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At INTA last month, I had the privilege of interviewing Jennifer Gore, President of Jennifer Gore, LLC, and Executive Director of ICANN’s Brand Registry Stakeholder Group. We discussed what it means to be part of the BRG.
Joe: Hi, Jennifer. Thanks for taking a few minutes with me. First, what TLDs are we seeing in the zone from a dot brand’s perspective that are being used successfully?
Jennifer: There are a few: .sky, the State Bank of India (.sbi), and, of course, .BMW.
Joe: Right, of course – many people talk about those. Are there any others that stand out? Do you have more examples?
Jennifer: There are plenty. When the initial round of new gTLDs was introduced in 2012, the focus was on brand reputation, brand management, and promoting the brand to the right of the dot. It was about marketing and PR. By 2025, it has evolved into security. We’ve seen many brands embrace their top-level domain from a security perspective – positioning the dot brand, for example, .aws, as a tool for blocking nefarious activities.
Joe: I see. So the idea is that they gain better control?
Jennifer: Absolutely – much better control. Instead of relying solely on IP address filtering, proactive online monitoring, or VPN protections, brands issue domains very specifically and control who receives them. That immediately brings credibility: a user accessing a .brand domain or a web server associated with that .brand is granted privilege because of the trusted domain.
It’s much easier to block at the domain level than deeper in the stack. Brands get greater control over their zone and integrate the TLD into their applications, platforms, name servers, DNS servers, and web servers to manage it.
Joe: So it’s kind of like .gov?
Jennifer: Exactly. You can’t buy a .gov or a .mil – they’re restricted. If you want a .gov, you must be verified as a government entity.
Joe: In fact, when you visit a .gov site, you’ll see a slider explaining that only government websites can use a .gov ending.
Jennifer: Right. If you see something that’s not .gov, users know, “it’s not us.” They’re educating the public that .gov equals government.
We’ve also seen similar models in the new round of TLDs – like .bank. That TLD has strict requirements and restrictions. If you see wellsfargo.bank or hsbc.bank, it immediately conveys authenticity and security.
Joe: Yeah, .bank is one of the few TLDs that has really enforced its mission.
Jennifer: Exactly. If you don’t have high-level security – SSL certificates, DMARC email protections, antifraud measures – you can’t use .bank.
Joe: That’s actually pretty cool.
Jennifer: So brands are applying that same security model to .brand TLDs. It adds an extra layer of security – an additional measure that resonates with users. You shift expenses: application fees of $227,000 and annual administration fees around $25,000 become investments in proactive cybersecurity rather than ongoing monitoring and takedown services.
Joe: I want to go back to something we spoke about before we started recording. Please tell me about the Brand Registry Group.
Jennifer: Certainly. The BRG is part of the RYSG – the Registry Stakeholder Group – within ICANN. We represent dot brands. As an association, we raise awareness around new top-level domains: guiding applicants and existing brand operators on security, PR initiatives, and best-use cases. We keep members up to date on ICANN policy developments and their impact on brands.
All BRG members have a safe space to network with peers, share best practices, and discuss challenges – like crypto’s potential in the dot brand space, for instance. We also lobby ICANN: there’s power in numbers. Speaking as an association gives brands a stronger voice than going it alone.
Joe: That’s good to know. We’d like to join because we want to help brands too. Is it okay to be an RSP and be part of the BRG?
Jennifer: Yes – absolutely.
Joe: Here’s a thought to help your mission: for decades, brands have made .com famous. Have any brands ever asked Verisign, “How much will you pay us to advertise with your .com domain on the end of it?”
Jennifer: That’s a great question. I doubt anyone has entertained it – Verisign isn’t typically business-facing.
Joe: I know – I’m joking. It’s rhetorical.
Jennifer: It’s true. I tell brands every day: why promote a generic TLD when you could promote your own brand?
Joe: In my book, I cite legitimate sources showing that U.S. companies have spent trillions on advertising since 1984. If just half a percent of that went to .com, that’s massive unpaid brand equity for Verisign. Now brands spend more registering typos in .com. If ICANN had opened brand registries in 1985, .com wouldn’t be as famous.
Jennifer: Probably not. You see dell.com, microsoft.com, uber-eats.com on TV – big dot-coms.
