Go Daddy Saga Continues With Olympic Ads

Just when you thought it could not get any stranger, Go Daddy has offered a preview of the new TV commercials about to run in the upcoming Olympics. Before you ask, yes that is an otter.

Last we left the company, former CEO and Danica Patrick fan Bob Parsons had been moved upstairs after selling Go Daddy to a group of investors. A man named Warren Adelman had been named CEO and quickly began dropping hints that his agenda was to change the public perception of the company.

The first step was to switch advertising agencies. Deutsch New York was chosen to create a new series of TV commercials that were going to air during the London Olympics. The twist is that Deutsch is run by a very powerful woman named Val DiFebo.

She was asked by the New York Times about the many years of Go Daddy's risque and sexually provocative advertising campaigns. "As a woman, is it my favorite work?' she asked rhetorically, then replied, 'No.' That was not a good sign for Patrick and her female team of Go Daddy girls.

When asked about the new campaign, DiFebo suggested a change of course. "The ads will tell more of a story about GoDaddy's technology rather than entice consumers with appeals like to see more skin, click here,'" she added.

Well, the Olympics are around the corner and a preview of the ads has just been released. True to her word, DiFebo takes a nice big swipe at the Go Daddy girls while sending the message that the company is ultimately about technology and service. How this is done is an eye-opener.

Click here for Danica Patrick's tasteless "beaver" commercial that was part of the advertising campaign surrounding the 2008 Super Bowl. This commercial was supposedly rejected by TV and could only be seen at the Go Daddy website. Of course, the entire thing was a marketing effort to direct TV viewers online.

Click here for the first of the three new Olympic ads. "Charlene" represents the Go Daddy girls but without a company logo or even body paint. The line is "Charlene is how Go Daddy attracts domain name customers." The new character of Karl represents the part of the company never before mentioned. He keeps the customers.

Halfway through the ad, Charlene is said to have forced three state senators into early retirement while she stands on-camera petting her otter. Go Daddy was infamous for putting Parsons' contempt of the Federal Government on display in ads ranging from the "Enhancement Panel" to the classic "Broadcast Censorship Hearings."

Click here to see the original 2005 Super Bowl ad where the C-SPAN logo was changed to G-SPIN.

So what exactly is the point of these new ads and spending millions to run them in the Olympics? Gone are the familiar "Go Daddy Girl" faces the company worked so hard to develop. Gone is the teenage sexual innuendo. Instead, a generic sexy girl with an otter and a reputation is upstaged by a nerd named Karl.

"I felt it would be disingenuous not to acknowledge our past and do it in a tongue-in-cheek way, but really point to the future," Go Daddy CEO Adelman told the Huffington Post on Monday. This may be the strongest statement yet that what Adelman and DiFebo have in mind does not involve the Go Daddy Girls.

Patrick is finishing a full-time season in the Nationwide Series while running a limited schedule in the Sprint Cup Series. Her primary NASCAR sponsor is Go Daddy. Now, that company heads into the Olympics without her.

Love it or hate it, the upside in Patrick's Go Daddy TV ad exposure was that she was now firmly tied to NASCAR. Her pursuit of a win in the Nationwide Series continues, but 2013 was supposed to see her running for Rookie of the Year honors in the Sprint Cup Series with Stewart-Haas Racing. That would be huge for the entire sport.

Patrick has been coy on confirming her plans for next season in the media, but things are said to be in place. Even the Indy 500 and Coke 600 double-dip has been put on the table as possible for next year. What has yet to unfold is just how she fits into the company's advertising future as Adelman shifts the Go Daddy emphasis from sex to technology.

Click here to see the current Go Daddy homepage. The company's IndyCar driver James HinchCliffe continues to be featured as a result of the most recently completed ad campaign. Patrick is nowhere to be found.

We welcome your opinion on this topic. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.

Race Wrap: NASCAR On TNT From New Hampshire

Another NASCAR TV transition is complete as TNT ends its summer series for 2012. Currently, the network has two more full seasons on the existing TV contract with NASCAR.

Adam Alexander hosted another pre-race show that was packed with information and features. The "Countdown to Green" has been solid this season. It seems this forum works best for Alexander in a host role. This week, Greg Biffle was the special guest on the infield set.

Kyle Petty and Larry McReynolds were on the pre-race panel. These two work well together in conversation but struggle to cooperate while standing at the TORC car and trying to speak about issues while pointing at car parts.

