GoDaddy: The Strategic Pivot Away From Provocative Ads That Fueled Its Future

I’ve disliked GoDaddy for years. Their old reliance on suggestive, attention-seeking advertising always felt cheap and out of step with the standards many marketers work hard to uphold. While the company poured millions into tactics that grabbed headlines, the approach undermined the professionalism and trust that so many of us try to instill in our own brands. It was the easy route — and for a long time, it seemed to work.

But something unexpected has been happening over the last couple of years. More and more of our clients are choosing GoDaddy. And not only are they choosing it, they’re telling me — enthusiastically — that the company’s customer service is excellent. Behind the provocative marketing was a company delivering solid support and a wide range of genuinely useful services. That disconnect between the brand image and the actual customer experience made the situation even more frustrating.

Now, in 2014, the tide is very clearly turning.

A friend, Christopher Carfi, now part of the GoDaddy team, connected me with Senior Director of Public Relations Susie Penner. That conversation led to a deep dive with Karen Tillman, GoDaddy’s Chief Communications Officer. These discussions revealed a company that is actively rewriting its own story. And it matters that this shift is being driven by strong female leadership. Since Blake Irving took over as CEO in late 2012, GoDaddy has been working to dismantle the marketing approach that defined it for years and replace it with something far more aligned with its customers, products, and ambitions.

This is happening at a pivotal moment. GoDaddy has filed for an IPO, and the financial picture shows why. Revenue is expected to reach roughly $1.38 billion in 2014, up from $1.13 billion in 2013, and to continue a multi-year growth trajectory. The company controls an estimated 30%+ of the global domain registrar market, far outpacing competitors in both consumer awareness and volume. As the company prepares to go public — likely at a valuation of around $4.5 billion at a projected $20 share price — it is clear that growth is coming from more than attention-getting advertising.

And that brings us to the brand shift.

GoDaddy’s newly released Super Bowl commercial is a stark break from the past. Instead of leaning on spectacle, it focuses on everyday entrepreneurs and the message that GoDaddy helps people turn their ideas into businesses. The tone is encouraging, professional, and closely aligned with the services GoDaddy actually provides.

Those services, by the way, are broad and expanding: domains, hosting, managed WordPress hosting, SSL certificates, Microsoft Office 365 hosting, online bookkeeping, a website builder, e-commerce tools, and local search solutions. These are practical, affordable tools that small businesses depend on — and they’re delivered with the high-touch service customers rave about. The marketing is finally catching up to reality.

And here’s the truth I wish more brands would consider: chasing attention with provocative shortcuts can take you only so far. It generates buzz, sure, but it alienates just as many people as it attracts — especially when the approach has nothing to do with your actual products or the customers you hope to serve long-term. Sustainable growth comes from alignment: product, service, brand, and values working together.

GoDaddy is showing the industry what it looks like when a company leaves the shortcuts behind and chooses a more credible, customer-centered path. It’s not about becoming softer; it’s about becoming smarter.

Congratulations, GoDaddy. You’re finally becoming the brand your customers have seen in you all along.