The Domain King's® thoughts on domain names, web traffic, increasing web sales, success, life, and plain-old Business & Marketing 101. Nothing happens until a sale is made!
You just can't make this stuff up! Are they clueless? Are they out of touch? How do you excuse this colossal screw up? For $30,000, somebody or some department or departments PLUS their attorneys made a decision to put the reputation of Procter and Gamble on the line. For $30,000!!!!!!!!!!
You guys fill in the adjectives. I am off the rails on this. I just can't believe what I just read. Besides that, they were getting a BARGAIN for a domain like that. $30k??!! GEEZ! How do you not call the folks involved MORONS?? And worse!?
However you can start to fix it! What say you?? Isn't it worth the attempt? It can only get worse as the news spreads and it is spreading.
Ok, not me, then how about Cavuto? Go on his show. EXPLAIN who and why. You don't think heads should roll? Do you really think you can ignore this? What IDIOT is responsible?
This is outrageous and if I were you I would be fuming at this! 172 years came and went and a stellar brand has now been branded a REVERSE DOMAIN NAME HIJACKER! If you IGNORE this then I would interpret that as nothing learned.
Procter and Gamble (P&G) has been found GUILTY of trying to REVERSE HIJACK a domain that they did not own via an ABUSE of the governing body and LIED during the process. Saying they did $40 Million in business n the swash product when in FACT it was $60,000. That ain't just a little fib. That is misleading the governing body to influence them with a LIE! And if it were not for the attorney, Mr. Berryhill, it may never have come to light. (You can read some of his comments about the case here)
That is now around the neck of Procter and Gamble until they use their influence to PROTECT domain owners not ABUSE domain owners! To do business the right way and not THAT way! They have been doing this a long time. They KNOW the rules. But they decided to abuse those rules instead of abiding by those rules.
My question and yours now should be, HOW MANY OTHER TIMES AND TO OTHER PEOPLE DID PROCTER AND GAMBLE DO THIS TO?? HOW MANY DID NOT OR COULD NOT DEFEND THEMSELVES? How many of your 8000+ domain names have been gotten through less than honorable means?
Don't like those questions? TOO BAD! They are coming and they will continue to come. This MAY be the tip of the iceberg and I think we have a right to find out. Especially if the company does not address this directly. It's their reputation and right now and for the first time in 172 years, they don't control it.
Procter and Gamble has been a beacon of marketing for generations! It's one of America's finest companies. It HAD a stellar name. It hurts to go after a company I have admired and learned from all my life. This is not fun. Painful in fact. But I know a vaccine when I see one. I know this will be a HUGE lesson for the next guy. That's what this is about for me. An Inoculation to protect me and you and all domain owners big and small. Let them watch what happens when you get tagged with being a REVERSE DOMAIN NAME HIJACKER (RDNH).
I am upset and I have nothing to do with your company and don't own any stock in it. So if the folks that work there are not 100x as outraged as I am, that the name of a GREAT company has been FOREVER SOILED, then they are just CHUMPS that don't get it and there are 2 MEN rolling in their graves who would not be proud of this day or them. That's my opinion and I think the facts support that opinion.
We are starting to learn about the details of this unbelievable case involving Procter and Gamble. Now prepare to fall on the floor over stupidity and just being a cheap chump.
BizJournals is reporting: 'P&G asked Marchex in March 2012 to give it the name in exchange for registration and transfer costs. Receiving no response, it then offered $600. Marchex refused and asked for $30,000.'
So a 172 year old company got THIS and all the rest to come for not paying a LOUSY $30,000 for this $79 BILLION dollar company and had to try and STEAL the domain by LYING!?
The lie? They said they sold $40 MILLION on the Swash product when in FACT it was $60,000.
I am not happy that Procter and Gamble has been found guilty of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking but I am going to milk this story for every ounce it is worth and it may take me YEARS to do it. When it comes to Domain Names, Procter and Gamble was a guiding light in my book. Great respect because they figured it out. Even tho I vaguely recall them dumping a bunch of domains years ago. I think I might have gotten 1 or 2.
