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| Go Daddy |
Go Daddy is an Internet domain registrar and Web hosting company that also sells e-business related software and services. In 2010, it reached more than 45 million domain names under management. Go Daddy is currently the largest ICANN-accredited registrar in the world, and is four times the size of its closest competitor.
Known for its intentionally racy[clarification needed] marketing, Go Daddy started advertising in the Super Bowl in 2005. Since then, the company expanded its marketing to include sports sponsorships.
Go Daddy filed for an IPO in 2006, but later canceled it, due to "market uncertainties."
In September 2010 Go Daddy put itself up for auction. Go Daddy called off the auction several weeks later, despite reports that bids exceeded the asking price of $1.5 billion to $2 billion.
History
Go Daddy was founded in 1997 as Jomax Technologies by Bob Parsons, who previously founded the software development company Parsons Technology, Inc. The company changed its name to Go Daddy in 1999 when a group of employees were brainstorming on a more memorable name than Jomax Technologies. Someone said, "How about Big Daddy?" A quick check revealed that the Internet domain of that name was taken. Then Parsons said, "How about Go Daddy?" The name was available, so he bought it. CEO Bob Parsons states the company stuck with the name because it made people smile and remember it.
Go Daddy has grown to become the largest ICANN-accredited registrar on the Internet. In 2001, soon after Network Solutions was no longer the only place to register a domain, Go Daddy was approximately the same size as competitors Dotster and eNom. In April 2005 it surpassed Network Solutions in market share in terms of total domain names registered.
In 2002, Go Daddy sued VeriSign for domain slamming and again in 2003 over its Site Finder service. This latter suit caused controversy over VeriSign's role as the sole maintainer of the .com and the .net top-level domains. VeriSign shut down Site Finder after receiving a letter from ICANN ordering it to comply with a request to disable the service. In 2006, Go Daddy was sued by Web.com for patent infringement.
In 2007 and 2008, the company lobbied in favor of legislation that would crack down on unscrupulous online pharmacies and child predators.
In March 2010 Go Daddy stopped registering .CN domains (China) due to the high amount of personal information that is required to register in that country. Some called it a public relations campaign, since it closely followed Google's revolt in China.
Awards
In 2010, Go Daddy ranked as one of three finalists in the BBB of Great Arizona Business Ethics Awards. BBB's Board of Directors and Foundation established the BBB Business Ethics Awards to recognize those firms whose business practices and related activities exemplify the BBB's mission and principles and to ensure the marketplace remains fair and honorable.
In 2009 Go Daddy was voted "Best Registrar" Domain Name Wire annual survey for the 4th consecutive year.
Marketing
Go Daddy's advertising is produced in-house and typically contains sexually suggestive material (with the exception of its NASCAR advertising; the sanctioning body has a policy that censors sexually suggestive ads on cars and television broadcasts)[citation needed]. CEO Bob Parsons refers to the marketing as "GoDaddy-esque" which he describes as "fun, edgy, and a bit inappropriate."Most of Go Daddy's early television ads starred former WWE Diva Candice Michelle, in some sort of sexual-related theme. She has been referred to as "Miss GoDaddy.com" or "The Go Daddy Girl" by fans and on WWE television shows, where she also does the "Go Daddy Dance" (twirling her arms around her body while slowly turning) as part of her wrestling gimmick.
In 2006, Go Daddy began sponsoring IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, who subsequently joined the "Go Daddy Girl" lineup and began playing a prominent role in the company's commercials. In March 2009, Go Daddy announced professional poker player Vanessa Rousso as the newest Go Daddy Girl. Vanessa competed in the Go Daddy sponsored NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship the same month, finishing second and making history by being the first woman to make it to the finals. Also in March 2009, Go Daddy added pro-golfer Anna Rawson, bringing the Go Daddy Girl spokeswomen count to four. She is edgy, she is fun, she is hotter than firecrackers, she is very clever and everything we look for in a Go Daddy Girl, CEO Bob Parsons said of Rawson at a news conference in Phoenix. In August 2009 another Go Daddy Girl was announced. A Russian native, Marina Orlova is an online linguist, explaining the origin of words on her HotforWords.com Web site. A New Yorker magazine blogger called her the sexiest philologist in the world.
In 2010, Go Daddy announced it is adding "America's Toughest Trainer" Jillian Michaels as a Go Daddy Girl. Michaels joins race car driver Danica Patrick as a Go Daddy Girl, a move that CEO Bob Parsons said should attract new customers.[29] Michaels is a well-known celebrity, famous for her role as a health and wellnes coach on NBC's hit show, "The Biggest Loser."
