Hall also said that buyers both inside and outside the domain investment community could learn a few things from the ConAgra registration. “Above all else, the domain market follows the news. If news is groundbreaking, you can count on the domain names corresponding to that news being registered. Companies need to recognize this and have a plan regarding registrations,” he said
“Regardless of the underlying reason, ConAgra registered a valuable, generic domain name. In doing so, they likely prevented one medium through which consumers would hear about the bad press concerning contamination. They also purchased intellectual property that has value in and of itself. It was a win-win for them at the time, and in the future, the value may increase if they wish to provide information regarding another recall or about something else.”
Hartzer reiterated that he thought the ConAgra registration was a good one. “ConAgra was very smart to register that domain name once they had information that allowed them to make the decision to buy it. However, I might have actually redirected it to the company web site,” he said.
A Final Thought
The domain name industry, especially the aftermarket, is an extremely competitive world. And, as more companies use domain names that are beyond their corporate brand structures, they push an envelope that allows them to sometimes gain market advantage. At the same time may also be tipping their hand concerning strategy.
Kesmodel said that’s what makes this industry so appealing to write about. “Companies think of all kinds of things related to domains. It’s not too surprising to see a lot of different permutations of domain registrations by all sorts of entities. That’s to me, what makes it an exciting area to look at, because domain registrations say a lot about the people behind them, and the companies behind them,” Kesmodel said. “In many ways, they convey messages and strategies.” This perspective points out that there are strategic benefits to knowing what domain names competitors are registering and what audiences their Web sites were attracting.
Hall urged companies and organizations who were considering a new domain to be very proactive. “If a company’s marketing department is moving forward with an advertisement campaign assuming they will be able to get the domain name or purchase it for pennies, they need to think again. First-come-first-served still rules. Companies should play it safe and register domain names that correspond to their trademark, their ideas, their marketing campaigns, etc. Proactive registrations will always save time, effort, and money,” he said. “The domain aftermarket is competitive and costly. Think ahead and consult with those who have done it before if need be, but be sure you are first.”
Concerning the benefit of advance planning, Hartzer related the costs of this kind of planning to the ultimate benefit. “A domain name does not cost much; not registering the domain name can cost you a lot more in the long run.”
PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7 |
