Commentary
Super Bowl Ad: Flash Over Substance?
- by Larry Kutscher , February 5, 2008
I really enjoyed many of the ads, but it was hard for me not to dwell on one of our biggest competitor's spots. I'm sure GoDaddy feels their ad worked well, but it pained me to watch the "exposure" ad because I think it completely missed the mark on what our industry is all about.
For the money they spent, they could have such a positive impact on helping small businesses understand the power of the Web. But instead of explaining how easy it has become for ordinary people with little to no technical knowledge to have a great Web site, for the fourth year in a row, GoDaddy has run a commercial in the Super Bowl that doesn't talk about its customers, its services, or even what they do. Instead, it has elected to focus on scantily clad women and shock value for the purpose of creating some buzz.
I couldn't help wondering how many of the people watching the Super Bowl even know what GoDaddy does? If I was a small business owner looking for a partner to help me be successful online (find a domain name, design my Web site, figure out search engine optimization, etc.) would I really want to do business with a company whose Web site caters to teenage boys?
Small businesses everywhere have realized they need to use the Web to take their business to the next level. If you're a small business owner looking to build a Web site, or to better leverage the site you already have--a Web services partner is critical to your success. So the question, once again, is: Do you want to do business with a company that has deliberately chosen to pursue an advertising persona akin to a bad used car salesman telling off-color jokes?
Larry Kutscher joined Register.com as CEO in November 2006. He has a history of building and growing Internet-enabled businesses and supporting small businesses. Email him at lkutscher@register.com
