I haven’t had much time to digest the news about Go Daddy’s acquisition of Afternic, but I want to share some of my thoughts and lingering questions in the wake of this news. I think this is going to impact domain investors in many ways.
You are welcome to share your thoughts or questions about this news in the comment section.
I believe I explained how I came to have an account executive at Go Daddy, but if not, I’ll give the brief backstory. Back around 2004 – 2005, I was hand registering a lot of domain names spending thousands of dollars at GoDaddy. As a courtesy, the company assigned me an account executive so I could register names more quickly and easily. I gave them quite a bit of business, and instead of having to deal with different call center reps when I had issues, I was given one point of contact.
Throughout the years, my business with Go Daddy has had its ebbs and flows. Some years I register many names with them, and sometimes I don’t. Brad Larson had managed my account for several years, and he is a (if not the) primary reason I’ve stayed with Go Daddy. I’ve since been assigned a new account manager after Brad left, and I’ve been happy.
Over a year ago, I ran into repeated hosting issues
I like writing about Go Daddy, especially when the company is in the news. The new Jean Claude Van Damme advertising campaign made the NY Times, Wall St. Journal, and many other news outlets. In addition, anyone watching the football game last Thursday saw the new tv spot. Because of the way the company has been marketed in the past, Go Daddy advertising changes make the news and are followed by the mainstream press in addition to advertising and industry publications.
When I write about the company as it’s being discussed by the public, it drives traffic to my blog, and oftentimes, it’s
In conjunction with the new Go Daddy advertising campaign called “It’s Go Time,” the company has initiated an excellent social media campaign. GoDaddy’s social media team has been responding to tweets mentioning the Go Daddy brand and ad campaign, and the company has been publishing amusing graphics customized for each reply.
Have a look at some of the replies featuring new “Go Daddy Guy,” Jean-Claude Van Damme, including one that was sent to me this morning. The social media team and graphic designers are working overtime, and it’s pretty ingenious:
Go Daddy is in the midst of a change in how it markets its brand. It’s been happening for several months, and it seems like more is on the way. Embedded above is a new commercial called “Baker” which stars actor Jean Claude Van Damme.
Andrew wrote about a couple of subtle changes that may impact domain investors, and the New York Times also had an article discussing the shift.
Any time Go Daddy changes its marketing strategy, it’s going to impact domain investors to an extent. When I mention to people that I am a domain investor, I would say almost half ask me if I work for or with Go Daddy. I would venture a guess that Go Daddy’s name recognition is very high, even if not everyone knows exactly what the company does. When GD makes changes, it will have an impact.
I am curious what you think of the new branding and whether you think it’s going to be positive for domain investors and others involved in the domain space.
Filed papers for Gov campaign today. Time to work for AZ since AZ has been so good to me. Formal announcement in Sep. #humbled #azgop
— Christine Jones (@JonesForGov) August 9, 2013
According to a tweet this afternoon, Christine Jones, the former Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Go Daddy, filed paperwork to run for the office of Governor in the state of Arizona. Ms. Jones will be running on the Republican party ticket, and the election will be held on November 4, 2014.
Wisely, Ms. Jones owns the exact match domain name, ChristineJones.com, and it appears that she will use the domain name for her campaign website.
For many years, Ms. Jones was the second most public face of Go Daddy behind its founder, Bob Parsons. When there were policy or legal issues regarding Go Daddy or domain names, Ms. Jones was often cited in mainstream news reports.
Here’s wishing Ms. Jones all the best in her run for Governor!
