Month: September 2011

As promised, we have gone through the latest version of ICANN’s gTLD Applicant Guidebook, which ICANN released yesterday along with a new dedicated microsite deigned to serve as a resource for applicants. Below is a summary of the changes between this version and the last, released in May. There aren’t very many highly substantive changes, so if you’re not in the mood to dig into the details, feel free to skip ahead to the last paragraph.

Deadlines Announced
We all know that the application period will run from January 12, 2012 until April 12, 2012, and these dates have now been written into the Guidebook. But this version also includes another important date, March 29, 2012. That is the deadline for users to register in the TLD Application System – if an applicant fails to register before 11:59 pm UTC on that date, it will not be allowed to submit a new application. This minor detail is potentially the most useful piece of new information in this version of the Guidebook. Continue reading “New gTLD Applicant Guidebook Changes Summarized”

Today, ICANN published the latest version of the gTLD Applicant Guidebook today, along a new gTLD microsite covering the ins and outs of the New gTLD Program. The FairWinds staff is going to comb through the new Guidebook version in order to provide a summary of all the changes, as well as our take on what they mean for our readers, in a post here on the gTLD Strategy blog tomorrow. Check back here tomorrow for the rundown of all the latest Guidebook edits.

Today we’ll finish our discussion of some of the risks associated with applying for and owning a branded gTLD.

RISKS OF OWNING A BRANDED GTLD, CONTINUED

The application process is opaque and generally confusing.
ICANN’s New gTLD Applicant Guidebook, the only real source of information and guidance that applicants have, still has some major flaws to it. Moreover, ICANN is running the application period as a black box, meaning it will not publish who has applied for which gTLDs until after the process has closed – and then it will not say when, or even if, it will hold a second application round. This has led to many brand owners to feel like they’ve got their backs against the wall, and that not applying for a new gTLD now could leave them behind, potentially for years. A few years can amount to a lifetime online. Continue reading “The Ups and Downs of Owning a .BRAND gTLD, Part 4: More Risks”

Today we’ll begin discussing some of the risks associated with applying for and owning a branded gTLD. We’ll wrap up this discussion tomorrow.

RISKS OF OWNING A BRANDED GTLD

The return on investment is not clear.
Because brand owners have never had the chance to own their own gTLDs before, there is really nothing similar to which they can compare them in order to determine whether they will yield a sufficient return on investment (ROI) to make them worth pursuing. The ROI could be particularly difficult to determine for business-to-business or other brands that are not consumer-facing. The reality is, it could be years before brand owners start to see any ROI from their gTLDs. And as with any other new business venture, there is a possibility of failure. Continue reading “The Ups and Downs of Owning a .BRAND gTLD, Part 3: Risks”

In this post, we’ll finish discussing some of the benefits of applying for and owning a branded gTLD. Tomorrow and Friday’s posts will cover risks.

BENEFITS OF OWNING A BRANDED GTLD, CONTINUED

Opportunities to build brand loyalty.
Because brand owners will be able to have full control over which second-level domains are part of their gTLD, they will also be able to choose how all those domains are used. That means if they want to distribute those domain names to customers to use as personalized homepages (like the J.Crew example we mentioned earlier on this blog), for email addresses, or for any other purposes, they can. Depending on how they chose to utilize them, giving out personalized .BRAND domain names could provide brand owners with new and interesting ways to build up brand loyalty among customers. And fortunately, the application process affords applicants some flexibility to adapt their plans to use their gTLDs in the future as new and innovative usage models emerge. Continue reading “The Ups and Downs of Owning a .BRAND gTLD, Part 2: More Benefits”

In today’s post, we’ll begin discussing some of the benefits of applying for and owning a branded gTLD. Thursday and Friday’s posts will cover risks.

BENEFITS OF OWNING A BRANDED GTLD

The ability to operate and control a branded space online.
New gTLDs will open up the space to the “right of the dot” in web addresses, meaning companies will have the opportunity to use fully-branded domain names. Owning the right of the dot means brands have full control over what appears at the left of the dot, or what is known as the second level. Brands can create whatever second-level domains they desire, without having to worry about whether or not it is already owned. For example, in the current domain name space, an auto manufacturer cannot register the domain Cars.com because it is already taken. But with new gTLDs, brands like Ford, Chevy, Mercedes and BMW can all own their own version of the “cars” domain: Cars.Ford, Cars.Chevy, Cars.Mercedes and Cars.BMW. Continue reading “The Ups and Downs of Owning a .BRAND gTLD, Part 1: Benefits”

This week, we’ll be running a special series of posts here on the gTLD Strategy blog. As we move into September, many companies (including many of our clients here at FairWinds) are still trying to determine whether or not they should pursue a branded gTLD. As with any major business decision, they must weigh the benefits against the risks. Over the next week, we will be exploring some of the major risks and benefits that brand owners will face when applying for, setting up and operating a new gTLD. We will begin by discussing some benefits in Tuesday and Wednesday’s posts, and follow those with an overview of some of the risks in Thursday and Friday’s posts.

Check back with gTLD Strategy all this week for the rundown of some of the pros and cons associated with applying for and owning a .BRAND gTLD. If you have any questions about a post, feel free to leave us a comment or send us an email at info@fairwindspartners.com.

A recent post in The Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted the fact that some universities here in the U.S. have opted to use .COM domain names in addition to their .EDU domains. Typically, universities use their .EDU domains for their main sites – think Yale.edu, Georgetown.edu, Virginia.edu, etc. – because .EDU is reserved for legitimately accredited institutions of higher education in the U.S. Having a .EDU address automatically conveys legitimacy to web users, including current and potential new students. Continue reading “Will New gTLDs Get a Higher Education?”

For the most part, the only solid information about the New gTLD Program that has come directly from ICANN can be found in the Applicant Guidebook, a 350-page behemoth detailing the rigorous process future new gTLD owners will need to follow in order to apply. Unfortunately, the Guidebook is less than clear on some of the logistical aspects beyond filling out, submitting, defending and executing on a new gTLD application. As a result, some misinformation has been circulating among applicants and advisors. And as we’ve mentioned before, one of the goals of this blog is to dispel myths and rumors that arise about the New gTLD Program. Continue reading “500: ICANN’s Magic Number”