Reglikedomain industry desk

Verisign predicts 1,000-1,500 fresh TLD applications and up to 2/3 .brand

Web could see a flood of .brand domain names.

There are a lot of fresh top level domain name service providers out there, and each has its own estimates on how many fresh TLD applications will be submitted next year.

Here are the numbers from Verisign: 1,000 to 1,500 applications and 2/3rds of them from brand owners.

This isn’t just another wild guess. Verisign runs the .com registry, so you can expect that many potential top level domain applicants have at least talked with the firm regarding fresh TLDs.

Today I talked with Sarah Langstone, Director of Product Management at Verisign, regarding these predictions.

Langstone stated that the numbers are extrapolated based on conversations the firm has had with potential applicants. The firm saw an upswing in inquiries as soon as ICANN formalized the date for the application window.

If you do the math on her estimates, we could potentially see 1,000 .brand applications.

Although Langstone isn’t overly surprised by the number of inquiries for .brand domains, she has been surprised by who they’re coming from.

“What I was surprised regarding were how many traditional bricks and mortar type firms were interested in applying for a fresh TLD,” she stated. Some of the inquiries came from firms that don’t have a sizable online presence yet.

Langstone stated that brands are saying they see marketing benefits in fresh TLDs: they can be shorter, more intuitive, and easier to remember. Some brands want to use them for partner or affiliate networks as a way to show that the partner is authentic.

Still, she concedes that a lot of user education will be required to reap these benefits.

How many of the .brand TLDs will be used right away? Will firms go all in with their .brand? That remains to be seen. Langstone stated a number of firms want to test .brand domains for market acceptance ahead of deciding on a final plan of how to use it.

One thing is for sure. If .brand domains are successful, we’ll soon have a web of haves and have nots.

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