ICANN has announced a new program that allows established corporations and organization own their own top level domain for their brand, category or community. Inside, iQ highlights what the implications are for healthcare and pharma marketers.

1. TOP LEVEL
DOMAINS
Could healthcare brands change
how the internet is organized?

2. THE WAY WE NAVIGATE THE
INTERNET IS ABOUT TO CHANGE
This January, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers) will change the way the internet is organized. We’ll still have
top-level domains like .com, .org, and so on, but we’ll also be able to
create all kinds of new domains – from .Apple to .Movies to .Rx.
Any business will be able to apply to create and manage their own Top Level
Domain – connected to their brand, category or community.
ICANN thinks these new domains will create greater choice for
content creators, more relevance for web users, new kinds of control for
brands, and ultimately greater access to web content for all of us.
The opportunity doesn’t come without costs, though. From big upfront
application fees to ongoing management, there are many aspects of this
decision for brands to weigh.

3. IN THIS PERSPECTIVE, WE’LL
LOOK AT FOUR TOPICS:
1. The basics: What are generic Top Level Domains?
(p4)
2. The possibilities: How could TLDs change the
internet? (p10)
3. The process: What should a brand expect when
applying for a TLD? (p17)
4. Your TLD: Should your brand register? If you don’t,
what should you be aware of? (p22)

4. FIRST, THE BASICS
What is a generic Top Level Domain?

5. 1983: THE DOMAIN WAS BORN
• The Domain Name System (DNS) was created so that people
didn’t have to remember long strings of numbers to get to a web
destination
• Each domain has two important parts:
www.inventivhealth.com
Second Level Domain Top Level Domain
(This is what’s changing)

6. TODAY, THERE ARE ~300 TLDs
• The system started out with just seven:
.com, .edu, .gov, .int, .mil, .net, and .org
• Then, 273 two letter TLDs were added – primarily for
countries (.us, .fr)
• .com remains the most popular with 320 million listings
(100 million active)
• .net has second place
with 13 million active

7. THE PROBLEM: THOSE TLDs ARE
FILLING UP FAST
20,000 Your opportunity will end in:
new domains are registered every day
• Fewer and fewer .coms are actually available
• That leads to unintuitive URLs: www.thetourist-movie.net
• Super long strings: www.gswworldwideatinventivhealth.com
• And, ultimately barriers to communication innovation

8. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU
RUN OUT OF LAND? BUILD MORE

9. BY OPENING UP THE TOP LEVEL
DOMAIN MARKETPLACE
JANUARY ICANN will begin accepting
12 applications for new TLDs

10. THE POSSIBILITIES
How could new TLDs change the internet?

11. As the total number of registered .coms and .nets
increases, the naming conventions become less
intuitive, harder to share and recall

12. THESE NEW TOP LEVEL DOMAINS
(TLD) CHANGE THAT:
TLDs give people access to more information, more easily. They give
brands new levels of control
For people: For brands:
Intuitive domain structures That are more scalable
Easier to remember URLs That bring more direct traffic
More secure domain names That lend authenticity and trust
Deeper links, easier to get to That deliver targeted content

13. WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE?
New TLDs could make web destinations more sayable, shareable and
memorable:
For a company: .inventiv For a community: .newmom
Divisions: commercial.inventiv Resources: tools.newmom
Companies: gsw.inventiv Education: 101.newmom
Offers: innovation.inventiv Support: community.newmom
Products: salesforce.inventiv Connections: firsttime.newmom
Campaigns: bigidea.inventiv Personalized sites: janedoe.newmom
Content: decks.inventiv/gsk Offers: coupons.newmom

14. WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE?
New TLDs could make web destinations more sayable, shareable and
memorable:
For a location: .nyc For a category: .rx
Destinations: timesquare.nyc Research: compare.rx
Transportation: taxi.nyc Tools: manage.rx
Events: filmfest.nyc Access: copaycards.rx
Regions: dumbo.nyc Feedback: experience.rx
Service: yourtrip.nyc Reminders: remindme.rx
Research: fodors.nyc Products: humalog.rx

