Domain Name Wire piece I noticed :
From Vodka.com to Rum.com, end users understand the value of generic domain names for competitive advantage.
When Russian Standard Vodka purchased Vodka.com for $3M last year, lay people gasped at such an outrageous sum. But domainers simply thought, “now there’s a company that gets it”. Russian Standard understands that owning the domain name will give it a competitive advantage in the crowded vodka space and will give the brand instant international credibility.
ClickZ has a great story about Vodka.com and other liquor domains. One of the other companies that “gets it” is Diageo, owners of such brands at Crown Royal and Captain Morgan. Among the domains Diageo owns are Rum.com, Malts.com, and Scotch.com.
Greg Leonard, director of public relations for Diageo, says of Rum.com: “It provides us with a competitive advantage.” The domain helps the company engage in the highly competitive rum market.
The company’s Malts.com web site features a number of the company’s malts, but is organized not to scream out that its a sponsored site.
So the liquor industry gets it. Will other industries follow suit?
http://domainnamewire.com/2007/01/17...ive-advantage/