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Forget the bricks and mortar for a minute, and just dream of owning a universal domain name identity in cyber space, along the likes of priceline.com, food.com, creditcards.com or cheapflights.com, as such identities are valued in tens of millions and continue to
double in price every year. The entire domain name industry has advanced to a more mature level, which now fully recognizes the super value of having a generic globally recognizable domain identity as a true cyber-real-estate asset. But the name game in this current race must be played under the correct laws, as most of these assets sometimes simply evaporate into thin air.

Business.com was originally sold for $ 150,000; what was once considered an outrageous, later sold for $ 7.5 Million, resold for $ 350 Million in 2007. Fund.com for $ 9.9 Million, AsSeenOnTv.com was sold for $ 5.1 Million, Altavista.com, $ 3.3 Million, Express.com, $ 1.8 Million, Wallstreet.com, $ 1 Million, Creditcards.com, $ 2.75 Million, Pizza.com for $ 2.5 Million, Cruises.co.uk, $ 1.2 Million, Recycle.co.uk, $ 300,000, Taste.co.uk, $ 250,000, Sex.com, $ 12 Million, Porn.com, $ 9.5 Million, Datarecovery.com, $ 1.7 Million, while some names are being offered for Organicfood.com for $ 3 Million, Lowprices.com for $ 2 Million and Infolinux.com for $ 50,000. As you read this, all over the globe, big and small similar auction deals are being consummated every hour.

Roadmap to Victory

A powerhouse name on universal cyber space is a sure bet to get the customer’s attention. Spending millions on promoting a deadbeat name the old-fashioned way is like dragging a dead horse. Instead, why not acquire a name that shoots straight into the spotlight like an arrow? This way, the premium price would cover lingering costs, as the old-fashioned branding processes are now being replaced by the linguistic forces that drive names to extraordinary heights, on top of search engines, resulting in massive hits, quick success and instant stardom. There are also many not-so-promoted mega failures, as the game is often played on creative impulses with little or no knowledge of cyber nomenclature or global domain management systems. Most become trapped for failing to assess their project through a Name Evaluation Report. The real challenge is not to acquire the most expensive and most bizarre name, but rather how that name will appear to the global customers at large, and how the name positioning game will be played, and under what laws. Whimsical, intuitive and creative concepts often become dead on arrival. Prudence is in getting a solid name evaluation before the launch, and not after.

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Naseem Javed, recognized as a world authority on corporate image and global name identities, is a harsh critic of casual and accidental naming. He is a dynamic speaker on corporate image and branding issues, and is also the author of Naming for Power. He founded ABC Namebank International, an image and branding consultancy over 25 years ago.
Website: www.abcnamebank.com