In what I consider to be another head scratcher, Hosting.com has dropped the .com from its brand and re-branded to just HOSTING.
According a press release posted on the companies website, “”HOSTING, formally Hosting.com, a leading provider of enterprise-class, managed cloud hosting services, announced its new company name, new logo, and new branding that reinforce its commitment to midsized enterprises running mission-critical applications in the Cloud”.
“After several acquisitions in the past few years that have greatly expanded its service offerings and expertise, the company recognized the need to create a new, common identity internally and externally. “Given our growth through acquisition, we have employees from three different internal cultures. With this rebranding, we have a shared vision. Also, we’ve been able to design our new brand to align with the brand promise we make to our customers, said HOSTING CEO Art Zeile.”
“While HOSTING recently dropped the “dotcom” from the brand name, its Website domain remains hosting.com”.
“The new Website features easier navigation, a bolder color palette and improved search functionality. It summarizes the company’s full spectrum of Cloud services in five simple product tiers. The new site also distinctly highlights HOSTING’s lifecycle approach to managed Cloud hosting – an important differentiator in a crowded marketplace”.
“The company’s new logo, symbolic of the compass rose, represents HOSTING’s promise to serve as a trusted guide. HOSTING aims to help businesses navigate through the Cloud technology landscape by leveraging the strength of its proven approach, infrastructure and people”.
” “It’s much more than just delivering services. We know that over 90% of mid-market companies see business value in cloud computing, but only about 20% have a plan to get there. HOSTING strives to remove obstacles and help businesses move forward into the Cloud,” said Mike Donaldson, Chief Marketing Officer. The company’s new tag line, “taking you further,” underscores this brand message.”
Ok so I have no idea of how dropping the .Com from HOSTING.com makes the company message clearer or more effective.
Maybe the CEO of the company has no idea or maybe just doesn’t care but there are three companies that applied for the new gTLD .Hosting and eventually one of them is going to get the new gTLD and start marketing it.
I have no idea of how removing the .Com from Hosting.com is going to do anything but bring market confusion.
help!
I typed-in just : Hosting
in my browser (Chrome)
and Google kidnapped me to their site…
Yea, that won’t be confusing or anything. “Which hosting company do you use?” “Hosting.” “…right…which company?” “Hosting.” “Bye.”
how is adding .com help their brand? an extension should be added only if it conveys an underlying message, more usually with other extensions like .net, or when you were outrun by a competitor that caught the .com first.
placing .com with the brand is like having a Ferrari and using a sticker saying “this car runs fast”. it somewhat lame…
Jose
You can argue whether adding the .com to their brand adds value but they are removing the .com from their brand, whole different ballgame, see no way it can help
.Com is the only extension where you can get by without using the tld – no traffic leakage.
We’ve been doing it for our .com sites for a bit now (14+ yrs) and have found people just assume .com
So, not really earth shattering in that sense.
At first I thought they were rebranding to another TLD.
As long as they run their services on hosting.com, I don’t see what the issue should be.
A. You can never do that with .whatever
B. Not the smartest marketing
I honestly think this is a Moronic move (please quote me) …
similar in nature to the “New Coke” fiasco …
IMO the move would make sense if they had applied for .hosting
Here’s another way of looking at it that .Com domainers will hate.
Perhaps they want to focus on branding “Hosting” vs. being indentified by an extension. The internet landscape in changing, and since no one has a crystal ball, no one can say what extension will be dominant in the future. All we know is, there’s a lot of competition coming for .Com.
So, why brand yourself based on an extension, when you don’t even know what the future of that extension is?
.Com domainers think .Com will be number one forever and ever. Folks, we don’t know what new technologies are coming down the line. Look at how radically things have changed in just the last 2-3 decades. My cell phone used to look like a brick. Can you honestly say .Com will be as relevant in years to come as it is today?
So if this company can “own” the brand Hosting, in everything but name, because I suspect “hosting” is too generic to be trademarked, it’s probably a smart move. Their objective may be, no matter what happens in the extension world, when you think Hosting… you’ll think of them.
Put simply, it’s about the brand, not the extension.
Wal-Mart is just Wal-Mart. It’s not Wal-Mart.com. Sure, that’s their primary site, but they also own .Net, .Org and so on. For now, those other extensions point back to their .Com. But they can change that on a dime. That’s the power of being know by a brand vs. being known by a brand+extension.
I see the day coming when Amazon.com drops the .Com from their name and just goes by Amazon.
It’s a horrible thought for .Com domainers, who desperately want .Com tied to any and all businesses. But change happens. If you’ve built a business based on buying/selling a single extension, then you’ve put all your eggs in one basket. Potentially unwise. I mean, who knows if we’ll even have extensions down the road? Maybe some new technology comes along that makes extensions themselves obsolete.
In such a rapidly changing tech world, I always find it amusing when people talk in absolute terms.
