For nearly a decade, Danica Patrick was the face of GoDaddy’s bold and boundary-pushing Super Bowl commercials.
Her partnership with GoDaddy made her a household name beyond the racetrack. But by 2012, the relationship that had defined both Patrick’s and GoDaddy’s public image was suddenly in jeopardy. The web domain giant was looking to “redefine sexy,” putting Patrick’s future with the company into question.
When Danica Patrick’s GoDaddy Future Hung in the Balance
A pioneer on the racetrack, Patrick was incredibly popular. In 2012, she was named the NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver.
Patrick’s run with GoDaddy took advantage of that popularity. She appeared in 14 Super Bowl ads — more than any other celebrity, even surpassing Michael Jordan and Cindy Crawford. Altogether, she starred in 22 GoDaddy commercials starting in 2007, reportedly earning $1 million annually. The ads were known for being racy and provocative, with Patrick often at the center of attention.
“What we’re trying to do is redefine sexy to be a small-business owner running a successful business,” said GoDaddy’s chief marketing officer Barb Rechterman. “So we want to explore options of how we make our advertising new.”
This wasn’t the only concern for Patrick. Her Q Score — which measures how well-liked a celebrity is — dropped from 29 in 2010 to 19 in 2012. While still higher than the average race car driver’s score of 13, Q Scores executive Henry Schafer said it raised “a warning signal to evaluate the strength of her emotional connection with consumers.”
Val DiFebo, CEO of GoDaddy’s new ad agency Deutsch NY, didn’t mince words: “We’ve done terrific spots without Danica.” The company had already produced several ads without her, signaling she wasn’t as essential to their brand as she once was.
Patrick, meanwhile, remained optimistic. “I absolutely hope I am in the new GoDaddy Super Bowl commercials,” she said. “I don’t think it would feel quite like a Super Bowl if we don’t do the commercials again this year.”
Brand expert Kate Newlin summed it up bluntly: “It was a relationship that worked for both parties for a long time, but they didn’t say, ‘till death do us part.’ If GoDaddy is feeling inhibited about where it can go with her, it has to sign the divorce papers.”
GoDaddy wasn’t just rethinking Patrick — they were rethinking their entire image. Their new campaign aimed to focus less on skin and more on what the company actually did: helping small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed. The shift marked the end of an advertising era that had been both powerful and controversial.
