As a Competitive Advantage — Domain Names
From Vodka.com to Rum.com, end users understand the value of generic domain names for competitive advantage.
When Russian Standard Vodka purchased Vodka.com for $3M last year, lay people gasped at such an outrageous sum. But domainers simply thought, “now there’s a firm that gets it”. Russian Standard understands that owning the domain name will give it a competitive advantage in the crowded vodka space and will give the brand instant international credibility.
ClickZ has a great story regarding Vodka.com and other liquor domains. One of the other firms that “gets it” is Diageo, owners of such brands at Crown Royal and Captain Morgan. Among the domains Diageo owns are Rum.com, Malts.com, and Scotch.com.
Greg Leonard, director of public relations for Diageo, states of Rum.com: “It provides us with a competitive advantage.” The domain helps the firm engage in the highly competitive rum market.
The firm’s Malts.com web site features a number of the firm’s malts, but is organized not to scream out that its a sponsored site.
So the liquor industry gets it. Will other industries follow suit?