An order was placed[when?] with Orange County Choppers for a custom bike to raise contributions for charity and was revealed in Miami, Florida, and featured the models Candice and Danica. The episode was documented by the reality show American Chopper episode number 82.
Super Bowl XLII advertisement
Development
On August 13, 2007, Bob Parsons announced that Go Daddy may be sitting out Super Bowl XLII. "There's always the possibility that we might not be able to get an appropriately edgy advertisement approved," he said. "All things considered, there's a strong argument for staying on the sidelines this year and taking that Super Bowl advertising money and using it for other opportunities," he added. However, on January 28, 2008, during a telecast of World Wrestling Entertainment's RAW program on USA Network in a reverse of field, it was disclosed by Go Daddy spokesperson (and WWE diva) Candice Michelle that there will be an advertisement during the game, which featured a "behind the scenes" look into that ad. Once again, Go Daddy went through more than a dozen submissions before it was able to get a commercial approved by Fox, the same network that had pulled its Super Bowl XXXIX advertisement before its second scheduled airing. Go Daddy had hoped to broadcast a spot called "Exposure" featuring Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick and animatronics beavers. But Fox deemed the spot too racy for prime time television and told Parsons it would not air it unless he removed the word "beaver." Parsons refused, and Go Daddy instead aired a completely different commercial, called "Spot On." The spot was essentially an "Ad to an Ad" and told viewers to go to the company's Web site to see "Exposure." "Spot On" aired in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLII, and the company quickly deemed it an enormous success. Go Daddy logged more than one million views of the "Exposure" advertisement before the game ended and reported 1.5 million visits to the GoDaddy.com Web site.
Reactions
The 2008 Go Daddy advertisement has been both maligned and praised. Ad Week's Barbara Lippert described it a "poorly produced scene in a living room where people are gathered to watch the Super Bowl. As we watch them watch, a guy at his computer in the corner of the room drags the crowd over to GoDaddy.com to view the banned ad instead." But Lippert, like others, also acknowledges the shrewdness of the public relations strategy, saying "it will probably produce a Pavlovian response in getting actual viewers in their own living rooms to do the same." Go Daddy's Super Bowl XLI advertisement was criticized in The New York Times as being "cheesy"; in National Review as "raunchy, 'Girls-Gone-Wild' style";and "just sad" by Barbara Lippert in Adweek, who gave the advertisement a "D." However, Reprise Media, reviewing the success of Super Bowl advertising in getting potential customers online, listed the 2007 commercial as one of only eight "Touchdown"-worthy ads among the day's high-priced advertisers. IAG Research, which rated the effectiveness of likeability and memorability of the ads, ranked Go Daddy's spot as second for most-recalled.
Super Bowl XLIII advertisements
Development
Go Daddy purchased two Super Bowl spots for different commercials, both of which NBC approved. The commercials featured Go Daddy Girl and IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick. In "Shower," Danica takes a shower with Simona Fusco Stratten as three college students control the women's maneuvers from a computer. "Baseball" is a spoof of the steroids scandal.While "Shower" won Go Daddy's online vote, "Baseball" was the most popular of the Super Bowl. Both helped increase domain registrations 110 percent above 2008 post Super Bowl levels. Go Daddy posted Internet-only versions of its commercials during the game. These are extended versions with more risque content.
Reactions
"Baseball" was the most watched Super Bowl commercial according to TiVo, Inc. According to comScore, Go Daddy ranked first in advertiser Web site follow-through. Rob Goulding, head of business-to-business markets for Google, offered an in-depth analysis of Super Bowl spots that aired during Sunday's championship game. He said the most successful were multichannel-oriented, driving viewers to Web sites and "focusing on conversion as never before." Go Daddy experienced significant Web traffic and a strong "hangover" effect of viewer interest in the days that followed due to a provocative "teaser" advertisement pointing to the Web, Goulding said.
Indy 500
In 2010, Go Daddy was again the presenting sponsor for the live race broadcast and the primary sponsor for IndyCar driver Danica Patrick. And, for the first time ever, Go Daddy broadcast user-generated commercials as part of its advertising strategy.[48] The top three winners of Go Daddy's "Create Your Own Commercial" contest had their ads air during the race broadcast. Creators of the first place advertisement "Go Momma" received $100,000 in cash. The commercial features a mother who creates a Web site with Go Daddy in order to save time and still keep in touch with her family. In the thirty-second story, she posts her cherished family recipes on her Web site, even though she's not tech-savvy. The grand prize winner of the user-generated content contest is not only cleavage-free and smarm-free, it also celebrates an empowered woman of a certain age who uses Go Daddy to help her solve a family problem.
