and lifeminders.com banked an average ad cost of $2.1 million into building their brand within 30 seconds.
One :30 Commercial Isn't a Quick Fix
A Super Bowl commercial exposes you to millions of viewers instantly, many who are watching just for the commercials. But how many are really paying attention to the overall message and the call to action? One Super Bowl commercial isn't an effective advertising campaign.
Parsons says the Super Bowl is just a kickoff to a complete direct mail, print radio and TV campaign for GoDaddy. This is an absolute must as opposed to Super Bowl advertisers that blow their entire ad budget on that one :30 commercial.
Lessons from a Successful Dot Com
Long-time Super Bowl advertiser Monster.com has used the Super Bowl to help build its brand for the past six years, coupled with a long-term ad campaign. The success of 1999's "When I Grow Up" ad (under the 2000 category here) caught everyone's attention and resulted in a lot of site traffic for the company.
Monster's senior vice president of marketing says those hits after the Super Bowl have decreased over time. That and a new deal with Internet Broadcasting Systems caused Monster.com to end its six year advertising run in the Super Bowl.