Reverse domain name hijacking (also known as reverse cybersquatting), occurs where a trademark owner attempts to secure a domain name by making false cybersquatting claims against a domain name's rightful owner. In this case not only did P&G make false claims, they also lied outright to the governing panel and got caught!
See when I started, P&G was already out there getting domain names or soon thereafter. So they understood about domain names very early. It is that reason that what they did is particularly troubling. I always liked and respected Procter and Gamble because they always moved well with the time and of course I like everyone else use a lot of their products. But all our lives. All my parents lives. All my grandparents lives and half of the life's of their parents before them. Whew!
They are the warm and fuzzy company that gave us many soap operas and toothpaste and all types of other things we use each and every day. They perfected the TV commercial long before any of us were even in the game or born. So it makes me sad to learn one of my heroes is now a would-be thief had the other party not fought back and exposed their fraud! Well done John Berryhill!
Who made that decision? Who was responsible for P&G overstepping in this outrageous manner? So outrageous that a 3 member panel called them out in a way I don't think I have seen before. Saveme.com case had very strong language. But this language seemed to be harsher in tone. I guess it is open to interpretation. But maybe because it was slapping a business giant as if he had no more standing than you and me. BRAVO!!
I am not mad at them. I am going to use Procter and Gamble to make many points over the next YEARS! Let companies KNOW if P&G is convicted of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking, you will be too if you engage in this despicable act. But I would just as well have them tell the story. I'd like to ask why a company worth billions would STAIN their reputation with this act that the common man would find appalling? Why would they not just come to an agreement with the owner? Now they pay the price and the price is priceless. How stupid is that??
I am angry, upset and most of all disappointed in a company that wrote the book on marketing and other things. They were true leaders of an era. Of many eras.
So what MORONIC company wants to be NEXT!!?? Who made the decision to do this? Why did they do it? What transpired that allowed them to risk so much for so little?? That's what I really don't get.
I am very disappointed. I am still going to use their products but they can't force me to look at their company the same ever again. These companies are playing with fire.
Maybe they should do some research into history and see what some little old ladies did to big companies that tried to build malls where their homes were located. This is akin to that. But in an age like this news flies and it is in ink.
Some SCHMUCK working at SOME DEPARTMENT at Procter and Gamble, decided it was worth GAMBLING the reputation of a 172 year old company. 135,000 employees. $79 BILLION in sales in 80 countries. And they had to try and muscle some guy with a domain? What would you call that Mr. CEO of Procter and Gamble?? I CHALLENGE you Mr. McDonald to come to our trade show and explain it to this audience and the wider audience? I CHALLENGE YOU!!??
Wow! What a HUGE blunder. What have you learned? Are you going to use the same tactics again? Are you pissed at me? Maybe you should be pissed but I am not the one you should be pissed at. I would be pissed at the person, department or firm that put the reputation of your 172 year old company on the line and LOST!!??
Besides all this your company, P & G, was found to misrepresent facts to the panel. Nice touch! Were you personally involved in that decision? You should RESIGN TODAY if you were. This is all my personal as well as professional opinion. I'll assume you were not involved in a low level decision that was this stupid and worse.
What say you Mr. McDonald? Personally I am just disappointed that a company I have always looked up to would stoop to this. I am sorry for the bluntness of this post but our industry has suffered from corporate bullies for nearly 20 years and this time the giant of em all went down and went down very hard. Very hard! A company that otherwise has been very wise in their domains and how they have conducted themselves. But now this STAIN and none of your STAIN REMOVERS will be effective on this.
Mr. Berkens points out that your folks LIED to the panel when your company said they did $40 Million in business on the 'swash' product.
““The entire Panel finds it more extraordinary still that in its Complaint the Complainant represented the SWASH brand to be a worldwide brand of longstanding with multi-million dollar sales, stating that over the last 4 years alone the brand had gained sales of over USD 40,000,000.”
