LAS VEGAS — Nearly every Super Bowl since 2005 has featured a controversial commercial from GoDaddy that involved risque topics like nude women showering together.
This February, however, you can expect something a little different from the company.
During a fireside chat at CES, GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving spoke about the two advertisements the company will run during the Super Bowl.
Irving didn’t offer many details, but did say that the commercials will be more about value proposition and less about garnering attention.
“This year you’ll see something very funny, very edgy, and by the end of the commercials, you’re actually going to know who GoDaddy is, who our customers are and what we do,” Irving said.
We followed up with Irving to learn more, and he echoed sentiments shared with us in an interview last April when the former Microsoft and Yahoo executive told us about GoDaddy’s rebranding goals.
“When you have a huge share of market and people are aware of you, you don’t need to create awareness anymore,” he said this afternoon. “If we continue to go down the path that is about shock and awe, we’re missing the point.”
Irving, who became GoDaddy’s CEO exactly one year ago, said that long-time company spokeswoman Danica Patrick will appear in one of the Super Bowl ads — one of which will feature the NASCAR driver sporting abnormally large muscles.
“Danica represents a very unique individual and is very, very much like our customers,” Irving said. “She followed her passion and took risks — the small businesses we represent do the exactly same thing. She embodies the spirit of a go-getter and our customers identify with her.”
Beyond its marketing tactics, GoDaddy is also trying to expand into Internet services for small businesses, part of a broader effort by the company to be much more than just a domain registrar. GoDaddy also recently opened an engineering center in Kirkland, Wash.
