Innovative Super Bowl 1st Caps a Record Go Daddy Performance

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Technology, Internet traffic and cash … Go Daddy’s 2012 Super Bowl campaign delivered all three.

“With the dot-CO logo prominently painted on the body of the beautiful Natalia Velez, the dot-CO spot broke through the clutter, grabbed the attention of millions of consumers and resulted in a 10 times increase for dot-CO domain name sales.”

Go Daddy’s “Body Paint” ad accounted for a tremendous Internet spike during the game that coincides with a peak point in Web traffic, as reported by Akamai Technologies, a company that monitored Internet usage during the Super Bowl. Go Daddy also broke its own records for sales on a Super Bowl Sunday and for its best mobile website traffic … ever.

As a result, Go Daddy is serving more customers than ever before, rocketing past a historic 10 million customer mark during the Super Bowl broadcast. The achievement came courtesy of two Internet-Only commercials that prompted viewers to visit the Go Daddy website and a first-ever Super Bowl “technology play” involving an on-screen symbol geared for smartphone users.

Go Daddy engaged smartphone users by putting a Quick Response (QR) Code on its Super Bowl commercial, “Cloud.” Viewers scanned what looks like a barcode with their smartphones to see the Internet-Only version of “Cloud” and receive discounts for Go Daddy’s cloud-based products and services. Initially, some criticized the move, saying the QR Code looked unusual on the screen, but the gamble paid off as more viewers than ever visited GoDaddyMobile.com.

“We decided it was worth the risk to play to all the people watching the game and using their smartphones simultaneously,” said Go Daddy Executive Chairman and Founder Bob Parsons. “I’m thrilled we made the decision. Viewers scanned the code and as a result, Go Daddy set an all-time sales record for our mobile site.”

Prior to the game, it was estimated smartphone users would check their devices ten times during the game. Go Daddy has used the technology in other television ads, but a QR code had never been used in a Super Bowl commercial by any advertiser. The QR Code technique debuted with the star who has been in more Super Bowl commercials (10) than any other celebrity ever, Danica Patrick.

“People think of Go Daddy as a fun company and we do like to have fun with the Super Bowl ads – filming the ‘Cloud’ with the new Pussycat Dolls was a blast and I think that came through in the commercial,” Danica said. “When you boil it down, Go Daddy is an innovative company, they’re willing to try new things, but at its core, Go Daddy is all about taking care of customers – it’s the best of both worlds and it’s the real secret to Go Daddy’s success.”

This is Go Daddy’s eighth consecutive Super Bowl advertising campaign. “The commercials have really helped bring domain names into the mainstream consciousness,” said Go Daddy CEO Warren Adelman. “There is no other television event where people actually watch for the commercials. Our Super Bowl spots have raised awareness for Go Daddy. Once we attract viewers to our business, we follow-up with our value-rich product offerings and industry-best customer service – that reliability and service is what makes Go Daddy number one in the world.”

Go Daddy’s “Cloud” commercial also appears to have raised awareness about Go Daddy’s wide array of cloud-based products, including Web hosting, email hosting and website builders, which saw strong sales on game day.

Also winning big with this year’s Super Bowl campaign are Go Daddy’s .CO Internet partners who enjoyed a significant surge in .CO domain name registrations over the weekend and throughout the live broadcast. The .CO Go Daddy “Body Paint” ad featured Danica and Jillian Michaels painting .CO domain logos and brand messages on a stunning model. Viewers engaged, visiting GoDaddy.co to see what the “hot model” was actually wearing.

“A clear brand message, great entertainment value and the most incredible product placement imaginable … the Go Daddy ad featuring the dot-CO domain has it all,” said Juan Diego Calle, CEO of .CO Internet, the company behind the hot, new .CO domain extension. “With the dot-CO logo prominently painted on the body of the beautiful Natalia Velez, the dot-CO spot broke through the clutter, grabbed the attention of millions of consumers and resulted in a 10 times increase for dot-CO domain name sales.”

Before Go Daddy aired its first Super Bowl commercial in 2005, it was an unknown with a mere 16 percent market share. The day following that first Super Bowl ad, Go Daddy’s market share of active domain names jumped to 25 percent and has grown every year since. Last year, Go Daddy surpassed the 53 percent market share milestone.

To register a .CO domain name, visit www.GoDaddy.co.

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About Go Daddy

Go Daddy is the world's largest domain name provider, Web hosting provider and new SSL provider, focused on helping small businesses grow larger. Go Daddy provides dozens of cloud-based services and is the largest worldwide mass-market hosting provider by annual revenue according to Tier1 Research (Mass-Market Hosting Report-Winter 2011) and is the #1 provider of net-new SSL certificates for 2011, according to the Netcraft, LTD Secure Server Survey. To learn more about the company, visit www.GoDaddy.com/PR.

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