Paul
Amazon is a brand Hosting is generic
Bad example
As more and more competition comes for .Com as you put it, you are taking off the one memorable and distinctive attribute about this site, which in this case is the .com
@ Mr. Berkens
I noted as much in my comment about Hosting probably not being trademarked. My point is, they are attempting to “brand” Hosting. They are attempting to brand a generic word. Who knows? Maybe they’ll pull it off.
As for Amazon, I dare say the #1 internet retailer in the world could drop the .Com right now. I often say to people, “I just bought this on Amazon.” Not “I just bought this on Amazon.com”.
Well if Cars.com rebrands and Cars and Hotels.com Rebrands as Hotels, successfully then I will eat my words.
for an Ultra-premium keyword such as this… the .com it’s a “deadly combo”adds
“Instant branding”, this premised has been analyzed over and over again,
I write this as I flip between CNN/CNBC/fox news (I have to keep with everything Obama is doing wrong) every single one uses a .com and so is every single ” major company” TV ad showed during commercials …
Jose: but the didn’t, show me any company that has dropped/stopped using the .com because they applied for a new gTLD… one will suffice.
@ Mr. Berkens
LOL
I never said they would pull it off. I agee that it would be very hard (if not impossible) to brand a generic word. Let’s see if this rebranding helps or hurts them over time. It’s an interesting experiement anyway.
Hello MHB,
I agree with you !
What kind of Marketing sense does this make?
Sounds to me like the Old Guard B School boys in the Ad industry have mislead their Marketing Department with Old World Obsolesced Marketing Tactics. This happens quite often to companies who employ a Marketing Analyst who does not understand the new world order. This is happening less than you think though , even with all the trumped up White noise on .whatever Marketing Campaigns.
It is hard for most investors to wrap their minds around what .COM URLs really are. They are the rarest of all asset plays in that they are an irreplaceable commodity with tremendous Mass Marketing Applications. They have limitless Marketing capabilities as they are front and center to the worlds largest traffic streams and yet are anchored to one unique Address, with one exclusive holder.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
@ Paul
You sound as if you have a marketing background but your judgements tell me otherwise. Youre long judgement above lacks sound Marketing principles and quite frankly is misleading End users and Domainers. Whats youre Game ?
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
@ Jeff
With respect, I think it’s misleading to suggest that .Com domains are “an irreplaceable commodity”. Everything is replaceable. Plus, when thousands of new extensions come rolling out (which is more than even I am comfortable with) the landscape will change. How will it change? You and I don’t know. You can guess and I can guess, but no one knows. So I’m merely suggesting it’s wise to hedge one’s bets. Further, if you can create a brand that is not tied to ANY particular extension, .Com or otherwise, so much the better. For example, Zillow dropped the .Com in favor of branding just “Zillow”. If the landscape should change down the road, and .Com is no longer the favored extension, they can change extensions without hurting their brand. When your brand is as unique as Zillow, you don’t need .Com, or any other extension, in your branding. It’s just that simple. But to the point Mr. Berkens made, that’s easier to accomplish with a non-generic name. “Hosting” will have a harder time of it I suspect.
Paul
“”Everything is replaceable.””
You obviously don’t know my wife Judi.
If you go to a domain show and introduce yourself expect a good smack for that comment, and Judi will be the one delivering the smack.
)):
@ Mr. Berkens
Of course no one could replace Judi.
My wife on the other hand? I would gladly take Eva Mendes and a subscription to Esquire magazine. In fact, forget the magazine. Just give me Eva.
Hosting.com has a huge office space in Louisville, Kentucky…i went there couple years ago and noticed their domain name Hosting.com on their office windows…
@ Paul,
RE; – “With respect, I think it’s misleading to suggest that .Com domains are “an irreplaceable commodity”.
ALL first To Market holders to .COM URLS, have an irreplaceable commodity, If you dont believe it try to replace GOOGLE.com at any Registrar right now! Please come on back to this string and let me know your results.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
@ Jeff
Then by your definition every extension is an “irreplaceable commodity”. Try to replace Meet.Me at any Registrar right now. You’re talking semantics. Are you suggesting to your clients that .Com is an “irreplaceable commodity” but .Net, .Org, .Whatever is not? Again, semantics. You must be in marketing. lol
I’m not hating. You probably sell .Com domains in your business. I understand the desire to talk it up.
Google is replacing .com with itself. 100 gtld applications don’t tell you this?
.Google is making the .Right move.
Google themselves is suggesting an industry association to tell consumers about new gtlds.
*are
Hello MHB,
As we are all are experiencing the White noise of all the new gTLD commentors and supporters in this thread , how do you think the .COM holders of internet commerce are going to react?
The .COM corporations are going to double down on the .COM Brand as being a Web destination of CREDIBILITY CONSUMERS can TRUST. They will stress the CREDIBILITY and STABILITY of the .COM Brand. I assure you its all coming, you can Bank on it.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
Google is the biggest .com corporation on the planet.
And they will be pushing New gTLDs/Not-Coms/New Dots as hip, fresh and cool.
dotcom is your grandma’s domain extension.
In a perfect world, they would rebrand as hO.co