Shock Value Can a controversial ad get customers to notice your great offer? It worked for this company.

Everyone remembers GoDaddy.com's Super Bowl ad: a buxom womanappeared before a panel in increasing stages of undress. Aghast,Fox yanked the company's ad before it could be aired a secondtime.

As sole owner of the discount domain-name registrar, Bob Parsonshad shelled out the $5 million for the ads from his own wallet, sonaturally, he was sore--at least until 2.6 million people shot toGoDaddy.com to watch the ad. Sales skyrocketed--from $102 millionin 2004 to more than $200 million projected for 2005. "To grabconsumers' attention, you have to polarize [them]," saysParsons, 55.

However, he adds that controversy can flop if the consumers solured don't get a good deal when they arrive. The Scottsdale,Arizona, company sells domain names at a rock-bottom $8.95 peryear, and unlimited customer service is free. "The idea is tomake a little money from a lot of people," says Parsons."[If] you get a good deal, you don't mindcontroversy."