Domain Name Wire » Domain Registrars

Key-Systems CEO discusses Moniker and SnapNames acquisition

Andrew Allemann — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:30:43 +0000

No dramatic changes on tap but more ccTLDs and other improvements on the way.

KeyDrive’s acquisition of Moniker and SnapNames last week has shaken up the domain name investor ecosystem.

I just talked to Key-Systems CEO Alexander Siffrin to better understand what this means for customers. (KeyDrive includes Key-Systems Group and NameDrive Group, as well as the recently acquired companies.)

If you’re worried about dramatic changes to how you do business with Moniker and SnapNames, it sounds like you should relax: Siffrin says you shouldn’t expect any major overhaul of the businesses any time soon.

“Our strategic point is to increase service levels and service offerings,” said Siffrin.

For example, the company plans to dramatically increase the number of ccTLDs on Moniker as well as SnapNames.

You can also expect enhanced hosting options and other value-added services. SnapNames will also be integrated into the company’s registrars (and potentially others in the future), which will give more exposure to domains for sale through the platform.

Pricing isn’t expected to change any time soon and customers will continue to use the Moniker and SnapNames interfaces they’re familiar with.

If you haven’t heard of Key-Systems, it’s probably because most of the company’s customers come through resellers.

“Historically, Key-Systems started with a retail site but built a very stable API in the back of the retail site and decided to offer that to resellers,” said Siffrin. “The impact it had to our business was more than we expected, so right now most of our clients come from the reseller area.”

Although KeyDrive is mostly in Germany and Luxembourg, it has existing offices in Austin, Texas and Leesburg, Virginia. With the acquisition it now has a presence in Portland and Ft. Lauderdale. The company is looking to hire several customer support and account management personnel in its Florida office.

KeyDrive began talking to Oversee.net about acquiring the two businesses about a year ago and closed on the deal the Monday before DOMAINfest. The sales price was not disclosed.

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GoDaddy’s BYOB: Build Your Online Business

Andrew Allemann — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:11:56 +0000

Company plans to start promoting a different kind of BYOB.

It looks like GoDaddy.com will start promoting BYOB, but it has nothing to do with beer.

The company filed two trademark applications at the end of last month. The company filed application 85527616 for BYOB and application 85527612 for BYOB Build Your Online Business. Here’s what the applications have to say about the intended use:

C 035. US 100 101 102. G & S: Providing on-line information, namely, help-articles and business resources in the fields of business development and business management; Providing online services to businesses in the nature of bundle programs comprised of one or more functions, namely, domain services, email services, website builder, hosting services, services to increase traffic flow, social media integrations, email marketing, calendar, large file sharing, eFax integration and site analytics, to meet the individual needs of businesses related to online business development, marketing and business marketing

IC 045. US 100 101. G & S: Registering domain names for use on a global computer network

Both applications were filed as 1B, which means the company intends to use the marks in the future.

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GoDaddy says it saw record Super Bowl Sunday sales

Andrew Allemann — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:09:16 +0000

Two GoDaddy.com Super Bowl commercials drive new sales record.

The results are in…

Regardless of what you thought of GoDaddy.com’s two Super Bowl commercials yesterday, they appear to have had the intended result for the world’s largest domain registrar.

According to the company, yesterday saw its highest sales ever for a Super Bowl Sunday. This is the company’s eight consecutive year advertising in the Super Bowl.

The company also says that .co saw a tenfold increase in registrations. That’s an early number from last night. Last year .co reported a 35x increase compared to a typical Sunday. Although I doubt .CO Internet pays for its ad with immediate registrations, the Super Bowl ad goes a long way to building its brand. Don’t be surprised if proprietors of some new top level domains try this tact in future years.

GoDaddy was the only advertiser to include a QR code in its ad, and the company says it received record mobile traffic. I think this was a smart move given that many people are away from home when they watch the Super Bowl.

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GoDaddy and .Co take center stage with Super Bowl Commercials

Andrew Allemann — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:25:31 +0000

Over 100 million will watch GoDaddy Super Bowl commercials tonight.

The world’s largest registrar along with the .co top level domain will get a lot of attention today.

That’s because GoDaddy will air two Super Bowl ads today, including one about the .co domain name.

The first half commercial stars lingerie model Natalia Velez getting the body paint treatment from Jillian Michaels and Danica Patrick to promote .co. Velez was unveiled in person at DOMAINfest last week.

Many people wondered if .co got the “bang for its buck” that it expected after a similar GoDaddy commercial last year. I think we have our answer now.

The second half commercial features the Pussycat Dolls.

GoDaddy pre-released both commercials this year. It has pre-released ads in the past. This is a good strategy for the company, especially since it releases “continuations” of each commercial on Super Bowl Sunday. In other words, even if you see the commercials ahead of time you end up returning to view the continuation after the ad airs on TV. And the company doesn’t really care when you view its ads, as long as you end up on its site (and hopefully make a purchase).

Of course, pre-releasing also lets your competitors get some pre-game buzz, such as with this Name.com spoof featuring Denver running back Willis McGahee.

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GoDaddy reveals Super Bowl commercial featuring the Pussycat Dolls

Andrew Allemann — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:26:13 +0000

You won’t have to wait until the Super Bowl to see this year’s commercials.

It’s likely you’ve already seen GoDaddy’s Super Bowl commercial featuring .co. GoDaddy has linked to it from its home page for about a week.

Now the company is releasing its second half commercial on the web, too.

The spot, dubbed “CLOUD”, features the new Pussycat Dolls. It also stars Danica Patrick.

Patrick has officially been in more Super Bowl ads than any other celebrity, according to GoDaddy. She’ll be up to ten after this year’s Super Bowl airs. This is GoDaddy’s eighth consecutive Super Bowl ad campaign.

I think releasing this commercials before the big game makes sense. There will still be the “continuations” after the commercials air during the game, so it will draw people back. Also, most people who see the commercials during the game will not have seen the early releases.

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Bob Parsons credits Super Bowl ads for $1 billion in sales

Andrew Allemann — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:25:33 +0000

GoDaddy.com founder says $70 million investment has driven $1 billion in business.

GoDaddy.com founder Bob Parsons says he’s generated $1 billion in business from running Super Bowl ads.

In a USA Today article about the sexing up of Super Bowl ads (which of course features GoDaddy prominently), Parsons says his company has spent $70 million to produce and air these ads. But the ROI has been good.

Although it’s not easy to track long term results from ads like these, I think it’s safe to say that the company’s appearance in the Super Bowl has been a key driver of its growth. It’s not just the Super Bowl ads themselves; its the many media appearances before and after the ads run (e.g., the USA Today article).

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Fortune names GoDaddy to 100 “Best Companies to Work for” list

Andrew Allemann — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:52:50 +0000

Domain company on list of top companies to work for.

The domain name industry is represented in Fortune magazine’s annual “Best Companies to Work for” list with GoDaddy.com coming in at #93.

GoDaddy was one of only 19 companies on the list to have never had layoffs.

It was also cited for its benefits (one of 14 companies on the list that pay 100% of employee health premiums) and ranked #8 on the list for job growth (24.6%).

The company has about 150 positions open, many of which are listed on its web site. Most U.S. job openings are in Arizona, Iowa, and Colorado. The company is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It has close to 3,300 employees.

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