Joe: Every major advertiser has a .com address, even buying aftermarket domains. It has consumer equity. But why keep doing that? Instead, brands could invest ad spend in their own TLD. A $200,000 campaign is a drop in the bucket. Promoting your dot brand daily makes sense – plus the security benefits. When brands grasp this, it’s a no-brainer. Consider Super Bowl ads: $8–16 million for 30 seconds. At the end, you put up your URL – benefitting both you and .com.
I hope GoDaddy uses their own TLD in a Super Bowl ad someday.
Jennifer: That would be great. This week at INTA, many brands asked which markets will apply in the next round. I point out technologies like crypto and AI, which weren’t top of mind in 2012, but will be now. I expect many applicants from China and from heavily regulated data-privacy markets. Pharmaceutical and hospitality companies – like Hilton Hotels, which missed out last time – will be back.
Joe: Most hotels’ customers find them via SEO, Yelp, and directories – hotels aren’t internet marketers. At travel shows, the industry asks, “How can we get more direct leads?” A new TLD won’t hurt.
It circles back to our original point: why not promote your own brand instead of a generic?
Jennifer: One clarification: a dot brand must be the primary BRG member. RSPs can join under that membership as a secondary contact, receiving the same benefits. We avoid muddying the message by keeping the primary focus on dot brands.
Joe: We’ll monitor but not be deeply involved.
Jennifer: That’s fine. For example, MarkMonitor is an associate member through one of their brand clients. They get all updates and can join calls.
Joe: Any final thoughts before we conclude?
Jennifer: I’ve been on the job six days, so there’s not much else yet. Awareness is still low. April 2026 is less than a year away.
Joe: Agreed – familiarity needs to improve. Some people are surprised the process is happening again.
Jennifer: It is. Corporate domain platform providers are doing heavy lifting, but more awareness is needed – from both the BRG and ICANN. At the end of this month, the draft new gTLD guidebook drops, and I expect many questions.
Joe: It’ll be published for comment – last time there were at least six versions. It’ll be easier for me now that I understand the process better.
Jennifer: It’s like reading tax regulations – you need to revisit them. This round has nuances learned from 2012 that will apply in 2026.
Joe: They’re not allowing brand generics, right? Do you think any brands will apply for generic words in their field?
Jennifer: Yes, I think some will – fintech could apply for .fintech to generate leads.
Joe: Thanks very much, Jennifer!
Jennifer: Thanks, Joe! I appreciate you taking the time.
Continue reading at the it.com Domains blog...
Joe: Hi, Jennifer. Thanks for taking a few minutes with me. First, what TLDs are we seeing in the zone from a dot brand’s perspective that are being used successfully?
Jennifer: There are a few: .sky, the State Bank of India (.sbi), and, of course, .BMW.
Joe: Right, of course – many people talk about those. Are there any others that stand out? Do you have more examples?
Jennifer: There are plenty. When the initial round of new gTLDs was introduced in 2012, the focus was on brand reputation, brand management, and promoting the brand to the right of the dot. It was about marketing and PR. By 2025, it has evolved into security. We’ve seen many brands embrace their top-level domain from a security perspective – positioning the dot brand, for example, .aws, as a tool for blocking nefarious activities.
Joe: I see. So the idea is that they gain better control?
Jennifer: Absolutely – much better control. Instead of relying solely on IP address filtering, proactive online monitoring, or VPN protections, brands issue domains very specifically and control who receives them. That immediately brings credibility: a user accessing a .brand domain or a web server associated with that .brand is granted privilege because of the trusted domain.
It’s much easier to block at the domain level than deeper in the stack. Brands get greater control over their zone and integrate the TLD into their applications, platforms, name servers, DNS servers, and web servers to manage it.
Joe: So it’s kind of like .gov?
Jennifer: Exactly. You can’t buy a .gov or a .mil – they’re restricted. If you want a .gov, you must be verified as a government entity.
Joe: In fact, when you visit a .gov site, you’ll see a slider explaining that only government websites can use a .gov ending.
Jennifer: Right. If you see something that’s not .gov, users know, “it’s not us.” They’re educating the public that .gov equals government.
We’ve also seen similar models in the new round of TLDs – like .bank. That TLD has strict requirements and restrictions. If you see wellsfargo.bank or hsbc.bank, it immediately conveys authenticity and security.
Joe: Yeah, .bank is one of the few TLDs that has really enforced its mission.
Jennifer: Exactly. If you don’t have high-level security – SSL certificates, DMARC email protections, antifraud measures – you can’t use .bank.
Joe: That’s actually pretty cool.
