GoDaddy has pulled a 2015 Super Bowl commercial due to backlash from animal lovers, after it featured a puppy being sold by its owners online.
The ad shows a golden retriever pup who falls off the back of a truck in the middle of nowhere. The resourceful fluff ball, known as Buddy, then beats all odds to find his way home. But as Buddy excitedly runs into the arms of his beloved owner, he is instantly sold off using the GoDaddy website -- and carted off in a van labelled "Gabby's Goldens."
After the ad's release online, animal rights activists said the spot promoted puppy farms and the online sale of animals -- which often ends in people purchasing pets they are not equipped to look after.
If you can buy a puppy online and have it shipped to you the next day, it's likely you're supporting inhumane breeding. #GoDaddyPuppy— The SPCA (@animalrescuers) January 27, 2015
GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving first responded to the public outrage on Twitter, saying the ad "missed the mark" and it would not be aired.
Thank you @animalrescuers for the candid feedback. What should have been a fun and funny ad clearly missed the mark and we will not air it.— Blake Irving (@Blakei) January 27, 2015
Irving then followed up with an in-depth post on the GoDaddy blog reiterating the company's decision to pull the ad, saying the message had been heard "loud and clear."
"At the end of the day, our purpose at GoDaddy is to help small businesses around the world build a successful online presence. We hoped our ad would increase awareness of that cause. However, we underestimated the emotional response," he wrote.
"The net result? We are pulling the ad from the Super Bowl. You’ll still see us in the Big Game this year, and we hope it makes you laugh."
Irving also made it clear, Buddy came from a reputable breeder and was a beloved part of the GoDaddy family. He holds the important role of Chief Companion Officer and lives with a long-time staff member.
The announcement came after animal rights activist Helena Yurcho set up a change.org petition calling for the ad to not be shown during the Super Bowl. The petition had received more than 40,000 signatures when it achieved its goal.
"Whether or not this was meant to be satirical, it's offensive ... Animal rights are no laughing matter and to portray them as such is cruel and irresponsible," Yurcho wrote.
PETA director Colleen O'Brien turned the argument on its head, in a statement to AdWeek:
"GoDaddy's now-yanked commercial showed that anyone who sells a dog online is a callous jerk. PETA liked that about the ad. The sale of animals online and from pet stores and breeders should be roundly condemned, and it was today," O'Brien said. "GoDaddy did the right thing by swiftly promoting adoption. PETA's message is that when you buy a dog from a pet store or a breeder, a dog in an animal shelter dies."