Startup uses a long numeric domain — This elite
This popular Chinese firm uses a five digit domain name.
This year’s Top 100 Chinese Internet Firms list welcomes a fresh member which, surprisingly, uses a long numeric domain as its corporate domain. Here’s the story behind choosing the domain.
The Internet Society of China and Ministry of Industry and Information Technology jointly publish an annual list of the best 100 internet firms in China. These firms are the primary drivers of the digital economy. The latest list was published in August this year.
As usual, the top 3 are securely kept by Alibaba, Tencent, and Baidu. Still, the surprise is IT startup Trueland (珍岛) entering the list this year and quickly grabbing the #70 spot. The Shanghai-based startup provides a wide range of IT services such as technical consulting, software design, network information technology, and even opinion polls. It has won many awards, counting being listed as one of the Top 100 AI firms in China last year.
Baidu search indicates that the firm’s corporate domain is not Trueland.com or Zhendao.com, but the long numeric domain 71360.com. While 4N domains are quite common in corporate China, 5N is rare. The 71360.com website prominently displays both the Chinese brand (珍岛) and English brand (Trueland), but apparently does not have any explicit explanation for this domain choice.
Nevertheless, the hint comes from its Regarding page which shows the following tag line above the English brand: 为企业提供360度全方位服务. Here is the answer. 71360.com consists of two parts: 71 rhymes with Pinyin words Qi Ye (企业 = enterprises) and 360 refers to full-service. All together, 71360.com means “providing 360-degree full-service for enterprises”.
With the meaning of 71360 explained, clients within China may remember the domain with no difficulty. Still, the meaning will be lost once the startup expands beyond China. If Trueland aspires to go global, the brand-matching Trueland.com is vital. For brand protection, Trueland.cn (unresolved), Zhendao.com (for sale), Zhendao.cn (under construction), as well as other related domains ought to also be considered.