Pit road reporter Marty Snider was out ill, so TNT went with a three-man pit road team. Ralph Sheheen, Matt Yocum and Chris Neville did the job with no problems. The pit road reporters have been the foundation of this coverage.

In the TV booth, Alexander again led casual and non-excited conversation about the race right up to the end. This is the style TNT chose and they stayed with it for all six races. It leaves a lot of information on the table while the booth talent is joking and talking about the race in general.

The coverage was basic. Tight shots of cars were mixed with in-cars and focus shifted from driver to driver. Beautiful aerial shots were only used as transitions out of commercial. Even in boring racing, the director chose to stick with the identical style of coverage lap after lap. It was tough to watch.

Commercials once again were an issue as TNT does not use the side by side format. Several minutes of racing were followed by several minutes of commercials. This forced fans to use the live PRN radio coverage and the online RaceBuddy to keep some sort of live racing going during the TV commercials. Normally, these commercials cover about one-third of the total race.

This post is to ask you about how you enjoyed the coverage of this race and the TNT season as a whole? Your comments may be moderated prior to posting. Thank you for stopping by.

NASCAR On TNT Ends In New Hampshire

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The TNT summer series ends Sunday in New Hampshire. It's been an amazing run this year for all the wrong reasons. Many fans have made it clear they will be happy to see the network depart.

Adam Alexander once again hosts both the pre-race show and then calls the race. Kyle Petty also appears on both programs. Wally Dallenbach Jr. joins Petty in the booth while Larry McReynolds appears on the pre-race show and then remains in the infield.

The bright spot for this coverage has been the pit reporters. Marty Snider has been under the weather and did not travel to New Hampshire. He passed along that he is doing much better and expects to recover quickly. So, TNT will go with Matt Yocum, Ralph Sheheen and Chris Neville to cover pit road for this race.

A casual atmosphere might be the new and cool thing in sports TV, but for covering a live NASCAR race it just does not work. Both ESPN and SPEED use traditional play by play men in Allen Bestwick and Rick Allen to call the racing action. Alexander has spent the summer doing just the opposite.

Dallenbach is so far removed from the sport he is irrelevant. Despite his personality, his limited NASCAR experience was long ago he brings little to the telecasts. With two drivers in the booth, Dallenbach spends the entire telecast either agreeing with or disagreeing with Petty. Despite the fact that a former crew chief sits in the infield, this booth chemistry just does not click.

The subject of much media coverage this summer has been the commercials. Despite the fact that amount did not increase, the long green flag runs and the awareness of fans through social media has changed the landscape. No longer are fans willing to miss one-third of the racing while staring at the same commercials over and over again for three hours. That was made clear after the Kentucky Speedway disaster featuring the brawling Kentucky Fried Chicken family.

The buzz in TV town is that TNT may not return for 2013. There are two more seasons left on the existing NASCAR TV contract but FOX has been making lots of noise about wanting additional races. The six TNT races are the only ones possibly in question. Turner Sports has just sold back to NASCAR all the sport's digital rights, including operating the NASCAR.com website and controlling all the online audio and video footage.

Should TNT care to sell the remaining two seasons of summer coverage to FOX, it could walk away with a pretty penny and end all ties with the sport. Over the years, TNT never carried any of the qualifying or practice sessions. There has never been a NASCAR weekly show on the network. It just might be the right time to walk away.

This season will also find negotiations being done on the sport's TV coverage starting in 2015. Without the digital connections, there is little reason to expect that TNT will be a part of that new package.

It is unfortunate that the network's 2012 coverage will go out with a thud. New Hampshire is a track position race that focuses on pit stops and fuel mileage. Combined with the casual style of the TV booth, this one could be memorable for all the wrong reasons. Goodbye TNT, it certainly was interesting.

This post will serve to host your pre-race and race comments. There will be a new post up for your opinion after the race telecast is done. We live chat on Twitter during the race using the #TDP1 hashtag. Please join us. Comments here may be moderated prior to posting. Thank you for stopping by.

NASCAR TV Makes The Turn

It's that time of the year once again. The final weekend for TNT is coming up, the FOX portion of the season is a distant memory and soon ESPN will take over for the final seventeen Sprint Cup Series races.

So, where are you on the NASCAR TV coverage at the halfway point of the season?

