Go Daddy has found a new girl for its biggest day of the year.
The Internet domain-name marketer, a mainstay on the Super Bowl for eight years running, is bringing in Bar Refaeli, the actress and supermodel, to star opposite Danica Patrick in one of its two 30-second Super Bowl spots this year.
The ad, titled "Perfect Match," is being shot in Los Angeles today (Jan. 4) by ad agency Deutsch New York.
The plot has not been revealed, but Go Daddy chief marketing officer Barb Rechterman says the ad will "make special Super Bowl magic" and "marries Go Daddy's edgy brand with our reputation for taking care of customers in a way we think will be surprising and, more importantly, entertaining."
This will be the first appearance in a Super Bowl spot for Refaeli, a 27-year-old Israeli model best known for fashion ads (the image above comes from a Passionata campaign), her appearances in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue and for having dated Leonardo DiCaprio for six years.
"The opportunity to be in a Super Bowl commercial is thrilling ... and to partner with Go Daddy is something I just couldn't resist," she said in a statement. "I feel like the 'Perfect Match' commercial is a chance to be in an iconic Super Bowl spot that not only leaves people talking, but shows everyone what Go Daddy is really about."
Go Daddy made a splash with its early Super Bowl ads, beginning in 2005 with the notorious Candice Michelle spot from The Ad Store. In that spot, the WWE girl experiences a wardrobe malfunction—a parody of the Janet Jackson incident from the year before—at a fictitious congressional hearing purportedly investigating Go Daddy's indecent ads.
The company, which had been creating most of its ads in-house in recent years, hired Deutsch last summer to evolve the brand beyond its soft-core roots. The agency's first ads didn't ditch the hot girls entirely, but added Go Daddy technicians to the mix to emphasize the company's technical prowess.
Pairing Refaeli and Patrick would presumably imply a return to mildly smutty business as usual for the company, but we'll have to wait for the creative to see for sure.
Below, check out Go Daddy's two spots from last year's game.
