Go Daddy Reports Top Sales After Controversial Superbowl Commercial

By Tim Martin  

Go Daddy announced that it had its biggest Super Bowl sales day ever after its infamous ad aired on Sunday. The site got more new customers and overall sales than after any of its other Super Bowl campaigns.

The ad featured model Bar Refaeli slowly kissing a curly haired geek. The point of the ad is to illustrate that Go Daddy is a brand that is both sexy and nerdy according to Go Daddy. The ad trended on Twitter and topped Google searches. The YouTube video got more than 4 million views before the kick-off of the Super Bowl.

Go Daddy CEO Blake Irving had this to say about the commercial: "Attracting new customers is what advertising is all about. We wanted our Super Bowl commercials to generate new customers and overall sales, and that's precisely what happened. We set all-time Super Bowl Sunday records for mobile sales, Website Builders, website hosting and new customers. This is a big win for all our teams who worked so hard to deliver on game day and also for all our new customers looking to grow their small businesses." Irving also went on to say, "We're not going to apologize for 'The Kiss,' It's sparking conversations. It was approved by network Standards and Practices and it uses humor to illustrate the point about how powerful a combination 'sexy' and 'smart' are. Personally, I think it's hilarious!"

That last word, "inappropriate," was music to the ears of Go Daddy's Executive Chairman and Founder Bob Parsons, who has always embraced commercial controversy. "Inappropriate? Hearing that word, I absolutely knew we were in for a record Super Bowl ad campaign. And by the way, I think both of our ads were the funniest in the game, by far."

In case you missed the video or just really want to see it again, you can check it out here.

Tim Martin is a Technology Specialist, Follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/tsmartin75 or on Twitter @tsmartin