With the gradual release of new top-level domains (TLDs), 2014 is going to be a big year for the Internet. It’s all very exciting for Juan Diego Calle, the CEO of .CO, who believes that access to new TLDs will bring about new business innovation and improve control of a business’ brand experience.
Beginning in 2012, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) has been receiving requests for generic top-level domains (gTLDs) that would create many more options for businesses. Ranging from things like .beer to even .Amazon, the new TLDs allow brands to manage their products in ways that previously have been unavailable.
“It’s really an exciting opportunity because finally we will start to see the domain name system evolve into something innovative; it used to be very stale, now you’re going to have all of these new options,” said Calle at Tech Cocktail Celebrate. “[.CO] think[s] that living in a world and competing in a world where people have options is actually much better for us than living in a world where people are only thinking about .COM.”
For Calle, such TLDs really open up opportunities for big brands in particular, such as for companies like BMW (think convertibles.BMW or M3.BMW). Opening up the TLD space allows companies to really take control of the brand experience and gives them the tools to innovate with their products. Calle believes that we’ll see a lot of innovation around product integration and branding, citing the possibilities behind something like .LAW, where we can begin to see law schools, test prep programs, and law firms carving out a space for themselves on the Internet.
The impact of gTLDs is expected to be huge, and has motivated even .CO to plan to launch its own new TLDs. This expansion will allow the company to attract niche markets that require domain extensions that may be more suitable than its current .CO offering.
In his talk from Tech Cocktail Celebrate, Calle also discusses his experience with building a domain business, the Miami startup scene, and offers some advice for startups. Watch it here.
.CO is a Tech Cocktail partner.