Tags: B2B, B2C, creativity, Digital, internet, Social media

Roland LaPlante, chief marketing officer, Afilias:

Soon we’ll be witness to a “dot Brand” new revolution on the Internet. Dot Brand represents a historic change where any organisation can acquire and manage its own top-level domain (TLD). Essentially this means that companies who choose to opt for a dot Brand will see their brand’s name featured on the right side of the “dot” in web addresses for the first time: think “sale.tesco” rather than “tesco.com/sale”.

The introduction of dot Brand is good news for companies aspiring to expand their global footprint. It gives businesses the chance to enhance their brand presence and customer loyalty online, while maintaining brand security – particularly relevant in a tough economic climate.

A dot Brand Web extension lets Web addresses become more memorable and practical for use when seen by the consumer, while offering strong promotional benefits. Aside from these branding benefits, dot Brand domains offer enhanced security for industries plagued by counterfeiting on the Internet. Just as consumers trust brands in the physical world, a dot Brand domain can extend this concept to a trusted space on the Internet. For example, no one else can have a “dot Ernest Jones” except the Ernest Jones company. So if you buy online from “dot Ernest Jones,” you know you’re buying the real deal.

But time is ticking away. Any business that is considering a dot Brand domain must make an application during the limited period opening on 12 January 2012 and ending on 12 April 2012. The application process includes 50 questions, 22 of which are technical in nature. To help answer these technical elements and ensure applications are effectively turned around in time before the deadline, companies can seek the support of a global registry services provider.

It has been seven years since ICANN held its last round of TLD applications; the next window may not open for another decade. Missing out on a dot Brand now means businesses like yours run the risk of being at a significant competitive disadvantage for several years.

If a business decides to opt for a dot Brand, they must begin consider the application process now. It will require more than a simple expression of interest on 12 January 2012. Companies must take the time now to make sure they are ready and have the technical capabilities and support in place if they wish their application to be successful.