Johnson’s Splenda Domain Name Strategy — Johnson &
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) took a proactive approach to domain registration for its Splenda product…or did it?
Johnson & Johnson registered hundreds of domains related to its Splenda sugar substitute in 2005, as revealed by Sustainable is Good and Ecologist. The blog looks at this as a negative thing, but it’s a sign that a sizable firm is paying attention to the importance of domain names. Unfortunately, Johnson & Johnson is missing some key typo domains.
Among the domains registered by Johnson & Johnson are splendakills.com, victimsofsplenda.com, and splendatoxicity.com. Johnson & Johnson is apparently trying to keep domains that could contain negative information regarding Splenda out of critics’ hands.
Firms rarely register notable domain names until it’s too late. Sizable firms often times add brands, go through mergers, etc. and don’t register critical domains. These domain names end up in the hands of squatters.
Sustainable is Good breaks down Johnson & Johnson’s strategy:
Strategy 1 – reactive domain purchasing: Identify right now active negative websites dealing with Splenda and then buy up all associated remaining domain names. For instance they looked at Dr. Janet Hull’s website www.splendaexposed.com and then bought up splendaexposed.net, .org, .biz, and .info.
Strategy 2 – forecasting potential future domains: Here is where the process gets really interesting. It appears the firms had a brainstorming session of sorts to attempt to forecast what domain names people might buy in the future related to Splenda and then in turn bought all the domain names related to their forecasted domain name. The resulting domain names the firms determined must be purchased are shocking. For instance splendavictims.com, .net, .org, .biz, .info or splendatoxicity.com, .net, .org, .biz, .info. or suralosepoison.com, .net, .org, .biz, .info.
Stategy 1 doesn’t add too much value since the .com is by now registered. Strategy 2 makes perfect sense, although it’s probably not necessary to get all of the major domain extensions. Following all, there are always country code domains that can be snapped up if someone really likes the name.
What’s missing at most firms is a third strategy – predicting typos and additional variations of names to register. Here are some typos of Splenda.com:
Splena.com – parked page counting ads for sugar and sugar-free items. Registered by International Names Ltd. Originally registered in October 2005.
Splinda.com – also parked with ads for sugar, sugar substitutes, etc. Registered at Dotster and uses Dotster’s privacy service. Registered in December 2003.
Spenda.com – parked with ads for Splenda recipes, Splenda ingredients, and Splenda coupons. Registered in August 2002 at Moniker and protected my Moniker’s privacy services.
If Johnson & Johnson would have held a brainstorming session for domain names ahead of launching the Splenda brand it could have easily locked up these domains. These domains could be used for negative reasons much like the hundreds of domains they registered related to the dangers of Splenda.
In some ways the people who registered these domains did a favor for Johnson & Johnson. By simply parking the domains they are out of the hands of naysayers. Still, that’s not to stop someone from trying to acquire these domains to distribute negative information regarding Splenda.
