The Go Daddy Classroom

Want a lesson in getting extra mileage from your ads? Meet (Professor) Bob Parsons, the president of giant domain seller Go Daddy. This guy has proven his genius in operating a full service domain and Internet products company. Who knew he was such a shrewd marketing guy turning his Super Bowl ad campaigns into a viral buzz machine and teaching the Internet marketing world at the same time? Take notes. This is the kind of gray matter every business needs. It began a year ago, during the Super Bowl, when it is said that Fox refused a second airing of an edgy Go Daddy spot during the game. A big negative for Go Daddy? Far from it! Parsons began chronicling his plight in his blog, put the commercial on his website where it got millions of views and watched the national media jump on the story. ABC's Diane Sawyer called the spot, "too hot to handle." Bloggers went crazy. This is new-age viral marketing at its level best! Fast forward to this year's Super Bowl season. Go Daddy begins submitting ads for approval to ABC, which, of course Parsons talks about in his blog and elsewhere. It is reported that 12 concept commercials are submitted and rejected as too racy. The buzz cranks up again. The rejected ads are put on the Go Daddy site, and again millions view them and the media jumps on the story. Finally an ad is approved in the 11th hour and Go Daddy is in as a Super Bowl sponsor. At the risk of being simplistic, here are the lessons learned from Go Daddy and Bob Parsons. The Internet is the most powerful advertising medium ever. Blogging is one of the most powerful marketing tools ever. Viral marketing has to be used. Edgy,"Go Daddy-esque" ads are necessary to be a market leader. Always, always, always think of a different and new approach. A $2.4 million TV commercial had a priceless return! Expand your horizons. Read what you can about the Go Daddy saga and really THINK about it. How can you put together a viral campaign? Can you be "Go-Daddyesque" in your campaigns? Bob Parsons taught the class. You make the grade.