Website domain host GoDaddy has decided to pull its #GoDaddyPuppy ad after complaints poured in.
View this video on YouTube
The ad is a parody of the 2014 Budweiser ad "Puppy Love."
In GoDaddy's ad, a puppy falls off a truck...
...and then has to find his way back home.
What infuriated people, however, was the end, when it was revealed that the puppy was going to be sold online.
Many believe that the dog was owned by a puppy mill, which the ASPCA defines as a "large-scale commercial dog breeding operation that places profit over the well-being of its dogs."
#GoDaddyPuppy ad was created in extremely poor taste. Whoever runs their creative department needs fired.
#GoDaddyPuppy Monsters who operate puppy mills should spend life in prison! Innocent pet children deserve much better! #AnimalRights 🐶
Thanks Go Daddy for making me never want to use your site after seeing your commercial. #Horrible #GoDaddyPuppy https://t.co/SuZmVhbLCQ
Glad @GoDaddy listened and removed the #GoDaddyPuppy ad. Would still like an apology for their carelessness though.
Yes, you gained publicity for your brand. But it was done distastefully and you should be ashamed. #GoDaddyPuppy
Not sure how @GoDaddy thought its #GoDaddyPuppy ad was a good idea. Happy to hear it got pulled.
Blake Irving, the CEO of GoDaddy, responded on Twitter to the criticism of the ad, writing that it "missed the mark."
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.
Then on Tuesday, Irving issued a larger response on GoDaddy's site, writing that the ad would be pulled and replaced with something else.
This morning we previewed GoDaddy's Super Bowl spot on a popular talk show, and shortly after a controversy started to swirl about Buddy, our puppy, being sold online. The responses were emotional and direct. Many people urged us not to run the ad.
We've made a tremendous amount of progress over the past two years, advancing the GoDaddy brand as a company that cares a great deal about small business and is in their corner to help them succeed. People increasingly know who we are, what we do and who we do it for. 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. And we heard that loud and clear.
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.