“When this was challenged by the Respondent, the Complainant was forced to admit that the brand had only been on the market for 4 years, that sales had been restricted to the USA and that sales over those four years had totaled under USD 60,000.”
Most importantly Mr. Berkens points out one last thing:
Had the Respondent failed to respond, there is a very real risk that the Panel, relying upon the 1993 International registration and the substantial sales volumes claimed for the brand, would have found in favor of the Complainant. This Complaint fell very far short of what the Panel was entitled to expect from a Complainant of this stature.
So your company LIED Mr. McDonald in an effort to STEAL a domain that belongs to another company, Marchex, which just as easily could have been some mom and pop in Iowa that could not defend themselves and let you have the domain. You now join our 'Hall of Shame' and each time somebody is convicted of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking, we repost the entire list. Congrats!
So let me ask you directly Mr. McDonald, How many domains has your company gotten that it had to LIE about? Or that they had to make folks spend money they did not have to defend what was rightfully theirs and is now yours? Tell us that. Isn't that a fair question in light of what has happened? Maybe you should WANT to find out. WANT to make it right. If I have something wrong, please let me know.
Sir, I have been doing this for 18 years and what your company did is troubling and it is something that we as risk takers have had to UNFAIRLY endure. There is a free market place. Use it, don't abuse it. Right now you and your 172 year old company have to live with this. It probably means nothing to you but it may mean the WORLD to somebody else. So to get our message out we need to SHAME companies that engage in this abuse as there is no penalty for what we just saw happen. They just walk away.
Bob McDonald. CEO since 2009
Here is a list of Procter and Gamble Products. The asterisk are their *Billion Dollar Brands*. Come on Mr. McDonald. What say you about this? You sound like a stand up guy that served your country and company well. You have been with the company for 33 years. Don't you want to get to the bottom of this as well? Who put the companies good name in jeopardy for this? Who lied? What idiot is responsible? Marketing? Legal? Finance? Who? How many? Why would you allow this embarrassment to occur again or are you too big to be embarrassed? Any other abuse in the name of your 172 year old company. I sure as hell would want to know if I were in your position.
So we are forced to use Procter and Gamble as an example to sway the next MORON or the next company not to get involved with this despicable act of Reverse Domain Name Hijacking (RDNH). Help us do that Mr. McDonald and you will find an ally and we can call it a great day!
And as I read the history of the company I stopped as it described the 'Joint Venture' that started this company back in 1837. Wonder what Mr. Procter and Mr. Gamble would have done given the same circumstance? Before they even had billions? My instinct says they would have acted in a different manner and somebody there violated a 172 year old trust just because he or she was a cheap bastard that played fast and loose with the facts and refused to pay either fair market value or find an alternative.
Everyone is in a rush. There is not enough hours in the day for some. Your time is accounted for from the minute you get up until you crash at night. You keep repeating the process. That squeezes out quiet thinking time.
I spend hours a day thinking. That is my #1 job. I am blessed that I have the time to think. But I constructed that blessing when I was 20. I might have to drive from El Paso to Los Angeles for example. 1200 miles. There was no Sirius radio back then so had a case of 8 tracks. Plenty of time to think. LA to San Fran......400 miles and more time to think. San Fran to Portland and Seattle.....more time to think. Seattle to Denver a load more time to think. Denver to Kansas City and St. Louis And so on. Loads of time.
It gave me time to figure out some of the simple equations of life. Thinking and planning not only save time it helps to insure success. My #1 job is to look for all the pitfalls and see if they are deal breakers or is there a work around. So I think about it. I sleep on it. I forget about it and then come back to it with a fresh set of eyes. It could take even weeks or months. But it is hard and deep thinking figuring out a way forward. Figuring out things before they become a problem.
So if you are in 'Go mode' all the time how are you really setting aside the time you really need to think?
