BRAND STRATEGY


Despite the growth of smartphone ownership in the UK—Ofcom estimated it to be 58 percent of


the UK population—brand owners cannot


afford to ignore the new domain name revolution heading our way this summer. Tis is a once in a lifetime chance to build a new digital strategy, one which will not only allow marketing teams to differentiate their products and services in a completely new way, but also allow brand owners to strengthen the grip they have on their digital assets and protect against brand damage.


It is this last point that seems to be the biggest concern for brand holders, based on recent conversations I have had. While some can see the opportunities that the domain name universe expansion will bring, it is those threats that sit in the dark corners of the Internet that worry brands the most. Tey are faced with a dilemma on a scale they have never experienced before. Today, many companies adopt a simple, reactive approach to protecting


their critical digital


assets, oſten deploying a ‘wait and see’ strategy and only reacting when they identify problems of brand abuse, oſten aſter their reputation has been damaged,


ultimately revenues lost.


Te launch of hundreds of new suffixes per week, if we are to believe the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers’ ambitious timescales for the new generic top-level domain (gTLD) programme, will create confusion if brand owners are ill-prepared. Te need for a clearly- defined domain name strategy has never been greater than today. Knowing what domain names are being delegated into the Internet’s root, and when they are delegated, are two questions that should be keeping even the most proactive of executives awake at night. It is all very well for marketing teams to develop innovative plans to connect with new customers through the use of a .hot or a .cool, but it will be useless if a cybersquatter has already picked up a .sucks or .reviews and started directing traffic to a negative sentiment website.


So it is important for a company to stop and think before it sends the marketing team off to plan the new dawn of the Internet. While the number of new open TLDs has not been officially confirmed, as the ICANN evaluation, objection and contention processes are yet to be completed, we can be sure it will be significantly more than we have today. Tis means that brand protection has to be first and foremost in the minds of brands now. Understanding how and when to protect trademarks is the question of the day, not whether to invest in search or app developments.


It is all too easy for a bad actor to quickly and very cheaply pick up a small part of any brand’s


34 legitimate traffic diverted and


IP and to start profiting from it, diverting online revenues through fair means or foul. A common cause of brand abuse today arises from a simple dropped domain name. Whether it be through an oversight in renewing it, or a mistake by the domain registrar, a cybersquatter will see an opportunity to catch the dropped name and redirect it to a site that may contain malware or content that will damage the brand.


Unfortunately, the existing processes do not protect the interests of the brand holder well enough and so it can take months to recover the domain name, during which time irreparable online reputational damage may have occurred. Of course, there is a solution: money. Te cybersquatter knows that many brands will simply offer cash to the perpetrator to quickly return the chattel.


Tere is some good news for brand holders, though. While the new gTLD programme may bring a massively increased threat to critical digital assets, it will encourage levels of brand protection that have never before been seen in the domain name world. Currently, firms have to look at purchasing external brand monitoring to pick up infringements before they can look at legal recourse. In the new world trademark holders will gain an automatic level of protection as part of their registration within the Trademark Clearinghouse.


By submitting registered trademarks into the Clearinghouse, a brand owner will get the opportunity to protect its brand in every one of the potentially 1,300 new TLDs as, and when, they start opening their doors to the new world. If a company chooses not to secure its trademark as a TLD, the trademark is monitored for up to 90 days, so that if someone else registers the mark, they will be informed. While this is


Trademarks Brands and the Internet Volume 2, Issue 2


Stuart Fuller is director of communications at NetNames Ltd’s parent company, Group NBT Ltd. He can be contacted at: stuart.fuller@netnames.com.


“THE COST OF DEVELOPING AND THEN IMPROVING AN APP IS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS THAN THAT OF BUILDING


A WEBSITE TO COMPETE IN AN ALREADY CROWDED MARKETPLACE.”


not the full solution many brand owners wanted in the programme, it is light years ahead of what is available today in terms of online protection.


But irrespective of whether legal or marketing employees are sitting around the table,


the


focus should still be the same. Te new gTLD programme brings massive opportunities and threats. On one side of the table, marketing should be busy planning their offensive strategy, how they are going to gain valuable market share, engaging with new customers and markets and differentiating themselves in a crowded online space. Sitting opposite them, the legal team should be using this opportunity to look at the defensive strategy, how they can protect their critical online digital assets and mitigate the risk of cyber crime.


Whatever side of the table you’re sitting on, you need to start thinking about how you keep yourself one step ahead. 


Stuart Fuller has significant experience in brand protection, both in retail and corporate and resale markets. He specialises in creating high performing teams, adding value through corporate development programmes and is a qualified sales coach, mentor and expert in performance and change management. Fuller was previously responsible for Group NBT’s Nordic region and online division.


www.worldipreview.com


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