GoDaddy’s PR misstep, otherwise known as CEO Bob Parsons killing an elephant, has led to its competitors stepping up to scoop up the angry customers who are leaving the domain registrar behind. NameCheap was able to get some great PR and a substantial amount of new business, while raising over $20,000 for the Save the Elephants foundation.
Now, Venovix is following NameCheap’s lead as it has announced its “NoDaddy” promotion, offering GoDaddy users free domain migration and web hosting for donating to the International Elephant Foundation.
The offer extends from now until the end of April, and requires users to donate $2 per domain migration to the International Elephant Foundation. In addition, GoDaddy users who switch who switch will get six months of free hosting (with a one-year commitment).
“Upon learning of the disheartening story of Bob Parsons killing an African elephant, we decided to cease our involvement with GoDaddy,” said Michelle Sciuto, marketing director and co-founder of Venovix. “Recognizing the technical challenges others face when switching domain registrars and web hosting providers, we’re helping those who feel compelled to make the transition with us. Venovix will take care of the technical details for free and give you six months of annual web hosting for free. All we ask is for your support of the conservation of elephants with a donation to the International Elephant Foundation.”
The GoDaddy Elephant incident continues to draw massive backlash from people, as well as press coverage, with many pointing to it as an example of simply what not to do as a business.
We talked about it from the reputation management standpoint from the get go. Even Reuters is talking about how small businesses can avoid becoming the next GoDaddy. I’d say not killing elephants is a good start.