With that said let me tell you what happened today. For the very first time I felt the 'Winds' from my 20 year plan. Don't laugh. Serious stuff.
We have entered the gravitational orbit of what I have seen since 1995. Look back at all my years of writing. Never once have I said that. Matter of fact, it just happened. I just saw it, felt it and realized it this morning and I came running to this keyboard. I can't explain it to you. I had this feeling only one other time in my life and it was the day I drove through the end of the rainbow that I posted about in 2009 during one of these trips in about 1980.
Wow, that was INTENSE!
But I had to share this moment with you. The universe has turned the corner and they are headed our way and we have turned the corner and we are heading their way!!! Time is the ONLY thing that separates us and while we are not in the eye of the hurricane we have entered the gravitational pull of the hurricane I see. I do see evidence of thunder and clouds and we are entering that orbit of winds that I knew would happen and this baby is right on time! PINCH ME!!!
Before March 14th of this year SaveMe.com was humming along at 500-1000 daily visitors and making me $600-$900/month. Nothing to write home about, but it was steady income. When I got hit with the WIPO suit I changed the domain from a parked page to that of my blog post about the issue.
My traffic SKYROCKETED during black friday. Now we all know I am not using it for the highest and best use. But what would the value be if the boys from Brazil were to actually be men and figure it out? How much business is it costing them on a daily basis? I have no idea but it ain't pennies. How many new clients a DAY are they not getting? I don't know but it ain't pennies. How much has it cost them in total lost revenue? I don't know but IF they are capable of signing folks up and making clients of them, I would guess those pennies add up to tens of thousands just this year. Stunting and smothering their growth while their testosterone was out of whack in March and their ego is bruised by the defeat now. But that is still not excuse for not recognizing this gaping leak that exists. Pennies to me, many thousands to them. (theoretically)
It blows me away that they would have gone to the extremes they did to hijack the domain but have never engaged in a meaningful conversation about getting the traffic. I suppose that they would be paying Google many times the pennies I am making. So how long does it take them to wise up? How long before they figure it out? They can now be the canary in the mines for domain leasing. WHEN will they contact me and come to the table? I won't bite. I'll just take their $$$ and they can fix their problem.
They can come and speak at TRAFFIC and let us know what they learned, what they found out and just how valuable a .com is to a worldwide company. I always look for the silver lining. Turn a negative into a positive. But until then, I am gonna use them to fend off future hijackers. Use them to illustrate as much as I can. And if they go belly up at some point.......oh well, they made their bed.
So a simple question. How much does it cost them a DAY not to have the .com? Just the losses, not even future value of a new customer? What's the cost of that LEAK?? They are clueless because it is invisible and while they saw it in March, they don't quite see it now when it actually counts. So let me tell them......THOUSANDS every single month! Just a STUPID business decision and they have yet to rehabilitate that terrible decision.
So I would be happy to announce the lease of SaveMe.com to a 3rd party. ANY 3rd party. But the poster boy would be the most fun and get the most mileage and he can share what he learned which so far is absolutely NOTHING! And that....is sad!
Let's start at the other end of the spectrum and work backwards. Starting at the finish. So you get contacted by the end user. This is what he is thinking:
'You're not doing anything with that domain.' followed by 'If I owned that Domain Name I could make millions.'
Aren't those the words/thoughts of a person or entity looking at your domain name? That is their starting point. Recognize it and the big job to sway them to reality. We all want to hook up with someone that would look at a domain name you own and say 'If I owned that Domain Name I could make millions.' But don't ignore the other thought in their mind. That's YOUR starting point.
Chances are they don't have millions to invest in their idea. But they do have $1000/month, $2000/month, $5000/month, $25,000/month and more depending on the domain name, the audience and the traffic a domain gets. And yes, it IS about traffic. If your domain is getting 20 visitors a day it is likely more than many physical stores get depending on what they do and where they are located. I know. I have worked retail and I know the value of a customer walking in the door. No sale, no eat!!
