GoDaddy pulls controversial Super Bowl ad hours after it’s previewed
The GoDaddy ad slated to run during the Super Bowl created so much outrage when it was previewed online Tuesday, the company decided hours later that it would not air.
GoDaddy, the Internet domain registrar known for its outrageous Super Bowl commercials, was set to air a 30-second spot called “Journey Home,” which follows the arduous travels of a puppy that makes its way home after being separated from its owners.
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At the end of the ad, the puppy arrives, and its owners are joyous -- not because they loved and missed their pet but rather because they had just sold the animal online and could now deliver it.
Animal lovers and animal rescue organizations blasted the ad, saying it evoked puppy mills.
Hours after the commercial was released online, GoDaddy Chief Executive Blake Irving announced it would not air during the Super Bowl after all.
“Thank you @animalrescuers for the candid feedback,” Irving said on Twitter. “What should have been a fun and funny ad clearly missed the mark and we will not air it.”
In a longer statement, Irving said the company did not expect the ad to strike that kind of chord with so many people.
“We underestimated the emotional response. And we heard that loud and clear,” Irving said.
Advertisers pay millions of dollars for 30 seconds of air time during the Super Bowl.
Will GoDaddy run a different commercial in the place of the one it pulled? Irving’s statement seemed to indicate that it would: “You’ll still see us in the Big Game this year, and we hope it makes you laugh.”
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