On Sunday I devoted my afternoon to one of my favorite brand experiences, the Indy 500. The competitors, teams, venue, fans, sponsors and all other aspects makes for an exciting event. My two favorites going into the race were Danica Patrick and Paul Tracy. I was hoping for the first female victor or someone who was making a come back of sorts to see victory lane. Of course another storybook ending took place. Congrats to Brasil!
Each time Danica's on-board cameras gave us her view of the race, they also zeroed in on the numerous godaddy.com logos. That has been common practice for a number of years now. Just like the past couple of years, godaddy.com also paid to have its brand prominent with numerous television ads during the race. As they have done so previously, the ads pushed the envelope big time. If they did not cross the line, they sure came close. It felt a bit awkward watching Danica compete live during the side-by-side shots and at the same time watching her getting into the shower during an ad.
Even though I don't always agree with traditional advertising like television spots, they have worked in the past for godaddy.com, especially in the beginning, from an awareness standpoint. Did they go too far this year, and did they dilute the Danica Patrick brand? What about her team, and other sponsor brands? Did they recruit and retain godaddy.com brand champions?
Comments