Sex Sells?
Looking back on old projects can be a very interesting glimpse into the past. Often filled with outdated trends and styles. When rewatching, some of these projects hold up to modern scrutiny better than others.
To say that the advertising industry has changed over the past decade is a massive understatement. The adage ‘sex sells’ was pervasive and often gratuitous up until the early 2000’s when it was at its peak. Meaning any form of sexual titillation was shoehorned into broadcast campaigns for anything and everything. From fast food to website domain registration companies? Yes, register your domain name quickly at GoDaddy.com.
This project was completed in May of 2009.
The concept is simple enough. Danica Patrick sits in a classic Ford Mustang in the heart of the Nevada desert as a police officer approaches to seemingly give her a speeding ticket. But to everyone’s surprise the police officer is a big fan of the company and has some sexy aspirations of her own. The officer then strips down to her GoDaddy tank top, underwear and thigh high boots to seductively dance on, around and behind the vehicle. All to Danica Patrick’s embarrassment.
The commercial aired during the Indy 500 broadcast on ABC and ended with a cliffhanger that pushed viewers to see what happens next on their website. And it did work as intended by driving massive amounts of traffic.
While the full ‘internet only’ video is not included here because it is a bit too gratuitous, that’s not to say that the production in and of itself is anything to be embarrassed about. Shot on film, the cinematography is beautiful, rich and vibrant. The choreography is exciting. The performances are pretty funny. And the editing, which was the only part of the production I was tasked with, brings it all together.
I was able to edit several GoDaddy campaigns in addition to this one. Including a spot that aired during Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 reaching tens of millions of viewers. While I am in no way prudish, I do greatly appreciate that sex in broadcast advertising is now, for the most part, reserved for appropriate categories like lingerie and fashion.
