Imagine owning your personal online space—a digital territory that only you control, allowing you to structure and model it however you wish. For businesses, this was the opportunity presented by ICANN over 10 years ago, and a new window will open in April 2025. It’s a chance to create a .brand domain space, an exclusive digital island for your business. While adoption and innovation in this space have been slow, some companies seized this opportunity, using .brand domains to build stronger, more secure digital identities with their new gTLDs. Others overestimated the potential or failed to recognize the opportunity altogether. These differing outcomes offer valuable lessons for businesses considering a .brand in the future.
Now is the time for brand owners to start evaluating the upcoming opportunity. Learn how you can get ready, using the EBRAND New gTLD and .brand solutions and consulting services.
Tale 1: The Brand That Should Not Have Registered the New gTLD, But Did
Our first story takes us to an B2B company with an abbreviation as its name. This name also happened to be an English word, making it commonly used by other businesses and third parties. When the new gTLDs became available, the company’s legal team immediately pushed for the registration of a .brand domain. Their motivation was simple: they feared someone else might register the same string, potentially diluting their brand or damaging their reputation.
But there was a problem. The decision to register the gTLD was driven entirely by the legal department, with no support from other critical teams like marketing or communications. No one stopped to ask whether the gTLD fit the company’s long-term goals or whether it aligned with the brand’s digital strategy. Once the new gTLD was registered and delegated, a key question arose: Now what?
What’s Next: Implementing a .brand New gTLD
The company lacked a clear plan for how to use the .brand domain effectively. The IT department raised concerns about integrating the new domain into existing systems, while the marketing team had no focus or creative ideas on how to leverage the new gTLD for customer engagement or brand growth. To appease management, a few internal pages were created, and some low-effort promotional campaigns were launched, but without a coherent strategy, the domain quickly became a neglected asset with no tangible value added to the company.
Unfortunately, this is an all too common story. Many brands that registered new gTLDs in the last phase did so out of fear, without a comprehensive plan. As a result, these new gTLDs were either underutilized or abandoned altogether.
The Lesson
Businesses should never register a new gTLD out of fear. The success of a .brand domain depends on collaboration between all stakeholders—legal, marketing, IT, and communications—and on recognizing the strategic opportunities it presents. When a company registers a new gTLD without a clear plan for its use, it risks wasting resources and missing out on the potential benefits a .brand domain can offer.
Tale 2: The Company That Should Have Registered a .Brand, But Didn’t
Now let’s look at the opposite scenario: a company that didn’t register a new gTLD, but should have. Imagine you’re the head of digital marketing at a major international sports brand. Your brand is globally recognized, and you have a loyal customer base. In 2012, the opportunity arises to create your own .brand gTLD, but instead of seizing this chance, the digital marketing team decides it’s not worth the investment. The idea isn’t even presented to senior management, with the team deciding the existing domain setup is sufficient.
But what if they had taken the leap?
With their own .brand gTLD, this sports company could have transformed its digital presence and strategy. The possibilities were vast:
- They could have created dedicated, branded domains for each sport they specialize in, such as football.brand or tennis.brand, giving customers a personalized and unique experience. This would have allowed them to deliver targeted content, promotions, and events, something legacy TLDs couldn’t offer as easily or cost effectively.
- By establishing a network of authorized resellers under resellername.brand, the company could have unified its brand presence across partners, strengthening consumer trust and enabling partners to optimize their online sales. Shoppers would know that any product sold under the .brand extension was authentic and authorized, helping to combat counterfeit products and grey-market sales.
- They could have educated their customers to always look for official products through .brand domains. Over time, this could have become a powerful brand protection mechanism, ensuring quality and safety for consumers, by effectively combating online fraud and crime.
- Imagine also offering VIP customers their own personalized domain spaces, like customername.brand, allowing the company to engage directly with top clients by distributing exclusive content, early access to product launches, and more. This could have deepened customer loyalty and built stronger connections between the brand and its most dedicated consumers.
The potential to revolutionize digital marketing was enormous. Yet, by not registering the new gTLD, this sports brand missed the chance to create an innovative, future-proof digital landscape that could have set them apart from competitors.
The Lesson
Sometimes, the most valuable opportunities are the ones we fail to act on. For companies who focus on digital marketing, customer engagement, and brand protection, a .brand unlocks new possibilities. In this case, by failing to register the new gTLD, the company left untapped potential on the table and missed the opportunity to lead their industry in digital innovation.
Conclusion: The Strategic Approach to New gTLDs
The stories of these two companies illustrate the importance strategic, thoughtful approaches to new gTLD registrations. A .brand offers immense value, but only when teams treat it as a long-term asset that enhances the company’s brand presence, customer engagement, and digital security.
Before deciding to register a new gTLD, businesses should ask themselves:
- Do we have support from key stakeholders? It’s essential to involve legal, marketing, IT, and leadership early in the process to ensure a unified approach.
- How will this gTLD fit into our overall strategy? A .brand domain should align with the company’s goals, adding value through increased customer engagement, stronger brand protection, and enhanced digital experiences.
- What could we miss out on if we don’t act? Sometimes the greatest cost is the missed opportunity to innovate and stand out in a competitive market, while your competitor moves forward.
It’s also important to note that some businesses who registered .brand gTLDs in the first round abandoned them within a few years. Others ended up with very few domains registered. This was often due to a lack of internal support or failure to fully explore the potential of the gTLD. To avoid this fate, companies need more innovation and commitment when implementing a .brand gTLD. The only way to unlock the full potential is through a multi-stakeholder, company-wide approach, where all teams contribute to shaping and using the domain effectively.
Preparing for The Next Round of New gTLDs
The next ICANN registration round opens in April 2025, giving businesses a fresh opportunity to secure their own .brand. The EBRAND team offers specialized consulting services (click here for more details) designed to guide businesses through this complex process. Our approach covers three critical phases:
- Feasibility & Planning: Analyzing whether a gTLD is right for your business and identifying strategic opportunities.
- Preparation & Strategy: Creating a detailed plan that involves all key stakeholders and aligns with your brand’s long-term goals.
- Application & ICANN Introduction: Helping your business navigate the application process and preparing for a successful delegation of the gTLD.
Make sure your company is ready to take full advantage of the next registration round and transform your digital presence with a .brand domain that drives innovation, customer engagement, and long-term growth.
