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January 13, 2012

Let the gTLD Brand Naming Sales Begin

Yesterday marked the beginning of the generic top-level domain (gTLD) brand name gold rush and I am just waiting for the fallout.

The closing date to register the new .brand names is April 12th.

So far the blogosphere has been placating about this, with reassurances coming our way that we won't have to face any branding problems.

Namely, the worry is about an online infestation of cybersquatters and brand name hijackers who will cause chaos with companies and sow confusion with consumers. It is difficult to see the new domain name rush as anything more than a "fraud magnet."

The Association of National Advertisers (ANA) has been battling the gTLDs plan for months, and convincing The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to permit certain organizations and businesses the right to have their names exempted from the new domain scheme. Like, say, the UN.

Yes, I understand that we are heading towards a more intuitive Internet even as companies are moving their online presence into social media.

But let's face it. Big brand names have "nothing to gain and everything to lose" from the new expansion in naming opportunities.

In the words of the ANA attorney, "It's just a huge waste of money." Companies are now going to have to buy their names off the market.

The majority of people just use Google to find brand names, so who on earth will just pump the name into the URL? Does that even work? Will it work?

I foresee a major legal mess on the way.

Technorati Tags: gTLD, Domain Names, ICANN, URL, Naming, Branding

Posted by William Lozito at January 13, 2012 7:48 AM
Posted to Branding | Marketing | Naming

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