In 2009, for a third consecutive year, Go Daddy was the presenting sponsor of the Indianapolis 500 race broadcast on ABC. Go Daddy also debuted a new commercial called "Speeding" during the Indy 500. The commercial features Danica Patrick getting pulled over for speeding by a female cop wanting to be a "Go Daddy Girl." The advertisement teases to an edgier Web version that drove a 570% traffic increase to GoDaddy.com.
Super Bowl XLIV advertisements
Development
In September 2009, Go Daddy announced it would be returning advertisers in the 2010 Super Bowl, purchasing two spots. The commercials "Spa" and "News" starred Go Daddy Girl and racecar driver Danica Patrick. In "Spa," Patrick is getting a lavish massage when the masseuse breaks into a spontaneous Go Daddy Girl audition. The second advertisement called "News" has news anchors conducting a 'gotcha' interview with Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick about commercials known for being too hot for television.
Reactions
According to Akamai, there was a large spike in Internet traffic late in the fourth quarter of the game. This spike was tied to Go Daddy's "News" advertisement airing. CEO Bob Parsons said Go Daddy had "a tremendous surge in Web traffic, sustained the spike, converted new customers and shot overall sales off the chart."
NASCAR and JR Motorsports
A fourth spokesman, with commercials which are not sexually suggestive, has appeared in ads starting in 2008. These advertisements, which air in NASCAR broadcasts, feature NASCAR Nationwide Series owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr., who designed and owns and occasionally drives the #5 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in the series. Go Daddy's sponsorship of the team includes five races in 2008 with Mark Martin and Ron Fellows (who won the NAPA Auto Parts 200 in the Go Daddy Chevrolet), sharing duties in the races with Earnhardt Jr. Junior designed the paint scheme for the car, which in true Earnhardt tradition is dominated by black with green and orange (the colors of Go Daddy). GoDaddy.com also has sponsored the Randy Moss Motorsports (aka Morgan-Dollar Motorsports) truck when Landon Cassill drives it, both in the original #46 and later as #81, as Cassill is a Hendrick Motorsports Developmental Driver, which includes selected Nationwide Series races in Earnhardt's #5 car.
Go Daddy has also sponsored Brad Keselowski in the #25 for Hendrick Motorsports on a limited basis in the Sprint Cup series (owing to the "part-time rookie exemption" to a four-car limit). After a successful 2008 season, Go Daddy is expanding its 2009 NASCAR sponsorship with the JR Motorsports organisation, sponsoring 20 Nationwide Series races as primary sponsor, split between the #5 and #88 teams. The #88 deal gave Keselowski a full 35-race NASCAR Nationwide Series sponsorship for 2009 split with Delphi and Unilever. Go Daddy will also be the primary sponsor for seven races in the Sprint Cup Series with Keselowski driving. GoDaddy.com signed a one-year deal with Darlington Raceway to sponsor the 53rd Annual Rebel 500, the fifth-oldest race on the Sprint Cup circuit. Keselowski got his third Nationwide victory at Dover - his first in the #88 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. In the same season, Keselowski scored a second Nationwide victory in the #88 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet at the first ever NASCAR race at Iowa SpeedwayAnd then at Michigan.
For 2010, the Hendrick/Go Daddy association will continue;Danica Patrick will drive a 12 race schedule in the #7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for JR Motorsports, and Mark Martin's #5 team will now have Go Daddy as its primary sponsor for the majority of the season.
Philanthropy
In the last few years Go Daddy has made many donations to local, regional, national, and international charities, including those that focus on domestic violence, child abuse, disabled children, teenage homelessness, Parkinson's research, breast cancer, and animal shelters. Major recipients of Go Daddy contributions over the past several years include the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Phoenix Children's Hospital, the Arizona Humane Society, the Phoenix Zoo, Chrysalis, HomeBase Youth Services, and the Salvation Army. Go Daddy's employees have also participated in a series of events to raise money for charitable causes. In 2009 Go Daddy donated $50,000 to the Lincoln Family Downtown YMCA in Arizona when the organization requested only $1,000. Go Daddy also participated in the 11th Annual Arizona Humane Society Pet Telethon as the title sponsor. The company matched online contributions and donated a check for $100,000. In December 2009 at Go Daddy's annual Holiday Party, CEO Bob Parsons and Danica Patrick announced that Go Daddy would be donating $500,000 to the Phoenix-based UMOM New Day Center to fund the Danica Patrick Go Daddy.com Domestic Violence Center. In November 2008, more than 700 Go Daddy employees participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Walk to Cure Diabetes in Tempe, AZ. Other Go Daddy employee efforts have included the annual Toys for Tots drive, as well as donations to St. Mary's Food Bank during the holiday season. In April 2006, the company donated $10,000 to the OpenSSH development program, which is managed by OpenBSD. They have also donated $10,000 in March 2006 to Perverted-Justice.com in which volunteers pose online as minors to find child predators and report them to law enforcement.