It was Darrell Waltrip welcoming his brother Michael to the Hollywood Hotel and putting Jeff Hammond outside looking in that started the year. The Waltrips were the dominant TV voices for the sport during the NASCAR on FOX races. The network cannot get enough of these two and loved the fan reactions, both good and bad.

FOX also started the ball rolling on the fan backlash over TV commercials. With all the real-time information now available on various social media sources, fans became acutely aware of just how much content was being missed while FOX was in commercial. To add insult to injury, when FOX went to the side-by-side commercial format in the final hour of each telecast, the live video box often featured the car or driver starring in the commercial playing alongside.

TNT arrived with the promise of being different and delivered. While the network's telecasts featured top flight pit reporting, the complete lack of excitement and attention to the actual racing from the TV booth made these telecasts very different. It was not in a good way.

Pre-show host Lindsay Czarniak left for ESPN last year and TNT chose to replace her by asking play by play man Adam Alexander to double-up. Alexander hosts the entire one-hour pre-race show and then moves to the broadcast booth and calls the races. While at home during the pre-race, Alexander has sounded out of sync with Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach Jr. on race coverage.

TNT picked up the momentum of FOX's commercial overload and drove that point home just like a stake into the hearts of NASCAR fans watching on TV. With roughly one-third of the racing action taking place while TNT is in commercial, the anger boiled over at Kentucky Speedway when a Kentucky Fried Chicken advertising buy had Junior wrestling Pop Pop over side orders for three straight hours.

While this anger peaked with several mainstream media articles on the topic, TNT once again saved the day with the Wide Open coverage from Daytona. This time, commercials appeared in a small video box while the live racing action rolled-on in the background. With so much green flag racing this season, it made a huge difference.

In Daytona, TNT learned of AJ Allmendinger's suspension for a failed drug test about an hour before the pre-race show. The producer chose to let viewers watch eleven minutes of the scripted program before offering even a basic report on this breaking story. TNT may know drama, but they certainly do not know how to handle a breaking news story in this format.

The fuel mileage and track position race on the flat track at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend will be the network's final event for 2012. There is a buzz going around that TNT may not return after the existing contract ends in 2014. The bigger buzz is that FOX wants those six TNT races.

Turner Sports larger agenda with NASCAR was operating the sport's official website and owning the digital (online) rights to all NASCAR footage. Now, after paying a hefty fee, NASCAR regained control of those assets for 2013. Without RaceBuddy, the online pay services and the digital integration of content it may not make sense for TNT to even return for the final two seasons of it's limited race package.

ESPN is geared up to make a return at the Brickyard 400 with all of the familiar faces in place. Once the network steps back in, NASCAR suddenly regains a place on shows like SportsCenter and the ESPNEWS network. ESPN lives for hype these days and nothing fits that mold better than the Chase.

Allen Bestwick will be a wonderful change of pace from Adam Alexander, but what ESPN brings is baggage from five seasons of struggling to reconnect with the sport. The formality of ESPN is out of place in the NASCAR world. ESPN's format of focusing on the Chase to the detriment of other teams is well known.

As the teams take to the track Friday for practice and qualifying, perhaps you could summarize your season of watching the Sprint Cup Series telecasts this year. To add your opinion on this topic, just click below. Comments may be moderated prior to posting. Thank you for stopping by The Daly Planet.

AJ Allmendinger: The Bomb Has Dropped

New came out shortly after 2PM ET Wednesday in the form of a statement from AJ Allmendinger's business manger.

"In an effort to help our colleagues in the media report on this in a timely and accurate manner, we wanted to provide some additional details regarding AJ's sample 'A' test results.

AJ tested positive for a stimulant. He has no idea why the first test was positive, and he has never knowingly taken any prohibited substance. AJ is collecting his medicines and supplements for testing to determine whether an over the counter product caused his positive test.

AJ and all of us at Walldinger Racing respect NASCAR's testing program, and he has requested that his "B" sample be tested as part of the process of getting to the bottom of this. We will have the opportunity to review all of the scientific data surrounding the test following the "B" sample test, but our understanding is that AJ's test was slightly above the threshold.

As of this morning, we have not been given notice of when the testing of the 'B' sample will take place. Thanks again for all of the support of our fans, team, and sponsors as we continue working through the process.'

This was from Tara Ragan, the vice president of Walldinger Racing, Inc. That is the name of Allmendinger's personal business.

