Thursday, April 30, 2015

GoDaddy Dropping NASCAR Sponsorship

Scottsdale, Arizona-based domain name and small business Internet services provider GoDaddy, in a major changeup, is leaving NASCAR, and will stop sponsoring a team at the end of 2015, the company said Wednesday. GoDaddy said the move will help it diversify its marketing investment across more channels and regions. The move comes as the company has been trying to change up its image--established through controversial SuperBowl ads in its early years--to focus on the small business market.

GoDaddy said the move is part of a "marketing evolution" for the company, particularly in its goals of expanding internationally. As part of the move, GoDaddy said it would seek to continue its relationship with Danica Patrick as a spokeswoman for the company. GoDaddy has been in a long--and sometimes, painful--effort to try to appeal more to a wide range of small business customers, ever since its acquisition by private equity investors in 2011.

---