"Puppygate" And Other Super Bowl Commercials Released Before Kickoff
By Edward Cardenas
SOUTHFIELD (CBS Detroit) - Puppies have overtaken "Deflategate" as the latest story to grab the headlines away from the football game at Super Bowl XLIX.
GoDaddy, a company which sells website domain names and tools to build a website, released its Super Bowl commercial Tuesday featuring a puppy who was lost and returned home only to be sold online on a website built with GoDaddy.
The commercial, which was released on YouTube, was pulled after an outcry on social media and a Change.org petition was signed by more than 42,000 people who wanted the commercial pulled.
"At the end of the day, our purpose at GoDaddy is to help small businesses around the world build a successful online presence," Blake Irving, GoDaddy's Chief Executive Officer and Board Director, wrote in blog post. "We hoped our ad would increase awareness of that cause. However, we underestimated the emotional response. And we heard that loud and clear."
GoDaddy - which has featured scantily clad women, models, and racy kisses in previous Super Bowl ads - stated that it will still have an ad during that game. Additionally, Irving stated that the dog in the commercial lives with a GoDaddy employee and came from a "reputable and loving breeder in California."
Other companies have released commercials which have created a buzz, but not the controversy.
Budweiser brings back the puppy which has been featured in previous ads with their trademark Clydesdales:
Bud Light goes old-school with a full-size Pac-Man game:
A Budweiser Clydesdale also provides shopping tips:
Newcastle names 37 brands in its commercial, including a cameo of a t-shirt with Detroit-based McClure's Pickles:
Mercedes-Benz offers a new take on the tortoise and the hare:
Lexus' has a stylish commercial featuring the NX
Pierce Brosnan sorta revisits his time James Bond in an ad for Kia Motors:
BMW reunites Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric to discuss the latest "newfangled idea" from the automaker:
Toyota features paralympian Amy Purdy in a commercial for the Camry set to a speech delivered by Muhammad Ali:
Nationwide Insurance makes Mindy Kaling "invisible"
Kim Kardashian West muses about lost data, while taking selfies, in a TMobile ad:
If GoDaddy doesn't feature scantily clothed models, viewers will get their fix with the Victoria's Secret commercial:
Fast food chain Carl's Jr. once again goes racy with a commercial for its all-natural burger. The ad will only be shown on the west coast, according to reports:
Brett Farve and other retired football players reunite for a commercial for website builder site Wix.com:
Another website that allows users to build their own site, Squarespace, features Jeff Bridges:
Dove celebrates dads with their commercial:
WeatherTech celebrates American manufacturing for the ad the company will air during the game:
Snickers teased a "Brady Bunch" themed commercial:
Skittles also released a teaser ad for its Super Bowl commercial featuring residents of a small town preparing to "settle" something:
No More takes a serious tone with a commercial addressing domestic violence: