Thursday, February 12, 2015

Danica Patrick disappointed original GoDaddy Super Bowl ad didn't run


   NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drive Danica Patrick said Thursday she was "definitely disappointed" GoDaddy, which sponsors her No. 10 Chevrolet at Stewart-Haas Racing, pulled its original Super Bowl after an uproar from animal rescue activists.

   Patrick also scoffed at the notion GoDaddy put together the first ad with intentions of pulling it all along as some sort of publicity ploy. 

   "GoDaddy had every intention to run that commercial, and I feel like I heard from a lot of people that it was like choreographed and it was planned and stuff. I think that's so funny. We thought it was a really funny, absolutely left‑sided joke, but it really was not intentional," Patrick said Monday at Daytona International Speedway.

   "So was I surprised? I don't think anything in this culture surprises me anymore. I mean, people have opinions about everything, especially when you get into that world of animal rights or tree rights or whatever rights. They all have an opinion ... We were here to be funny, and enough people didn't think it was funny."

   The original ad, entitled "Lost Dog," showed a puppy that falls out of a truck and then eventually finds its way back home. Upon arrival, the puppy discovers its owner used GoDaddy to set up a Web site to sell the dog to a new owner. Patrick drove the van which carries the puppy to its new owner. 

   You can read more about the controversy and see the original ad here.