GoDaddy.com Bowl
Starting in 2010, Go Daddy is the sponsor of the GoDaddy.com Bowl, a post season college football bowl game played in Mobile, Alabama. The game was previously known as the GMAC Bowl. The game currently matches teams from the Sun Belt Conference and the Mid-American Conference, and will through 2013.
Controversies
Suspension of Seclists.org
On January 24, 2007, Go Daddy deactivated the domain of computer security site, Seclists.org, taking 250,000 pages of security content offline. The shutdown resulted from a complaint from MySpace to Go Daddy regarding 56,000 user names and passwords posted a week earlier to the full-disclosure mailing list and archived on the Seclists.org site as well as many other Web sites. Seclists.org administrator Gordon Lyon, who goes by the handle "Fyodor", provided logs to CNET News.com showing Go Daddy de-activated the domain 52 seconds after leaving him a voicemail, and he had to go to great lengths to get the site reactivated. Go Daddy general counsel Christine Jones stated that Go Daddy's terms of service "reserves the right to terminate your access to the services at any time, without notice, for any reason whatsoever." The site seclists.org is now hosted with Linode. The suspension of seclists.org led Lyon to create NoDaddy.com, a consumer activist web site where dissatisfied Go Daddy customers and whistleblowers from Go Daddy's staff share their experiences.
Deletion of FamilyAlbum.com
On December 19, 2006, Go Daddy received a third party complaint of invalid domain contact information in the WHOIS database for the domain FamilyAlbum.com. Go Daddy wrote a letter to the owner of FamilyAlbum.com saying, "Whenever we receive a complaint, we are required by ICANN regulations to initiate an investigation as to whether the contact data displaying in the WHOIS database is valid data or not... On 12/19/2006 we sent a notice to you at the admin/tech contact email address and the account email address informing you of invalid data in breach of the domain registration agreement and advising you to update the information or risk cancellation of the domain. The contact information was not updated within the specified period of time and we canceled the domain." The editor of "Domain Name Wire" said that since domain names are valuable it was reasonable to expect that the registrar would try to contact the domain owner by phone or postal mail. On February 28, 2007, Go Daddy offered to get the domain name back for the previous owner if he would indemnify Go Daddy from legal action by the new registrant. Go Daddy stated that the new owner paid $18.99 for the domain, the price of a backorder, not a regular registration. On November 2, 2007, Domain Name Wire reported that it appears that Go Daddy no longer cancels domains for invalid WHOIS. The editor on Domain Name Wire received a message from a reader who is trying to acquire a domain with obviously false WHOIS information. The message from Go Daddy said, "The domain has been suspended due to invalid WHOIS. The domain will remain in suspension through expiration, including the registry's redemption period, unless the owner updates the contact information before that time."
Shutdown of RateMyCop.com
On March 11, 2008, Go Daddy shut down RateMyCop.com — a RateMyProfessors-type site where people would comment on their interactions with law enforcement officers. Some reports said there has been complaints from police. A Go Daddy spokeperson said, "Basically, he was paying for compact car, when he really needed a semi-truck." The registrar for the name, Name.com, continued to allow the DNS to resolve, and is now hosted at Lunarpages. Go Daddy stated the reason for shutting down the Web site had nothing to do with censorship or complaints but that the site was receiving too many simultaneous connections. In 2006 Go Daddy locked access to the Irish Web site RateYourSolicitor.com after the Irish high court issued an order to remove offensive material about a barrister from the site.
Animal rights
In 2011 animal rights groups including PETA complained[86] when a video of Go Daddy CEO Bob Parsons shooting and killing an elephant at night in Zimbabwe was made by Parsons and posted on his personal blog. In response, Parsons stated "The tribal authorities request that I and others like me, patrol the fields before and during the harvest". PETA said they would be closing their account with Go Daddy.
Canceled IPO
On April 12, 2006, Marketwatch reported that GoDaddy.com, Inc., had hired Lehman Brothers to manage an initial stock offering that could raise more than $100 million and value the company at several times that amount.On May 12, 2006, Go Daddy filed an S-1 registration statement prior to an initial public offering. On August 8, 2006, Bob Parsons, CEO of Go Daddy, announced that he had withdrawn the company's IPO filing.
