After experiencing a huge consumer backlash, GoDaddy has pulled a Super Bowl ad that celebrated the existence of puppy mills, CNN reports. Instead of that ad, the company says they will run another spot during the game. GoDaddy says that they hope the new ad will make people laugh.
In the ad that was pulled, an adorable golden retriever puppy is riding on the back of a truck when he gets thrown out and onto the side of the road. He is unharmed, but makes a long trek back by himself through rain and wind, over dangerous train tracks and lonely highways to find his original owner. When he finally arrives at his home, his owner smiles and joyfully picks him up. She then says she is so glad the puppy is home. Things take an ominous turn, though, when the owner gets an evil look in her eye and says, “Because I just sold you on this website I built with GoDaddy.”
The end of the ad shows a truck with the words “Gabby’s Goldens” being driven by Danica Patrick. The woman yells “ship ’em out!” and the truck pulls away, indicating that the woman runs a puppy mill and is selling the dog without regard for who the new owner will be.
The ad is unarguably mean-spirited, and it caused an immediate negative reaction as outraged animal lovers were horrified by its contents. A Change.org petition was started to protest the ad, and it quickly gathered over 40,000 signatures.
GoDaddy stated that the ad was intended to be humorous, but petition starter Helena Yurcho says the spot is no laughing matter. “Whether or not this was meant to be satirical, it’s offensive,” she says.”Essentially, Go Daddy is encouraging private breeding/puppy mills while shelter animals wait patiently for their forever homes or worse — to be euthanized.”
Go Daddy released a statement explaining that they miscalculated how consumers would respond to the ad, saying, “we underestimated the emotional response. And we heard that loud and clear.The net result? We are pulling the ad from the Super Bowl.”
The statement also explained that the puppy used in the pulled ad came from a “loving breeder” and that a longtime GoDaddy employee has adopted the dog, who is named Buddy. The company, which has experienced controversy over previous Super Bowl ads, says their end goal remains to assist small and independent businesses succeed by offering their customers products and services online.