GoDaddy introduces Aussies to ‘Cursor Man’ in first all-Australian campaign via TBWA Sydney

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Screen Shot 2017-03-20 at 7.29.07 am.jpgGoDaddy, the world’s largest technology provider dedicated to small businesses, has launched its first all-Australian marketing campaign to encourage SMBs to build an online presence. The campaign ‘Cursor Man’, created by TBWA Sydney, tells the story of Mark, a small business owner who goes to extreme lengths to get his business online, including dressing up as a real-life computer cursor.

 

The TVC was produced by Photoplay and directed by Gary John and with an all-local cast. The set leveraged a real small business’ space in Harris Street, Pyrmont. The TVC will air nationwide from March 2017 and is supported by online advertising, social media, and events for SMBs throughout the country.

Says Tara Commerford, vice president and managing director, GoDaddy Australia and New Zealand: “Despite being a fictional business, Cursor Man illustrates some of the struggles that real Aussie SMBs face when it comes to going online – nearly 40% admit they don’t know where to start. We’ve injected some real humour into the campaign, while at the same time, we want to raise awareness with small businesses across the country that building a website can be a simple process with GoDaddy, regardless of their level of technical ability.

 

“We wanted to create a campaign that clearly shows that you don’t need to rely on tech-savvy relatives or expensive technology to get your business up and running on the web: it takes less than an hour to establish a website that can deliver real value.”

 

Recent GoDaddy Survey research highlighted that 61% of SMBs still don’t have a website, yet 70% of them want one in the future. Cost and lack of technical expertise remain the two key barriers for them to get online.

The set for the TV commercial reflects some of these insights – it opens on a typical bricks and mortar store, except the store owner has physically transformed it into an online website, complete with web browser and domain name on the store façade. Internally, one wall is framed with computer icons and yellow desktop folders, and the other is a grid style display of t-shirts representing his ecommerce site. Mark “the Cursor Man” is the center point of this campaign and will integrate across marketing channels pointing viewers to GoDaddy’s Next Generation Website Builder, launched in Australia just last month.

Says Derek Craig, marketing director, GoDaddy Australia and New Zealand: “In this campaign, we wanted to capture the ambition and attitude that drive Aussie SMBs, and show them how they can channel those traits into an online business. Getting online is now easier than ever and that’s how we landed on the core message, ‘So simple, even your dad can do it’. This Campaign will hopefully serve as a reminder to Australian business owners, in a humorous way that creating a digital presence can have a new impact on their business.”