15. WHO MIGHT OWN HEALTH TLDs?
BRANDS PUBLISHERS ADVOCATES

16. WHAT HEALTH TLDs MIGHT BE IN
HIGH DEMAND?

17. THE PROCESS
What should a brand expect when applying for a TLD?

18. OPEN APPLICATION
January 12, 2012 – April 12, 2012
(note: you have to begin the process by March 29, 2012)
@ http://newgtlds.icann.org
There will be future open rounds of registration (dates, TBD)

19. APPLICATION 101
WHO CAN APPLY? HOW MUCH? WHAT’S NEEDED?
Established $185,000 to enter The initial application is
corporations, the process a business overview:
organizations, or contact, company,
institutions in If more than one stakeholders, financials
good standing company applies for
the name, there will Once payment is
(No individuals or be an additional accepted, 50 detailed
sole proprietorships round of bidding questions go deeper
will be considered) into your intent,
Plus, significant operational plan and
annual compliance business case
costs (~$25,000)
and IT registrar
infrastructure

20. A PEEK INSIDE THE PROCESS
A straightforward application will take ~9 months. More complex
ones could take up to 20 months. Each application will go
through certain gates:
Objection
Filing
Administrative Transition to
Submit Initial
Completeness Delegation
Application Evaluation
Check (It’s yours :)
Extended
Evaluation
What’s that mean?
Extended Evaluation: An appeal
process if you fail initial evaluation
Dispute
Dispute Resolution: When there’s a Resolution
formal objection
String Contention: The mediation
String
and auction process when there’s
Contention
more than one applicant

21. CONGRATULATIONS,
YOU’RE A TLD OWNER
Time to build your technical infrastructure and start
registering second level domains
–ICANN requires TLD
managers/owners to
create a registry system,
but that doesn’t mean the
registry is open to anyone
–Your business plan can
limit access to your
company, category or
stakeholders

22. YOUR TLD
Should your brand register? If you don’t, what should
you be aware of?

23. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW
This isn’t a speculative venture
ICANN expects all TLDs to be operational
The costs and commitment are steep
You’ll be getting into the registry business
This is the first round
We expect only a few hundred applications
This is a decision that requires a strong business plan

24. BUILDING THE BUSINESS CASE
Start with the right stakeholders:
Legal, Marketing, IT, Finance, Leadership
Then ask the hard questions:
OPERATIONS
STRATEGY
What roles
What do we How will that How would
Is it right for and
want to change in we structure
our company? resources do
accomplish? five years? governance?
we need?

25. RANGE OF ACTIONS
What approaches can brands take?
DO NOTHING WAIT AND SEE REGISTER
TLDs are not part Hold on applying Be one of the first
of the current or until the landscape applicants for a
future strategy is clearer TLD

26. RANGE OF ACTIONS
The approach is best for:
DO NOTHING WAIT AND SEE REGISTER
Well known brand with
strong global trademark
Great existing domain(s)
Long name (7+ letters) that
makes an unappealing or
unintuitive TLD

27. RANGE OF ACTIONS
The approach is best for:
DO NOTHING WAIT AND SEE REGISTER
Unique space / low risk of
other companies wanting a
similar name
Well recognized dot.com
Evolving business model or
M&A activity
No clear infrastructure to
support

28. RANGE OF ACTIONS
The approach is best for:
DO NOTHING WAIT AND SEE REGISTER
Primary or colloquial brand
is a common word (Apple,
Lilly, Resource)
Building global trademark
protection/equity
New segment or category
Building category ownership
or brand recognition

29. WHAT IF YOU DON’T APPLY
Every brand manager should follow this first round of
applications to watch for competitive challenges.
This is a new process. Some brands are fighting it because they feel there
are still many unknowns. See the details - http://bit.ly/TLDfight
• Approximately 2 weeks after the close of the application
window, ICANN will post the public portions of all
applications
• Then the formal objection period opens. It’s an
opportunity to file a dispute against an application
• You can file an objection for string confusion, legal
rights to the name, or inaccurate representation of a
community

30. THANKS FOR READING THIS PERSPECTIVE FROM iQ
FOR QUESTIONS, CONTACT:
Leigh Householder
VP/Director of Innovation Strategy
leigh.householder@iq-w.com
614.543.6496
@leighhouse

31. INNOVATION LAB 2010