.co.uk picking up the pieces?

[foz]

http://info.nominet.org.uk/go.asp?/bNOM001/m9DMH9/u1FOW4/x9GVQ9

We are taking .co.uk on the road this year as part of our 2013 marketing campaign, raising further awareness of .co.uk amongst SMEs and entrepreneurs.

.co.uk remains the number one relevant and trusted domain for doing business in the UK and the .co.uk brand team will be reaching out to our target audiences and spreading the word through branded exhibition presence and presentation workshops at the following events:

http://registrars.nominet.org.uk/marketing-tools-and-events/events/co-uk-events

I can't see why Nominet should promote .co.uk further, when the opening up of the second level hasn't been ruled out.

 

[pugyrob]

I had to laugh when I read this email. Could they be any more contradictory. Fancy promoting an unsecure platform to do business like the good old co.uk

 

[monaghan]

I can't see why Nominet should promote .co.uk further, when the opening up of the second level hasn't been ruled out.

That was my thought yesterday when I read the email, lets hope we are right with our combined hopes of a direct.uk death.

 

[bensd]

IIRC this was actually announced on twiitter before .uk decision.

Completely contradictory.

 

[Edwin]

It's unrealistic to expect a £25 million company to sit on its hands for 6 months while the .uk consult/iterate process is going on, and give up on promoting what is - and may well remain - their strongest, best-selling product.

I don't see any contradiction in what Nominet's doing here. It's normal, sensible business practice. Look at companies in any industry - they don't suddenly stop advertising the "old" product while they're developing the new one (even after the news of the new one has leaked or been put out) - that's the quickest route to commercial death. So why should Nominet hold back when .uk may well never even happen?

There are a lot of things about .uk that stink, and I've been very vocal about that. But we have to remain rational even in our opposition, otherwise there's no hope of being taken seriously. And expecting Nominet to (effectively) stop doing business entirely while they work through the .uk yes/no issue is completely unreasonable and holds them to a standard that no other company anywhere would adhere to!

 

[foz]

I don't see any contradiction in what Nominet's doing here. It's normal, sensible business practice. Look at companies in any industry - they don't suddenly stop advertising the "old" product while they're developing the new one (even after the news of the new one has leaked or been put out) - that's the quickest route to commercial death. So why should Nominet hold back when .uk may well never even happen?

If it was a new extension like .shop.uk I would agree, however opening up the second level should not be viewed as just another product, it's an action that will completely undermine and disrupt every third level registrant in the .uk space. If the board doesn't understand that and wishes for several more months of uncertainty, people in the know will sit on their hands.

 

[Nigel]

http://info.nominet.org.uk/go.asp?/bNOM001/m9DMH9/u1FOW4/x9GVQ9



http://registrars.nominet.org.uk/marketing-tools-and-events/events/co-uk-events

I can't see why Nominet should promote .co.uk further, when the opening up of the second level hasn't been ruled out.

Well let's hope this roadshow starts in July 2013 after they have finally ruled out opening up the second level - otherwise it would, in my opinion, be a flagrant abuse of their position as a 'responsible' registry.

 

[pugyrob]

You can't see the contradiction between citing something as less than secure or ideal to do business on one hand. Pushing for an improved version that is more secure and better. Then a week later travelling the country praising the old one they still possibly think is not ideal and want to replace?

I am all for the promotion I just think it is ridiculous the mixed messages that come from nominet. It is probably an attempt to undo some of the pr damage that they have done already. That said, what a joke.

 

[Edwin]

Again, I think some of the responses here are very clearly trading emotion for reason. That blunts the impact of any argument you may put forward. It's essential to remain analytical.

Think about other companies/industries and major product launches where the new product has been a significant improvement on the old one (and in development for some time).

You will be very hard pressed to find any examples of companies that completely gave up marketing the "previous" product while developing the new one, even when that "previous" iteration was effectively rendered obsolete overnight by the new product's launch. But you can bet they pulled the ads for the old product when they launched the new one - and the ads for the new product no doubt played on how much better it was than the old product that they were hyping just a few days ago. That's marketing.

I'm really not sure what people expect of Nominet, but from where I'm sitting they're behaving exactly like any other company when it comes to their marketing strategy.

Right now this minute, .co.uk IS the safest, most secure, most popular, most business-suited domain extension for the UK market. The fact that this may not be true in future doesn't take anything away from the previous sentence.

What would be insane on the other hand would be if Nominet were to continue their .co.uk campaign AFTER launching .uk with stronger security/other features, because then they really would be misrepresenting it.

If you want to point the finger at Nominet, then focus on:
- the way the consultation has been handled
- the way the results of the consultation have been portrayed internally vs externally
- the way issues raised in the consultation have been glossed over or ignored
- the motivation for .uk
- the consequences to .co.uk
- the security issues that introducing .uk would bring
- the lack of transparency in the consultation process
- the behaviour of Nominet execs, and of the Board
etc. etc.

But don't fault them for doing marketing the same way any other company does marketing!

 

[doodlebug]

.uk won't work out, too many businesses have invested their time and money into .co.uk, it already has a grave marker in the cemetery sandwiched between .mobi and .tel, I am pretty sure that .xxx is close by

 

[foz]

Nominet is not like any other company, their role is guardianship and not-for-profit (in theory, board members have other ideas).

I'm for the promotion just not under the direct.uk cloud. Nominet should draw a line in the sand now rather than later.

I wise man would back .com and build around that during these times.

 

[websaway]

Does anyone agree that if they did not continue to promote co.uk it could simply drop off the edge of a cliff. Once momentum is lost it's hard to stop the slip and when so many global alternatives are coming on to the market the risk would be too great. And lets not forget, considering what they have already done to harm the co.uk extension it seems they are only concerned with self interest.

 

[foz]

Does anyone agree that if they did not continue to promote co.uk it could simply drop off the edge of a cliff. Once momentum is lost it's hard to stop the slip and when so many global alternatives are coming on to the market the risk would be too great. And lets not forget, considering what they have already done to harm the co.uk extension it seems they are only concerned with self interest.

No. Most of the promotion of .co.uk has come about by its use. As pugyrob put it I think the promotion is more of a PR exercise, a confusing one at that. Are we to read between the lines that .uk will not be happening?

 

[websaway]

No. Most of the promotion of .co.uk has come about by its use. As pugyrob put it I think the promotion is more of a PR exercise, a confusing one at that. Are we to read between the lines that .uk will not be happening?

I am already of the opinion that it is not going to happen, the challenges are too great and they simply can't clear all the hurdles and retain the will.

If they were a public company they would all have been sacked following the embarrassing climbdown after the consultation period, it was a huge gamble and it failed.

I hate to use an example again but look at someone who paid 10k on the secondary market for a co.uk name last year and is planning spending a six figure sum on developing and promoting his business around the name.

Does he deserve the uncertainty that's resulted , it's so irresponsible, and the criticism will continue to pile up.

 

[WalkinDude]

you can't see the contradiction between citing something as less than secure or ideal to do business on one hand. Pushing for an improved version that is more secure and better. Then a week later travelling the country praising the old one they still possibly think is not ideal and want to replace?

I am all for the promotion i just think it is ridiculous the mixed messages that come from nominet. It is probably an attempt to undo some of the pr damage that they have done already. That said, what a joke.

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