Allmendinger has said that he was blindsided and shell-shocked by this result. One of the constant sponsors this season for Allmendinger has been the energy power shot called "Fuel in a Bottle." This controversial product also features former wrestler Ric Flair as an endorser. The distributor is BYB Brands of Charlotte, NC.

The powershot is far above most others on the market in the combination of ingredients. Click here to see the website and read about the amount of stimulants in the product. There is no information that "Fuel in a Bottle" was the culprit in terms of the violation, but Allmendinger is reportedly careful about his overall health and fitness.

Click here for a video where Allmendinger talks about and actually takes the product. The statement released Wednesday seems to eliminate dangerous illegal drugs and alcohol from the picture. This is a positive step as Allmendinger seeks to return to NASCAR competition.

There we no more official announcements about this topic made on Wednesday. Sam Hornish continued his media tour campaigning for the #22 ride and Joey Logano replaced Allmendinger at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway fan fest, setting off a flurry of comments that he be a candidate for the #22 next season.

This entire situation is being handled quite professionally by all parties and it may ultimately serve as the model to deal with this type of violation for a driver in the future. Happy to have your opinion on this topic.

Waiting For The Bomb To Drop (Updated)

The media watch is on as AJ Allmendinger's "B" sample is analyzed by the Aegis Lab. The items of interest that have been reported include the fact that Allmendinger had an opportunity to meet with the NASCAR Medical Review Officer (MRO) to explain the "A" sample results prior to NASCAR officials being notified.

That would suggest that Allmendinger was either unable to offer a suitable explanation, was unclear as to the nature of the violation or believed that an error had been made. Now that a second test has been requested, the motorsports and mainstream media is waiting for the potential bomb to drop.

Tuesday evening on SPEED's RaceHub show host Steve Byrnes and analyst Bob Dillner surfaced the topic of Allmendinger having a tough time handling some issues within his domestic life. Dillner used the word divorce while Byrnes made it clear a driver's personal issues should be off-limits.

Dillner had exchanged phone texts with Allmendinger and stated that the driver had expressed frustration about not being able to address the situation publicly, but that he would wait until the second analysis was completed before making a comment. It was suggested that perhaps Team Penske played a major role in that decision.

Shortly after the Race Hub program concluded, Allmendinger's mother Karen offered this on Twitter. It may be the most up to date comment on the situation. "One thing I can state, without a doubt in my mind, is that AJ would never, ever take an illegal drug," she tweeted.

Over on ESPN's NASCAR Now program, analyst Ray Evernham refused to pass judgement until the results of the second test were in. He simply said there would come at time when Allmendinger would have to answer to NASCAR, Penske and ultimately himself on this issue.

The growing frustration in the media and fan base is a familiar one. Simply not knowing the violation in these days of real time social media like Twitter and Facebook leads to speculation and gossip. From Allmendinger's endorsement of Fuel in a Bottle power shots to rumors about spotters knowing there was an ongoing issue are already being batted around on fan forums.

Certainly NASCAR's hope is that this issue can be resolved before the weekend of racing begins in New Hampshire. Heading into the weekend without answers to very fundamental questions will twist the media focus from racing to NASCAR's substance abuse policies. The bottom line is that fans want answers.

On Wednesday, NASCAR Chairman Brian France will appear on the NASCAR Now program at 2:30PM on ESPN2. Host Nicole Briscoe is not shy about asking the tough questions and it will be interesting to see just what the France agenda is on this visit. He may be promoting another topic, but the elephant in the room will surely be discussed at some point.

Update #1: Been informed by NASCAR that the France interview was recorded on Friday in Daytona. It will be Ryan McGee and Brad Daugherty as the reporter and analyst on the show Wednesday.

Update #2: Been informed that the France interview was done by reporter Marty Smith and will be rescheduled for next week due to the amount of breaking news in the sport.

Allmendinger has been a feature reporter for NASCAR Now this season. He prepares a weekly piece produced at the track that focuses on behind the scenes topics that are a bit off-beat. In the past, he has also appeared on SPEED's Race Hub and is a very TV-friendly presence.

Currently the information blackout being enforced by NASCAR, Penske and Allmendinger has proven to be effective in keeping speculation to a minimum. Once the results of the second test are in, there is still no guarantee that information on the specific violation will be disclosed. Ultimately, it is up to Allmendinger.

The entire spectrum of possibilities exist at present from complete reinstatement to an indefinite suspension. To see the career of any elite athlete dangle by a lab result is distressing, but the reality of motorsports is very different from the stick and ball world. Steroids, Human Growth Hormone and blood doping don't make drivers go faster.

