Just like 108 million other Americans last month, I made the obligatory giant pot of chili, pulled out the tortilla chips, bought soda and beer, and watched as the Ravens battled the 49ers in this year’s Super Bowl. Since the Eagles weren’t playing (what a terrible season here in Philly), my attention was more on the ads than on the game itself.
The Super Bowl has also become the Ad Bowl, where brands duke it out to see who has the funniest, stickiest ad in the land. There were some totally entertaining ads, like Tide’s “Dude, you’ve got Montana on your shirt!” and Doritos’ “Goat 4 Sale.” Some that were touching, like Ram Trucks’ “God Made a Farmer.” And then there was Go Daddy’s “Perfect Match” spot.
With our chili and chips in hand, my daughter and I watched in horror as the camera zoomed in (entirely too close) to the nerdy dude as he made out with supermodel Bar Refaeli. After the 3 seconds were complete, we turned to each other and in unison let out a resounding “Ewwww!”
It was creepy, but also probably the most profitable 30 seconds in the company’s history. On the Monday after the Ad Bowl, Mashable reported that Go Daddy posted its biggest sales ever for the company, with hosting sales popping 45 percent, dot-com sales increasing 40 percent and 10,000 new customer sign ups. Impressive.
Yet, on the USAToday Super Bowl ad meter, Anheuser-Busch’s “The Horse and Trainer Reunited,” a touching one minute tale of a Clydesdale and the trainer who loved him, scored number one. Where did our Go Daddy nerd land? Dead last. Yep, it seems that the other 108 million viewers also said “Ewwww!” But the moral of this story is that an ad campaign doesn’t always have to be pretty, it doesn’t have to be touching or funny—what it does need to be is memorable, even if it is gross.
