The Power of TV! (Dragons Den, et al)

[Alien]

You know, it's amazing the power that TV has thesedays really on websites/domain names (e.g. Lings Cars previously on Dragons Den).

Let's also look at the last series of Catherine Tate too where speculators reg'd the domain names that Tate's character mentioned in her sketches. The latest Big Brother series has also produced the expected registrations of contestant's names, etc. There's also many more examples where TV has dictated what names have been taken/promoted, etc.

I reg'd the name //i //foods //c o //u k earlier last year, quite honestly knowing nothing about i foods . tv until watching about them in last night's Dragons Den.

Since the program, UV's to the .co.uk domain has hit over 1000 in under 24 hours, with about 90 click through's the parking page at Sedo at time of writing.

I guess this will only be a temp. surge, but welcomed nonetheless!

Has anyone else experienced lots of traffic following something similar on national TV? I expect you have and was just interested what it was really!

[ratboy]

Thats why national tv campaigns are so expensive.

I too watched that last night in total disbelief that their competitor and lets be honest the better name uses nearly exactly the same name. School boy error - only wish i knew them would have told them straight away to find something else.

It also amazes me the number of sites sold without advertising cashflow, as those lads said. Eh? I'd be embarrassed to ask for money without having basically sold anything especially for a website.

Also you'd have found the chaps name they were talking about free (.co.uk - last night anyway) - Would be a really nice brand too if they used that. See Rich Stein et al for inspiration.

Madness!!!

[smokin]

Agreed, i was shouting at the TV very naive ...

[Alien]

Originally Posted by ratboy

It also amazes me the number of sites sold without advertising cashflow, as those lads said. Eh? I'd be embarrassed to ask for money without having basically sold anything especially for a website.

Crazy really and very foolish of them not to think ahead about branding -v- available domains etc in advance, they could have started with any decent name/brand where all was free to reg, then protect everything in all .ext.

They said that advertising would have detracted from their branding or something similar didn't they? I don't agree, even if they'd just bunged some Google stuff in there, they'd have made some ££. Waste of time now anyway, especially if they rebrand as advised.

Interesting one though.

[ratboy]

M&S Food adverts or similar would give it a bit of cred for those first time visitors. Nice idea in principle. I notice they DO have advertising on there from Walmart. Perhaps something they added after leaving the Dragons.

[ScottJ]

It was foolish of them not to rebrand once they were aware of a competitor on what is a better domain.

I suddently received just under 20,000 visitors to a site of mine last year, all direct so I can only presume it was mentioned on TV on a Sunday as I doubt a mention in print would do that, never found out and it diappeared the next day back to normal!

Nice traffic boost for you Alien

[admin]

Originally Posted by smokin

Agreed, i was shouting at the TV very naive ...

ha ha me too!

The guy didn't even reg his own name either.

They should have sorted this BEFORE going onto DD knowing that even if they didn't get funding, it would be a major advertising boost for thier site.

I tried to visit the site last night, it wasn't loading in either version (due to traffic surge I guess).

[GreyWing]

T-h-e-o Paphitis has absoluetly no ground to talk on about registering his own name

Sorry it was before I knew what the rules were in domaining, anyway long story....

But I had ecobag.co.uk when that clown on Peter Jones tv show tycoon started this year, only thing is the show was that crap and the guy doing the ecobag business was a clown so I actually got some abuse.

Arrr, well these things happen.

[cm1975]

Originally Posted by ratboy

Also you'd have found the chaps name they were talking about free (.co.uk - last night anyway) - Would be a really nice brand too if they used that. See Rich Stein et al for inspiration.

At the time of broadcast, the .com had gone, but that was it. Probably on the advice of Duncan Ballantyne?? Within an hour or two all the major extensions had gone.

I can't even remember the guys name now!


Of course, with BB9 domains in my sig, am I really someone to comment?

However, it's been quite an experience to have such high unique views for my domains, so it's been interesting. I am still looking for buyers!

.... but seriously ..... do people actually make money on selling such domains?

[scooter]

Originally Posted by ScottJ

It was foolish of them not to rebrand once they were aware of a competitor on what is a better domain.

ifoods.tv regd: 25-mar-2007
ifood.tv regd: 09-may-2006

archive.org
ifoods.tv: parking page until Aug 2007
ifood.tv: site live April 2007

They have been playing catchup all along. It is they who have piggybacked on the original.

I cannot believe they did not rebrand long before they hit the den. I bet they are having sleepless night now of "what could have been". Madness on their part.

I also find it unbelievable that people still do not reg their name/brand/product before the show is broadcast. It must be recorded weeks/months beforehand. Shame on them.

doh!

.