The real concern is that a driver may be altered while in the car. That sobriety is the baseline for fair play and that accidents just happen while racing is the very foundation of the sport. Just the perception that this principle may have been violated keeps the gossip wheel spinning.

After Wednesday's NASCAR Now, SPEED returns with a 6PM edition of Race Hub. All eyes will be on these two programs as the ongoing saga continues to unfold. We will update news on this post as it happens.

Please feel free to continue our discussion on the media coverage of this situation. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.

Waiting For The Bomb To Drop

The media watch is on as AJ Allmendinger's "B" sample is analyzed by the Aegis Lab. The items of interest that have been reported include the fact that Allmendinger had an opportunity to meet with the NASCAR Medical Review Officer (MRO) to explain the "A" sample results prior to NASCAR officials being notified.

That would suggest that Allmendinger was either unable to offer a suitable explanation, was unclear as to the nature of the violation or believed that an error had been made. Now that a second test has been requested, the motorsports and mainstream media is waiting for the potential bomb to drop.

Tuesday evening on SPEED's RaceHub show host Steve Byrnes and analyst Bob Dillner surfaced the topic of Allmendinger having a tough time handling some issues within his domestic life. Dillner used the word divorce while Byrnes made it clear a driver's personal issues should be off-limits.

Dillner had exchanged phone texts with Allmendinger and stated that the driver had expressed frustration about not being able to address the situation publicly, but that he would wait until the second analysis was completed before making a comment. It was suggested that perhaps Team Penske played a major role in that decision.

Shortly after the Race Hub program concluded, Allmendinger's mother Karen offered this on Twitter. It may be the most up to date comment on the situation. "One thing I can state, without a doubt in my mind, is that AJ would never, ever take an illegal drug," she tweeted.

Over on ESPN's NASCAR Now program, analyst Ray Evernham refused to pass judgement until the results of the second test were in. He simply said there would come at time when Allmendinger would have to answer to NASCAR, Penske and ultimately himself on this issue.

The growing frustration in the media and fan base is a familiar one. Simply not knowing the violation in these days of real time social media like Twitter and Facebook leads to speculation and gossip. From Allmendinger's endorsement of Fuel in a Bottle power shots to rumors about spotters knowing there was an ongoing issue are already being batted around on fan forums.

Certainly NASCAR's hope is that this issue can be resolved before the weekend of racing begins in New Hampshire. Heading into the weekend without answers to very fundamental questions will twist the media focus from racing to NASCAR's substance abuse policies. The bottom line is that fans want answers.

On Wednesday, NASCAR Chairman Brian France will appear on the NASCAR Now program at 2:30PM on ESPN2. Host Nicole Briscoe is not shy about asking the tough questions and it will be interesting to see just what the France agenda is on this visit. He may be promoting another topic, but the elephant in the room will surely be discussed at some point.

Update: Been informed by NASCAR that the France interview was recorded on Friday in Daytona. It will be Ryan McGee and Brad Daugherty as the reporter and analyst on the show Wednesday.

Allmendinger has been a feature reporter for NASCAR Now this season. He prepares a weekly piece produced at the track that focuses on behind the scenes topics that are a bit off-beat. In the past, he has also appeared on SPEED's Race Hub and is a very TV-friendly presence.

Currently the information blackout being enforced by NASCAR, Penske and Allmendinger has proven to be effective in keeping speculation to a minimum. Once the results of the second test are in, there is still no guarantee that information on the specific violation will be disclosed. Ultimately, it is up to Allmendinger.

The entire spectrum of possibilities exist at present from complete reinstatement to an indefinite suspension. To see the career of any elite athlete dangle by a lab result is distressing, but the reality of motorsports is very different from the stick and ball world. Steroids, Human Growth Hormone and blood doping don't make drivers go faster.

The real concern is that a driver may be altered while in the car. That sobriety is the baseline for fair play and that accidents just happen while racing is the very foundation of the sport. Just the perception that this principle may have been violated keeps the gossip wheel spinning.

After Wednesday's NASCAR Now, SPEED returns with a 6PM edition of Race Hub. All eyes will be on these two programs as the ongoing saga continues to unfold. We will update news on this post as it happens.

Please feel free to continue our discussion on the media coverage of this situation. Comments may be moderated prior to posting.