The maker of a popular app has branded it with a new TLD.
I was scrolling through the iTunes app store charts last night when something caught my eye: an app called Gear.club.
My first thought: A case of weird branding, or does this company actually own gear.club?
It’s the latter. The app maker bought gear.club as a registry premium in February for $5,691.66 and has branded its app to match the domain name.
The logo for gear.club shows a dot midway vertically between R and C, but the branding on its site calls it “Gear.Club”.
It looks like a pretty spiffy car racing game. Yesterday it was #10 on the iPad free list and, as you can see in the image, #22 on the iPhone free list.
This is the first time I’ve seen a new top level domain name as the name of an app in the iTunes app store. Come to think of it, it’s the first time I’ve seen a domain name used this way.
Jeffrey Sass says
Thanks for spotting Gear.club! I am eager to play the Android version when it comes out! We’ve actually seen a number of apps use a .CLUB domain, and some, like Gear.club and Activity.club (both premium names, btw) have incorporated the domain into the branding, which is a smart move. When your brand is your domain, it is easier to be found.
Some like to say that apps will kill the need for domain names. We disagree. It is very important for apps to have a domain name and their own web presence outside of the app stores, where they can control the messaging, have fewer distractions (no “similar apps” or recommendations to drive people away) and where they can promote multiple platforms in one place and build a real community around their app or game. Congrats to the Gear.club team on a job well done!
PRL says
$5.7k for gear.club?!
It’s not even a workable combination. What is gear club? Or what is a gear club? Or what is gearclub? It’s pretty meaningless.
$5.7k for games.club maybe, but that domain gear.club can’t have an intrinsic value anywhere near that sum.
168 says
.Club has done an outstanding job promoting the New “G” , New Growth sector 😉
Agree with Jeffrey, “web presence outside of the app stores, where they can control the messaging”, “promote multiple platforms”
I like the midway vertical for the dot. I have used this and it helps distinguish the new extensions.
the .Com will always be the Legacy, however “Distinguished Royalty” is emerging among the New ‘G’s 😉
Both registry and the end user “created” value and that’s all that matters.
Gear can be used for many different industries and applying it to a car related app is certainly appropriate.
“Gear” was a very clever workaround to the lofty .cars etc.renewals @ 2888.88 yearly, lack of .com or other New “G” availability and the very best “short” option/value on the market for their needs.
Kudo’s Gear.Club !