September 14, 2007; 01:56 AM GoDaddy.com is making a big push into prime-time sports with its
sponsorship of ESPN TV’s Saturday night college football games,
starting Sept. 22.
The deal makes GoDaddy.com the official presenting sponsor
of the Saturday night games, which feature on-air announcements, logo
placement and a number of commercials on the sports network and its
affiliates, including ABC TV. The move comes after the company’s
success as a broadcast sponsor for this year’s Indianapolis 500 Race
and sponsorship of IndyCar driver and Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick.
The
world’s largest domain name registrar initially made a name for itself
with its Super Bowl® advertising, but is now moving into a new role as
a marquee advertiser for collegiate football, attracted by its loyal
audience and key demographic.
"This is an audience we really
like. The vast majority are Internet users, and the best part of it is
these viewers are absolutely passionate," said GoDaddy.com CEO and
Founder Bob Parsons. "Our research shows college football fans rank
third for fan intensity behind the NFL and NASCAR."
The
sponsorship also includes air time for Go Daddy commercials during the
NASCAR Nextel Cup, plus several college football bowls, including the
Capital One, Liberty and Alamo Bowl games. GoDaddy.com kicks off its
college football sponsorship on ESPN2, Saturday, Sept. 22 with a
double-header featuring Kentucky vs. Arkansas, followed by Purdue vs.
Minnesota.
Go Daddy plans to broadcast a variety of ads as part
of the new deal, and its production company is working on two new
commercials featuring an unnamed NFL star who is said to be
quintessentially “GoDaddy-esque.” The media coined the flashy term
during censorship controversies involving Go Daddy’s push for approval
of its risqué ads, which are designed to be edgy, sexy and “a touch
inappropriate,” according to Parsons.
“It’s funny, the same
network that rejected so many of our commercials for the 2006 Super
Bowl (ABC) is going to allow us to air a spot that CBS refused to air
for last year’s Super Bowl,” Parsons pointed out.
ESPN/ABC TV
has approved the commercial titled “I Own You” to air as part of the
sponsorship. As for whether GoDaddy.com will advertise in this year’s
Super Bowl, Parsons says he’s still weighing his options and engaging
in dialog about the decision on his popular Web blog, www.BobParsons.com.
To see GoDaddy.com’s “I Own You” ad, or any of its commercials, visit www.GoDaddy.com/commercials.
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