NetworkSolutions.com has done it again.
A new promotion going out to all of their customers is marketing the new gTLD .events. The promotion features three domains, two of which are reserved by the registry thereby not available.
We have written about this issue before. If registrars are going to email their customers to get them to register, or pre-register a new gTLD domain by highlighting three domain names they should at least make sure the domains are actually available to be registered and not on the reserved or collision list.
Again its only 3 domains guys, you should be able to check those.
The promotion as you can see below, features three domains under the heading “Get great domains like”: Sports.Events, Music.Events and Conference.events
Sports.Event and Music.Events are registry reserved.
Not avaliable to be pre-registered or registered.
Conference.Events is not reserved and is still available as of publication
Here is the email:
Simply some observations:
“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”
[Source: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/there-is-no-such-thing-as-bad-publicity.html. Attributed to Oscar Wilde]
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.”
[From same source as above: Probably the most celebrated adapter of the expression was another great wit from the Dublin literary scene, the Irish Republican and “drinker with a writing problem”, Brendan Behan. Behan’s boisterous lifestyle meant that for him, more than others, there was truth in his opinion..:]
Tom
“There’s no such thing as bad publicity except your own obituary.”
That is a OLD concept, a very old concept
It was before social networking, 24/7 news, TMZ the internet, Google and the rest
I’m 55 and you are probably around the same.
Things change
I think there is such a thing as bad publicity.
Just ask XYZ
Although this looks like negligence on the part of Network Solutions, there’s a good chance it’s deliberate.
Think of it like online dating. Network solutions puts up a picture of an attractive model. And when you meet for dinner, the person is 100 pounds heavier than advertised.
They want to get customers in the door. So they’ll showcase the best imaginable merchandise. Once you’re in their store shopping, do they really care that the merchandise was merely imaginary?
Agreed, obviously the names that are not “reserved” are utter rubbish. I wouldn’t even bother with them…
This is failed Marketing 101.
It’s a faux pas in the world of product marketing and advertising, where you sell the product based on its existing features; you can negate competitors’ assets compared to those of your product, but you don’t outright lie.
Inexperienced professionals in an industry eager to expand and become part of the Big League lead to such examples of failed marketing.
If that had happened at a reputable ad agency heads would have rolled. Another typical day in Domainistan..
they advertise it as if there are multiple sports.events etc are available, as if they do not know what domain is, selling domains like t-shirts showcasing and all, that tells a lot about those running these campaigns and who authorizes them
I see nothing wrong with that. They did mention “*like* these domains” and not just “these domains”.
I got digital.events, but of course yet to see if it will pay off one day.