GoDaddy Yanks Super Bowl "Puppy" Ad
GoDaddy announced Tuesday night that it would be pulling a planned Super Bowl ad titled “Journey Home” from the game and replacing it with another commercial after viewers were outraged. In the ad, a puppy named Buddy falls out of the back of a truck and is separated from his family, but manages to travel through harsh conditions and find his way home. Buddy’s owner greets him with some heartbreaking news: “I’m so glad you made it home… because I just sold you on this website I built with GoDaddy.com.” Many viewers harshly criticized GoDaddy for promoting irresponsible breeding practices and the sale of animals. A Change.org petition to remove the ad from the Super Bowl has nearly 40,000 signatures by Tuesday evening.GoDaddy issued a statement today:
At the end of the day, our purpose at GoDaddy is to help small businesses around the world build a successful online presence. We hoped our ad would increase awareness of that cause. However, we underestimated the emotional response. And we heard that loud and clear. 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 lives permanently with one of our longtime employees.PETA applauds:
“The sale of animals online and from pet stores and breeders should be roundly condemned, and it was today. GoDaddy did the right thing by swiftly promoting adoption. PETA’s message is that when you buy a dog from a pet store or a breeder, a dog in an animal shelter dies.”Look at me, agreeing with PETA.
Labels: advertising, dogs, GoDaddy, Super Bowl
