GoDaddy is selling entrepreneurs on the idea of putting their business in ink, with one catch.
Winners can decline the permanent tattoo and still keep the rest of the prize.
The company launched its "Ink Your Link" contest on October 19.
It invites U.S. entrepreneurs to share their business stories for a chance to win custom tattoos and a Times Square billboard feature.
Actor and entrepreneur Walton Goggins introduced the campaign, which connects business ownership with personal expression.
Goggins said that tattoos and small businesses both belong to people who "care so much about their passion, they've got to share it with the world."
The campaign site at https://inkyour.link/ promotes permanent, custom tattoos as part of the prize.
Winners can refuse permanent ink, but they must wear a temporary or airbrush tattoo for campaign photography.
Anyone who refuses the temporary tattoo gets disqualified.
The rules also make the Times Square billboard subject to change or cancellation, despite its prominent place in the promotion.
Only U.S. adults with an active GoDaddy account can enter before the November 15 deadline.
GoDaddy's release nudges non-customers to sign up through Airo first.
Entrants must also explain their business story, the role of their domain, and why their venture deserves a tattoo.
The Contest Makes Business Identity Personal
GoDaddy's campaign ties a business's online identity to a permanent mark on its owner's skin.
The concept gives entrepreneurs a personal reason to connect their domain, logo, or origin story with their business.
Tattoo artist Kim Saigh and her team at Los Angeles' Memoir Tattoo will design custom tattoos for five winners.
Five grand prize winners will each receive:
- A trip to Los Angeles for the winner and a guest
- A tattoo session at Memoir Tattoo
- Exclusive Winner's dinner
- Two pairs of special-edition Walton Goggins Goggle Glasses
On October 24, GoDaddy is planning a pop-up in New York City's Nolita neighborhood for a live brand experience.
Visitors can receive temporary tattoos inspired by small businesses.
Attendees can also explore GoDaddy Airo, the company's AI-powered tools for entrepreneurs.
The billboard gives the personal gesture a public stage, though the official rules let GoDaddy change or cancel the 2027 placement.
The rules also leave the billboard out of the prize's stated value.
Leaving the billboard out of the $10,115 value also spares winners taxes on it, a brand strategy worth copying for any contest that promises exposure.
$10K Prize Package Promotes GoDaddy's Own Products
The biggest line item in GoDaddy's $10,115 grand prize is a three-year product bundle worth $2,165, more than four times the $500 tattoo session.
GoDaddy's Small Business Research Lab surveyed more than 1,500 U.S. customers and found that only 13% had gotten a tattoo as a form of self-expression.
More than half of these owners got ink to mark a business milestone.
When asked what they'd commemorate, 29% picked their website or domain name, which is exactly what GoDaddy sells.
Someone attached enough to tattoo a domain is unlikely to move it to another registrar, so the contest rewards the brand loyalty GoDaddy wants most.
GoDaddy's contest points to three considerations for brands planning similar promotions:
- Prize composition influences perceived value. Brands should disclose each component's value to help entrants assess what they stand to receive.
- Eligibility rules affect participation. Companies should state customer requirements early to reduce confusion and attract qualified entrants.
- Promotional promises affect trust. Campaign teams should align landing pages with contest rules to protect credibility when conditions affect the prize.
GoDaddy tied the emotional appeal of entrepreneurial commitment to a product bundle, making the clarity part of the campaign's credibility.
Our Take: Can a Tattoo Contest Work If It's Optional?
Tattoo promos can get expensive fast when a brand leaves no cap on how many people actually get inked.
GoDaddy caps its contest at five winners, none of whom have to get permanent ink to keep the prize.
Domino's Russia had no such cap in 2018, when it promised up to 100 free pizzas a year for 100 years to fans with a Domino's logo tattoo.
GoDaddy's rules close this gap by picking only five winners before anyone books a tattoo session.
We also don't think the opt-out weakens the dare, since entrants only have to commit to a 500-word essay to compete.
This requirement should pull in far more business owners than a mandatory tattoo would.
Brands borrowing the stunt should copy GoDaddy's order of operations, picking winners first and asking for ink second.
GoDaddy's "Ink Your Link" campaign also adds a new layer to the brand's work with Goggins.
In April, "Daddy of Domains" played directly into the online nickname that fans have given the actor.
Brands planning promotions that combine creative concepts with customer acquisition can explore these top branding agencies.
