GoDaddy.com

This GoDaddy.com commercial shown during Superbowl 2013 caught the attention of viewers not only by surprise  but for some, by disgust; me being one of those viewers. While I understand the humor of the commercial, I feel they could have relayed this message of "Sexy" and "Smart," in a very different manner with less awkward kissing. However, their goal, I'm sure, was to make the commercial stand out against the many other commercials being shown during the Superbowl. 

Description
This commercial features Bar Refaeli, an Israeli model; Jesse Heiman, an American actor; and starring in her 12th Superbowl commercial, GoDaddy's spokeswoman, Danica Patrick. The commercial begins by Danica explaining how there are two sides to GoDaddy, the sexy side, and the smart side. Both Bar and Jesse represent these two features of GoDaddy and together--them kissing loud and obnoxiously-- they are a "Perfect Match." Towards the end of the commercial, still in the kissing scene, some text appears stating, "When sexy meets smart, your business scores."

Then Danica reminds to you to start your business domain with GoDaddy.com. During the prolonged kissing scene in the extended version (about 50 seconds long) of the commercial, some upbeat rock and roll sort music is playing. The shorter version, only running 31 seconds, has no music, but rather lots of lip smacking. The background of the commercial is plain and dull but still very well lit. While some people found the commercial funny, others found it inappropriate to the extent that some networks airing the Superbowl would not allow the ad to be shown.

Analyze
When I first saw this ad, I wasn't sure what sort of persuasive techniques they were using to try and relay the message. I just thought the commercial was obscene and made no sense. However, after watching it a few more times, I realized that the first persuasive technique they use is the commercial is a Celebrity Endorsement. Danica Patrick is a widely known open wheel racer and is looked up to as an inspiration to women. She is know for being a role model to young women and girls for her bold personality and influence of women being just as capable of doing things men can do. Another persuasive technique this commercial uses is humor. However, this idea of humor is only seen in the eyes of some viewers.
GoDaddy did make good use of its medium; the Superbowl, and the Internet. Before the ad aired, GoDaddy released sneak previews of the commercial on YouTube. Also, simply airing an ad during the Superbowl is a good way to get noticed, especially with an ad as memorable as this one.

Interpret 
So far in my life, I have never seen a commercial similar to this one. However, this is not the first time that GoDaddy has released a suggestive commercial such as one commercial called "Exposure" which was banned from the 2008 Superbowl and "Lola," banned from the 2010 Superbowl. I'm also going to assume that these commercials, including "Perfect Match," are targeted towards men watching the Superbowl or even just men in general.

They do this by using attractive women and racy story lines. The men can be of any age really, but probably more middle aged single men who are watching the game with their buddies. It can even be taken to the point of men who are just starting a business being that GoDaddy.com is a domain for starting an online business. As far a stereotypes go, this commercial is filled with them. The "Sexy" side of GoDaddy is represented by first of all, a model, who is Blonde, tall, skinny, and beautiful. Nothing gets as stereotypical of sexy than a blonde haired beauty.  Also, the "Smart" side of GoDaddy is represented by a chubby, curly headed, awkward looking boy. This is defiantly the scripted version of a smart nerd in the United States.

Evaluate
I have to say that this commercials number one strength is its unique approach to get the audiences attention and make them remember the commercial later on. I think what makes it so memorable is the shock effect of what is going on in the commercial. The zoomed in kissing scene is very racy and even though lots of people frown upon this sort of material being used on television, that just makes it all the more memorable. I guess you could say they will remember the commercial for its humor or its inappropriate content. They also chose two very good representations of the Sexy and Smart sides of GoDaddy; both very stereotypical, amusing, and polar opposites. In my opinion  however, their weaknesses outweighed their strengths. First of all, this commercial was banned for being to inappropriate on some TV networks which is never a good sign. Also, many people who saw the ad during the Superbowl or on the internet were not amused and found it uncomfortable and overall just gross. When it came to effectively connecting with the target audience, however, I feel they did that very well by using the Sexy women and in a sense, making the audience with they were the nerdy guy.

Engage
I am not the only one who felt disgusted by the ad. The Washington Post put "Perfect Match" on the Top 5 Worst Superbowl 2013 Commercials stating that, "this commercial objectifies women and makes fun of unattractive people." Others couldn't even classify the commercial as good or bad because it was so outrageous like this article named, "The Good, the Bad, and the Go Daddy." Overall, more of a negative reaction occurred over the ad opposed to a positive one. I guess GoDaddy can be pleased with how memorable their commercial was, but I'm not sure if it is worth all the criticism they received. I have heard of GoDaddy before and have never really been interested in it but I can see its purpose. I suppose it must be a somewhat functional and well put together business considering they can afford to make Superbowl commercials every year, even though some of them are to provocative to air. And even though I don't care very much for their commercials, if I knew someone who needed help building a website for their business or needed help advertising it, GoDaddy.com would be a good place for them to turn. Just because their commercials are bad doesn't make the business bad. 

Conclusion
After writing this blog, I have realized that first, I don't like watching people kiss, and second, I'm happy to not be the only one grossed out by this commercial. I'm also surprised by the fact that GoDaddy continues to make teasing commercials, even when many of them have been rejected from television. In a way, I understand that these risque commercials are sort of a trademark for GoDaddy, but I would assume that after a while, they would find a more effective way to advertise their business without offending people. I guess we will just have to wait and see until next year whether or not GoDaddy will take this critisism seriously or continue with their old ways of commercial making.