A slew of regular Super Bowl advertisers has opted to leave the event in recent years. Gone for now (and, perhaps, for later) are former Big Game stalwarts like FedEx and General Motors. In 2017, Toyota and Doritos will not step on the playing field.
GoDaddy, the web-services provider with the upstart attitude, is making a return to Super Bowl advertising after sitting out Super Bowl 50 this year. The company plans to run a single 30-second commercial in the first half of the game, said Barb Rechterman, GoDaddy’s chief marketing officer, in an interview. “We finalized the deal within the last month or so,” she said. “We are fast and furious on the creative side.”
The company’s decision highlights the importance of having a clear goal when deciding to take part in Super Bowl advertising. The pressure is on advertisers in the pigskin classic, owing to the fact that more than 110 million viewers typically tune in and watch the commercials with as much vigor as the do the game. Over the years, many advertisers have focused on having some news to deliver to the crowd, whether it be a new offer or a new product. Marketers that shove an ad in the game without a clear reason for doing so run the risk of not making an impact.
Read MoreIn its most recent Super Bowl appearance, GoDaddy raised eyebrows by pulling its Super Bowl ad just weeks before the game. The company had previewed a spot depicting a clever pup being bounced out of a pick-up truck, then finding its way home over many miles of terrain – only to discover he is being sold because the web-hosting firm helped its owner discover a quick way to sell him as part of a small business she created...