When you see the world through my eyes and through a prism with a 20 year bridge, it is clear as day where we are going. We have headed in this direction for many years. Almost decades! Nothing has changed except the fact that what would have been thought of as a joke then is a real business today.
Look, I am not the first to lease domain names. (Maybe I am. 1996 anyone?) But I saw the future back then and everything that has happened since then has simply been a foundation that has gotten stronger and broader and more important. Many ideas and domain owners have come and gone but this idea has survived throughout the ups and downs and there are many active domain leases right now. Perhaps thousands.
We are humans ruled by nature but somehow we are wired in different ways. Some folks make $35,000/year and are perfectly content. $50,000/year and are perfectly content. $100,000/year and are perfectly content. $250,000/year and are perfectly content. $500,000/year and are perfectly content. $1MM/year and are perfectly content. $2MM/year and are perfectly content. $5,000,000/year and are perfectly content. $10,000,000/year and are perfectly content. $25,000,000/year and are perfectly content. $100MM, $250MM/year and are perfectly content. Some are never content. Point is we all have our comfort level and to be frank the lower tier is not going to work. The passion may be missing. Maybe not. But passion is a key element.
So it becomes obvious who your target is. The perfect match.The highest and best use. The best partner. The right partner. A BIG Vision as opposed to a limited one.
Have we ever talked about domains as being a 'Strategic Asset'? Because it sure as day is. Folks find that out the day after their competition gets the category defining domain names and has the potential to be trans-formative. That is the day the strategic asset in your hands is a world better than an asset that can destroy you in the hands of a competitor. And it can.
Line up the comparisons, not only will the category defining .com be competitive, it will surpass many of the old standards in sector after sector. There is an infinite amount of domain names. However, there are a finite group of category defining domain names that generally come with traffic, visitors, buyers.
I look at leasing a domain name as I would running an ad in a magazine or newspaper. At the end of the year you evaluate and see if the ad made you money. If it did you will renew and maybe expand the ad. If it does not work, you might dig a bit deeper and see exactly who are the new customers and see if it will pay for itself down the road. They make a decision on that. When I ran hundreds of monthly ads I just wanted to break even. Because if I was breaking even I was making good money on what I could not track and the business still to come. If you run a Superbowl ad, spend $1MM and can track in the first 30 days a break even point, I think you can rest assured there is still more money to be made from that ad. The gravy. The profit. The new customers. The repeat business. The lifetime value of each new customer. etc. It's a winner!
But when you only see a spreadsheet you only see the numbers that already happened. You need more dimensions to evaluate. Those that do understand. Those that don't will argue the point. But it is meaningless. The picture is much bigger and the end game is to plan decades into the future or your competition will win.
Each visitor to your site is a real human being and they should be treated at least as well as somebody on the phone if not standing in front of you. No business owner in their right mind would let 1000 customers walk in and out the door without buying something and not ask WHY???? Yet every day on the Internet that is exactly what business owners do. Since they are invisible, they treat them that way. And we are talking about 95% of every site out there. So there is HUGE room for growth and understanding.
A domain name can be the Main Entrance or a side door. It does not matter the use. Customers are there now with the only door being Google. You pay $6/click for our traffic and we get 6 cents. Seems to me we have a common interest here. You want to pay less than $6 and I am sick of the 6 cents.
I look at things from the viewpoint of an end user because that is how I came to be online to begin with. As an end user. As a retailer and as a wholesaler. I did it in different mediums over different decades in literally dozens upon dozens of industries. All different industries and all with threads that were exactly the same.
There is something intuitive and memorable about a vanity 800 number or a domain name with type in traffic. It just makes it easier for others to remember, to tell others, to help you market to places and people you could never get to. And word of mouth is still the most powerful, valuable and least expensive ad tool known to man.
