GoDaddy Yanks Super Bowl "Puppy" Ad

Via USA Today:

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.

GoDaddy: Veto The AZ Hate Bill

"GoDaddy strongly opposes Arizona Senate Bill 1062. As a company we honor and believe in the equal rights for all people, regardless of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, or sexual orientation. We believe this proposed legislation would have far-reaching negative consequences on the state and the companies that do business here, and would wrongly send a message that Arizona does not respect diversity." - Blake Irving, CEO of Arizona-based domain giant GoDaddy, in an emailed response to JMG reader John.

NOTE: It doesn't appear that GoDaddy has publicly commented on the bill and there's nothing on their website, Twitter page, or Facebook page about SB1062.  Former GoDaddy vice president Christine Jones, who is running for Arizona governor as a "fiercely conservative Republican," has told the local press that SB1062 is a "distraction from a focus on the economy."

This Is An Ad For Something

AdWeek recaps:

GoDaddy, which this fall promised no more sleazy Super Bowl commercials, still shows plenty of skin in its first ad for this year's game—but it's mostly male, and it's absurdly pumped up. The Web-hosting company on Wednesday rolled out one of its two 30-second spots for Super Bowl XLVIII, titled "Bodybuilder." Unlike most of its Super Bowl work since 2005, which was marked by provocation and sexual innuendo, this year's spots are meant to be different in two respects: They focus on what GoDaddy does to help small businesses succeed online; and they show women as smart, successful small-business owners rather than scantily clad sex objects.

The female bodybuilder in the ad, NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, is actually wearing a body suit.