Jennifer: So brands are applying that same security model to .brand TLDs. It adds an extra layer of security – an additional measure that resonates with users. You shift expenses: application fees of $227,000 and annual administration fees around $25,000 become investments in proactive cybersecurity rather than ongoing monitoring and takedown services.
Joe: I want to go back to something we spoke about before we started recording. Please tell me about the Brand Registry Group.
Jennifer: Certainly. The BRG is part of the RYSG – the Registry Stakeholder Group – within ICANN. We represent dot brands. As an association, we raise awareness around new top-level domains: guiding applicants and existing brand operators on security, PR initiatives, and best-use cases. We keep members up to date on ICANN policy developments and their impact on brands.
All BRG members have a safe space to network with peers, share best practices, and discuss challenges – like crypto’s potential in the dot brand space, for instance. We also lobby ICANN: there’s power in numbers. Speaking as an association gives brands a stronger voice than going it alone.
Joe: That’s good to know. We’d like to join because we want to help brands too. Is it okay to be an RSP and be part of the BRG?
Jennifer: Yes – absolutely.
Joe: Here’s a thought to help your mission: for decades, brands have made .com famous. Have any brands ever asked Verisign, “How much will you pay us to advertise with your .com domain on the end of it?”
Jennifer: That’s a great question. I doubt anyone has entertained it – Verisign isn’t typically business-facing.
Joe: I know – I’m joking. It’s rhetorical.
Jennifer: It’s true. I tell brands every day: why promote a generic TLD when you could promote your own brand?
Joe: In my book, I cite legitimate sources showing that U.S. companies have spent trillions on advertising since 1984. If just half a percent of that went to .com, that’s massive unpaid brand equity for Verisign. Now brands spend more registering typos in .com. If ICANN had opened brand registries in 1985, .com wouldn’t be as famous.
Jennifer: Probably not. You see dell.com, microsoft.com, uber-eats.com on TV – big dot-coms.
Joe: Every major advertiser has a .com address, even buying aftermarket domains. It has consumer equity. But why keep doing that? Instead, brands could invest ad spend in their own TLD. A $200,000 campaign is a drop in the bucket. Promoting your dot brand daily makes sense – plus the security benefits. When brands grasp this, it’s a no-brainer. Consider Super Bowl ads: $8–16 million for 30 seconds. At the end, you put up your URL – benefitting both you and .com.
I hope GoDaddy uses their own TLD in a Super Bowl ad someday.
Jennifer: That would be great. This week at INTA, many brands asked which markets will apply in the next round. I point out technologies like crypto and AI, which weren’t top of mind in 2012, but will be now. I expect many applicants from China and from heavily regulated data-privacy markets. Pharmaceutical and hospitality companies – like Hilton Hotels, which missed out last time – will be back.
Joe: Most hotels’ customers find them via SEO, Yelp, and directories – hotels aren’t internet marketers. At travel shows, the industry asks, “How can we get more direct leads?” A new TLD won’t hurt.
It circles back to our original point: why not promote your own brand instead of a generic?
Jennifer: One clarification: a dot brand must be the primary BRG member. RSPs can join under that membership as a secondary contact, receiving the same benefits. We avoid muddying the message by keeping the primary focus on dot brands.
Joe: We’ll monitor but not be deeply involved.
Jennifer: That’s fine. For example, MarkMonitor is an associate member through one of their brand clients. They get all updates and can join calls.
Joe: Any final thoughts before we conclude?
Jennifer: I’ve been on the job six days, so there’s not much else yet. Awareness is still low. April 2026 is less than a year away.
Joe: Agreed – familiarity needs to improve. Some people are surprised the process is happening again.
Jennifer: It is. Corporate domain platform providers are doing heavy lifting, but more awareness is needed – from both the BRG and ICANN. At the end of this month, the draft new gTLD guidebook drops, and I expect many questions.
Joe: It’ll be published for comment – last time there were at least six versions. It’ll be easier for me now that I understand the process better.
Jennifer: It’s like reading tax regulations – you need to revisit them. This round has nuances learned from 2012 that will apply in 2026.
Joe: They’re not allowing brand generics, right? Do you think any brands will apply for generic words in their field?
Jennifer: Yes, I think some will – fintech could apply for .fintech to generate leads.
Joe: Thanks very much, Jennifer!
Jennifer: Thanks, Joe! I appreciate you taking the time.
Continue reading at the it.com Domains blog...