This post is not about leasing domains, it is about unlocking sales. Sales. The thing that pays bills. The thing that actually makes a brand and branding possible. The thing so many on the Internet REFUSE to see and understand and focus on. BUT THEY WILL! And that is why I can be so certain exactly where this train is going because I know and understand the goal. Sales! When business comes to understand that they have to rethink things and come to different decisions. I can't chase them or even convince them. (tho I try with posts like this) Too much work. So I sit on the beach knowing they are looking for this specific beach. 'Sales Beach'. And when they arrive on 'Sales Beach' as they are beginning to now, everything falls into place. Piña colada anyone?
While we are focused on the economy, politics and affairs, are we on the brink of WW3? Are things not only about to unravel from a monetary standpoint but a political one as well? Is there a will for certain ancient predictions to come to be? The Twinkie gone? (No it will be back on shelves soon)
Not much focus about what we have always feared for decades when it comes to the Middle East. No moral authority is present. There are no strong political figures. Just a lot of weak ones looking for more power. The world is caught in the crossfire and unrest is spreading to many corners of the world.
We live in interesting times and I see some of the most turbulent days I have witnessed in my lifetime all converging at one time. Another 'Perfect storm'? The last days of 2012 are nothing that any rational human being wants to see but we are on the brink of 'Unavoidable'.
As I write this Israel is about to launch possibly the most devastating strikes EVER! One wrong move by Syria, Egypt, Iran or Hamas etc, and the entire region may glow in the dark. Once it starts, and it has, you can't put it back in the bottle. And with all that, more focus on the Twinkie. And why not? The Twinkie DEAD at the age of 82. 18,000 now unemployed and a union celebrating a victory. These are not 'Interesting' times.....these are fucked up times.
In a few years when we all look back you might realize all the money left of the table for GREAT domain names. As these two worlds converge, it seems pretty obvious what the outcome will be. When money loses value some assets hold their value. May even increase in value.
Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay, rent $2,630 a square foot per year
Direct Correlation with domain names? You bet! But the owners of the real land have stronger stomachs than most domainers. Make any comparison you like. But each of those above are limited to the size of their walls and the traffic from a very concentrated but limited area. You can expand a domain name to infinity and add very little costs. So smile, relax, sit on the beach and wait. Just keep snagging category defining domain names. We have some of the most valuable real estate ever known to man.
The SaveMe.com Reverse Domain Hijacking Poster Boy, Marcio Mello Chaves, now has his own poster that will circulate around the Internet and hopefully follow him where ever he may go. Until there are criminal penalties for attempted Reverse Domain Name Hijacking then PUBLIC SHAME is the only way to warn others that may try similar tactics what WILL happen to them, their companies and their futures should they try and HIJACK what they are not entitled to.
Those that try and bend the system in this way are going to be marked for life! PERIOD! No matter how big or how small, anyone crossing the line will suffer the consequences just like our 'Friend' Marcio Mello Chaves. He tried to steal MY name and now I OWN HIS NAME, HIS REPUTATION and HIS FUTURE!
When I said '2 x 4 with nails', this is what I meant. Some will say let it go. NO WAY! This is not about Marcio. He is just an example to inoculate OUR assets from other like minded predators. If you are a reverse domain name hijacker or you represent a reverse domain name hijacker, you do so at your own peril. Think twice before you make that mistake. Is it worth losing your reputation? Is it worth risking your entire business? Is it worth the embarrassment when others find out? Is it worth it? Is it worth following you not only for your lifetime, but way past?
Márcio Mello Chaves aka Marcio Mello Chaves aka Convicted Reverse Domain Name Hijacker. I said I would make him famous and I am a man of my word. I am not angry at him. Quite the contrary. I have been waiting for this for 17 years. The one case that would change the world and this was a GIFT!
And let's not forget about Wall-Street.com and their Hijacking attempt. They get 'Dishonorable Mention' in each and every post I will be doing along with the 20 others I have been able to find and list.
