The ICANN meeting in Sydney gave us both a new head for the Internet’s governing body and a more specific roadmap to the introduction of new gTLDs.  Both are good things, but neither is as meaningful as the subtle but measureable shift in attitude among marketing executives.  Long in lock-step with their lawyers opposed to the new Web landscape, they are now beginning to contemplate the brand value to be found to the right of the dot in a domain name address.

Note this from the Financial Times:

“‘We spend a lot of time and money trying to drive people to websites. Anything that makes it easier to find things on the web is a good thing,’  said Tom Eslinger of Saatchi & Saatchi, the advertising agency.”

It began  with the release of the “Liberalisaton of the Internet” report released last month.  It spread as more companies became even aware of the possibility of owning a branded registry of names and is accelerating as it become clear that the program will include trademark protections adequate to balance the needs of global brands and entrepreneurs.  And the howls that the new gTLDs will lead to consumer confusion has died down because, as we knew all along, search is the dominant Internet roadmap.

When the next (and final?) RFP is issued this Fall, it will bring  into even sharper focus for companies and communities the undeniably positive cost/benefit of operating on the ‘net without having to wear a .com disguise.

Today, most the world still turns to the domain names ending in (dot)com when they navigate the Internet.  Looking for a particular shop or product or place?  Type it in your browser’s address bar…and add, (dot)com.

Whichever came first, the dominance of the (dot)com name or the instinct to use it, the outcome is the same.  Sometimes we get where we want to go, sometimes we don’t.

It is this instinct for direct navigation that drives trademark holders nuts.  They don’t own all the domain names that can be made from the letters of those they do.   There is money in mistyping.

The expansion of new gTLDs will change all that.  It will weaken the hold (dot)com names have on the collective Internet and cause a shift in behavior from direct navigation to search.  Yes, search.

The more successful the new gTLDs, the more likely the “g” will no longer mean “general,” but Google instead!