BFG 9000 Wins GoDaddy

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By: Dwayne W. Waite Jr.

In case you haven't heard, the web domain giant GoDaddy.com has officially changed its agency relationship. The new reigns now belong to BFG 9000, who is taking over for Deutsch. Everyone knows GoDaddy.com for its Super Bowl ads that featured scantily clad women and female athletes and fitness stars. It's been reported that the CMO of the company believes that a new direction is needed, and both the agency and the women had to go.

So what can we expect from the GoDaddy/BFG 9000 relationship?

It's hard to say.

Interestingly enough, in the last round of the account review, Deutsch decided not to defend. Perhaps the writing was already on the wall. As all communicators know, when we are brought in to design a specific message, and then later are forced to change, the latter message may not fit the messenger. That being said, with GoDaddy's new direction, perhaps it was necessary to change agencies. We've seen it before, and more than likely, we will all see it again.

GoDaddy's advertising has been remarkably successful, making it the premiere company for web domains. Now that they've made a name for themselves, and actually provide better-than-average service and products, the company needs advertising that fits its grown-up attitude. Especially in an economy where people who are starting companies and building websites are closer to 40 and are no longer mostly white men.

Times are changing, and GoDaddy is responding.

Though we may see less skin in the next wave of GoDaddy ads, we will no doubt see something peculiar coming out of the creative lab that is BFG 9000. Why wouldn't we, from an agency whose namesake is the gun from the video game Doom? Anything "normal" would be disappointing.

The reports we've seen haven't provided any clues as to what creative or concepts BFG 9000 presented to get a feel about what GoDaddy plans to do. But with the domain game getting hotter with more gTLDs (generic top-level domains), we are sure that effort will be shifted to promote that business.

In any case, we look forward to seeing how this relationship works.

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About the Author

Dwayne W. Waite Jr. is partner and principal at JDW: The Charlotte Agency, a marketing and advertising shop in Charlotte, NC. He enjoys consumer behavior, economics, and football.

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