GoDaddy's Puppy Commercial for Super Bowl Axed by Outcry

GoDaddy's Super Bowl commercial featuring a lost dog with a trick ending caused such an outcry that the company known for its racy big-game ads announced it would be pulled from Sunday's telecast.

GoDaddy also removed the ad from YouTube after thousands went to Twitter and Facebook to protest the ad entitled "Journey Home," according to USA Today. The commercial chronicles a puppy's journey home after being separated from its owner, only to find out at the end it was sold on a website built by GoDaddy.



"This morning we previewed GoDaddy's Super Bowl spot on a popular talk show, and shortly after a controversy started to swirl about Buddy, our puppy, being sold online," GoDaddy said in a statement on its website. "The responses were emotional and direct. Many people urged us not to run the ad…. The net result?

"We are pulling the ad from the Super Bowl. You'll still see us in the Big Game this year, and we hope it makes you laugh. Finally, rest assured, Buddy came to us from a reputable and loving breeder in California. He's now part of the GoDaddy family as our Chief Companion Officer and he's been adopted permanently by one of our longtime employees," said the statement.

USA Today said the GoDaddy ad was created to parody a Budweiser that also features a puppy with a similar theme, but that was lost on many who responded negatively to the ad.

"GoDaddy has been working to remake its marketing image," wrote Jeanine Poggi of Ad Age. "The 11-time Super Bowl advertiser has historically been known for its risqué and raunchy ads. Toning down the sex, however, doesn't seem to prevent controversy -- or free publicity."

Social media comments were strongly against the commercial.

Thanks Go Daddy for making me never want to use your site after seeing your commercial. #Horrible #GoDaddyPuppy https://t.co/SuZmVhbLCQ

— Jenn Ryan (@RadioJennRyan) January 28, 2015

#godaddypuppy please fire the idiots who thought that sick commercial was funny

— NotQuiteEdelweiss (@NotEdelweiss) January 28, 2015

Thank you @GMA for grabbing my tweet on how I felt about the hideous #GoDaddyPuppy commercial. #commercialpulled pic.twitter.com/IO87xFp2wQ

— Melissa Hudgens (@MelissaHudgens) January 28, 2015

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