Generic Domain (and Wins) — Politician Uses

Next Austin mayor used AustinLeadership.com as domain name.

This past weekend a typically low turnout of regarding 12% of registered voters in Austin elected Lee Leffingwell as the fresh mayor.

Leffingwell caught my attention early in the campaign when I saw one of his roadside placards. Instead of using the domain name LeeLeffingwell.com or LeffingwellforMayor.com, the sign simply read:

AustinLeadership.com

This caught my attention since it’s rare to see a politician use a domain name that doesn’t include their name. Think regarding it. Politicians love themselves. And they need to brand their name in people’s minds so they’ll check the correct box at the polls.

I contacted Leffingwell’s office to find out why he chose the generic domain over his own. Although it hasn’t responded, I suspect it had to do with the complexity of Leffingwell’s name. If you whiz by a sign at 50 miles an hour that reads “LeffingwellforMayor.com” or “LeeLeffingwell.com”, you are unlikely to remember the correct spelling. But “AustinLeadership.com” is easy to remember and spell.

Leffingwell doesn’t own Leffingwell.com, but he does own LeeLeffingwell.com (which is forwarded to AustinLeadership.com).

In general, I think politicians ought to use their names in a domain name unless it is difficult to spell.