After nearly 20 years of defending a legitimate business, a day has finally come where the label of 'Cybersquatter' meets the reality of 'Reverse Domain Name Hijackers'. Hijackers that TRY and steal what does not belong to them and without ANY legal rights! It is a deceitful and disgusting practice that could put any business owner with a dot com address in jeopardy for merely being ahead of the curve. Merely investing in the future. Merely taking a risk when nobody else would or could. Doing what folks have done for HUNDREDS of YEARS! While at the same time somebody else was either asleep at the wheel, too late to play and/or too cheap to pay!
Just wanted to give you some important mid summer
updates.
T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is #1 because we set the pace and
are not afraid to try new things. The first silent domain auction, the first
live domain auction and now, with that in mind, T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is proud to
present another ground breaking first in the industry.
For the first
time at any domain show we are going to have multiple live auctions presented by
multiple auction houses. This is going to be a game changer! Howard and I have
nothing to sell. Our job is to promote the industry as best we can and also be
as inclusive as we can. In tough times like this there will actually be an
increase in domain acquisitions. Domains that would have never been sold will
now be on the auction block. Plus, with multiple companies promoting the live
TRAFFIC auctions in New York City, the bidding action and
excitement will be better than ever. Multiple companies trying to include end
users. Multiple companies competing for the best domains. Multiple companies
offering different type inventories at competitive prices. Multiple auctions with multiple auctioneers and different styles of auction.
As is stands now we believe there will be up to 5 different auction companies holding live domain auctions in New York City
in September. Moniker will continue to be the 'Premiere' auction at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. as
they have been. As you might imagine, this was not an easy decision. Monte and his crew have done a great service to us all over the years. Just sometimes what is good for one company may not be in the best interest of an entire industry. So kudos to Moniker for doing what others would not do when none of us knew the outcome.
Last year the New York TRAFFIC show produced a record breaking
$12M in auction sales. I believe that is more than all other live domain auctions at other shows
combined for both 2007 and 2008!! We have the right location at the right time
with the best domain audience.Including other
auction houses will be effective, good for the growth of the industry, make
things very exciting and open things up that will create lots of energy. Like I
said, this is a game changer and we are all big winners. More info will be
released soon.
We will also be announcing a T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
REWARD PROGRAM later this summer. This program will give perks/discounts to
future TRAFFIC shows starting at our San Francisco/Silicon Valley show next
April. Those spending $10,000 or more at the auction will be eligible for those
rewards. The reward program will be in effect during the New York City show in
September. The more you spend, the more perks you get.
That's about it. We are working hard to make sure
that TRAFFIC keeps way ahead of the pack. Since 2004 we have set the tone and
agenda for the industry by always providing cutting edge and trailblazing ideas
and agendas. Howard and I take great risks in an effort to bring the industry to
the forefront of marketing. Mix that with the biggest and the best and you get
TRAFFIC. We don't know the result of multiple auctions but it is going be a fun
thing to watch unfold. I expect we will announce the participants as early as
this week. I will update this blog with the companies as those companies commit.
Not only will this transform the domain aftermarket, it will transform the
auction houses that participate. Just look at the growth of our biggest partners
over the years. From DomainSponsor, to Moniker, to TrafficZ and others, TRAFFIC
has facilitated the growth of these companies. We are the 'King makers' and that
has been the bi-product of what we do and we can do it for many
more.
Now just a few quick reminders.
1. The group fees go up tomorrow (Tuesday)
The 5 pack goes up $1000.
The 10 pack goes up $2000.
2. The $1795
Preferred admission ends on July 31st.So sign up now and save. http://targetedtraffic.com/ny_register.html
3. The hotel rates will be going up on August 20th. Book your
rooms now as we are already 65% booked and the rates will go up by $200/night. http://targetedtraffic.com/ny_hotel.html
Now back to your regularly scheduled summer!
Have a GREAT day!
Rick Schwartz
Update: We can now announce 4 of the auction companies that will be holding live auctions at T.R.A.F.F.I.C.
Moniker.com
Thought Convergence
RickLatona.com
Bido.com
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