As I was eagerly awaiting this year's installment, along comes the GoDaddy version. I didn't like it. Oh, don't get me wrong, the puppy was adorable, but the whole message was very forced and awkward, and I'm not crazy about the idea of just shipping a puppy off to someone who spotted a picture they liked on a website. And it was clear right away that a lot of other people didn't like the ad either. In short order, Go Daddy nixed the ad saying they would run another one, and that they weren't really bad people.
Which leaves me wondering--was that ever the real ad or were they just doing that to needle Budweiser and/or capture some eyes and ears that otherwise would bypass them in a heartbeat?
The skeptic in me is pretty sure this was the plan all along. What do you think?
I love the Budweiser puppy Super Bowl commercials every year! And I was very excited to watch the GoDaddy puppy add, but I agree. I was very disappointed with it. I think it is an interesting point that you make about the whole campaign being set up just to get more eyes on their product. I try to not look at things in this type of light, but in this case it totally makes sense. The Budweiser adds are a hit year after year, so it makes sense that GoDaddy would create this commercial to mimmick it. They incorporate the adorable puppies in a distasteful way, and it shows that GoDaddy can be current and have puppies, but also be edgy and controversial enough to keep their brand image and be who they are. Interesting insights!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Molly Horst
The Budweiser puppy Super Bowl Commercials are my favorite as well! I hated the GoDaddy commercial. I agree with Molly about GoDaddy trying to mimic the popular Budweiser ads but I think they missed the mark. The reason the Budweiser commercials are so popular is because they are a "feel good" ad and we don't have many of those today. The Budweiser ones also tell a story- the same horse, man, and dog are shown year after year making them all a part of our Super Bowl Lives; we all connect with them and feel like we know them. The GoDaddy ad just misses the human value aspect. It shows us cruel, and yes puppies are sold in the real world but nobody likes to think about that or see an innocent puppy trying to find its way home only to be sold to strangers on a website...
ReplyDeleteI think you're right about this possibly being a publicity stunt but then again maybe they just need help with their commercials since they did have that awkward kissing commercial back in 2013..