GoDaddy did not reveal any details about the Super Bowl creative. It was developed by the brand’s in-house agency in partnership with Quality Meats, according to the company. ProdCo produced the ad and Ian Pons Jewell directed it. The ad will be used to jumpstart a larger, yearlong U.S. marketing campaign.
Anyone who expects a classically provocative GoDaddy commercial for the Super Bowl may be disappointed. In a blog post promoting the new ad, CEO Aman Bhutani wrote that GoDaddy is now a different company from the one once known for its lewd and controversial ads. In particular, its 2015 Super Bowl ad about a dog being sold online drew a fiery response, prompting GoDaddy to pull the commercial before the game was ever played.
The energy required to stand up a Super Bowl spot was a primary reason for its eight-year hiatus, Chief Marketing Officer Fara Howard told Ad Age last year. Previously, GoDaddy aired a national spot in 12 of the 13 Super Bowls between 2005 and 2017.
That AI brought GoDaddy out of its Super Bowl shell is a testament to the technology’s power as a marketing tool. AI played a significant role in last year’s Super Bowl, and given the year of headlines it has had in the time since, AI could show up in a major way for this year’s game.