Go Daddy CEO Blake Irving appeared on the CNBC show Squawk on the Street this morning. On the show, Irving spoke about Go Daddy’s recent acquisitions (including Godaddy’s acquisition of Afternic), Go Daddy’s re-branding (helping small businesses “kick ass”), and briefly about what’s been happening at Microsoft lately.
The video of his appearance is embedded below.
I am on my way to visit @AfternicDLS, a company @godaddy just bought. Man they just keep growing! Apparently – #itsgotime!
— Danica Patrick (@DanicaPatrick) September 19, 2013
It’s not going to take long for the team at Afternic to be welcomed by Go Daddy. According to a tweet from Go Daddy Girl Danica Patrick, the NASCAR driver is on her way to Massachusetts to see the team at Afternic, which was acquired by Go Daddy.
I just happen to be in the neighborhood, so maybe I’ll stop by and say hello.
Kidding about that, but I am sure there will be a photo opportunity, and I’ll see if I can share some photos of the occasion. I don’t think it’s all that often that a NASCAR driver visits Massachusetts.
*** Update *** A Danica sighting in Massachusetts with Afternic’s Rich Green:
Here’s Danica with the entire Afternic team
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:
