cctld CIRA Marketing Update

[Jeff Rybak]

Hi all

In connection with the discussion around CIRA's current election, there was a lot of concern (not surprisingly) around the state of CIRA's marketing. So I figured I'd share some news. Note, btw, this timing is largely coincidental, since it's a management level decision and nothing any director (up for reelection or otherwise) can directly influence. But the views you've expressed here are getting attention.

So CIRA is launching an ongoing national advertising campaign aimed at small to medium sized business owners and key influencers. You'll see print and online ads (Globe and Mail, magazine ads, online at major sites) and this will continue into 2010. The campaign's online base is here:

[URL="http://www.get-your.ca"]http://www.get-your.ca[/URL]

This is early release info. It's a long and ongoing effort so you'll see more soon. Obviously the campaign will feature other registrants (in addition to the one currently featured), will engage with registrars, and will extend over a variety of media.

If you've got opinions about the effectiveness of this campaign, as it rolls out, please pass them along. Note, as I've said, this isn't something I'm running directly or can change in a heartbeat. But your opinions will definitely be heard where it counts.

As an additional suggestion, btw, you aren't restricted to just telling me and never were. A little known fact about CIRA is that all correspondence directed to the board really does go to the board (meaning all directors) and will be read and answered. So in case you were ever motivated to send a message that way, feel free.

Cheers.

 

[ianccc]

Jeff

Why does CIRA’s marketing campaign revolve around profiling 1,2,3,10 of your successful registrants, I think it would be better served to emphasize to ALL CANADIANS the “urgency to stake your claim” and be a part of Canada.

Why target Small/Medium business why not target the average Canadians to “VISIT A .CA FIRST” “ you are putting the cart before the horse here, sell the “sizzle not the steak” "create the demand and they will follow"

I would love to see a TV commercial from CIRA profiling consumers that look for the .CA first before considering to purchase a product or service

Go after the Average Canadian, tell them the .CA is “OURS” and only Ours. There was a great song sung by Fred Penner that had the perfect “tagline” for you folks.

We need another “Joe Canadian” and a top 10 list to own a .ca

If that’s what the marketing folks came up with it's no wonder the 1,000,000 .ca domain promotion (lack therof) was such as wash

~ian

 

[Jeff Rybak]

Just offering my personal opinions in reply to your post, but here they are.

I think we need to profile real business people extolling the value of their digital dot-ca identity, because otherwise we're just making really bald and unsupported marketing claims. Remember that CIRA (for all marketing purposes) is perceived as the vendor. Of course we're going to say "get your dot-ca now!" just like GM is screaming "buy your new car now!" But that doesn't say anything other than that we're selling something. To have actual business types making the point is more meaningful.

I sincerely doubt we're going to see any kind of secondary dot-ca landrush. The "stake your claim" line of argument is less and less reasonable with each new TLD. I definitely think we need to concentrate on selling businesses that intend to use only one domain to go dot-ca, to convince larger businesses that are currently redirecting or even just sitting on their dot-ca to think again about the value of Canadian branding (which then benefits recognition of the extension generally), and to promote what dot-ca means.

I know that's some of what you're saying anyway, but concentrating on business is, in my opinion, the way to go. We probably get more free advertising benefit from all the many customers of major Canadian banks like CIBC advertising their online presense at cibc.ca than we could ever afford to buy.

In my opinion, domains will always be a business asset. You'll never convince the average Canadian to register JoeSmith54.ca just for the sake of having his own domain, or that they should indulge in domain speculating as a good investment. Most Canadians don't even buy gold as an investment - you can't tell them to speculate in intellectual property.

So yeah, in my opinion, it will always be about businesses. With wider benefits, when done properly. Now whether this campaign is the one done properly is yet to be seen. But it's at least adopting the right approach.

 

[hugegrowth]

The campaign sounds good, if you are successful in getting more businesses to use a .ca, then by default more consumers will be seeing .ca addresses, and awareness will be increased.

As a domainer, I have to wonder who owns getyour.ca - lol (without the dash)

 

[ianccc]

This is not about speculation, or having the average consumer regg jimsmith55.ca it is more about creating the consumer awareness and demand, Canadians need to know the.CA is for Canadians “being patriotic without protectionism”

I do not buy the Business focus at all (unless you are one of the lucky companies profiled in the promotion)

At first glance I see at http://get-your.ca is your Bladetape guy, I see wow, this guy was smart why “did I not think of that” so there is less on the .CA and more on his idea. Do you really think folks are going to identify with Bladetape that his success is because of the .CA, I think most folks would think he is successful because he has a good idea.
Also the Bladetape guy runs a successful bladetape.com

my opinion is it's a short term campaign destined to fail, so the majority here may disagree with my comments above, but I steadfast think the marketing should be on the "Consumer"

 

[Jeff Rybak]

To add, btw, I haven't seen the print and other media ads, but I suspect the tendency to profile specific businesses doesn't continue across the board.

 

[ianccc]

All I have to say is this;
CONSUMERS think REGIONAL
BUSINESSES think GLOBAL

Why not ask Bladetape to pull down his .COM site because it would look bad when you parade him around Canada as the “GoldenBoy” and gift him a million dollar campaign
(I would like to hear that conversation)

 

[hugegrowth]

small and medium businesses also think regional - the barber shop, the car dealer, the restaurant, the office supply store - what do local businesses care about global when most of their clients live in the same city?

 

[ianccc]

Jeff: answer this:

Has CIRA put anyone on the streets of northern Alberta or the shores of Nova Scotia to interview the average Canadian to the meaning of .CA? what kind of research was done to find the level of knowledge of “Joe Average” ? I think the results would be startling to say the least. What would it hurt? Wouldn’t be that expensive considering the promo $$ at risk, tell me you did some due-diligence

Sure there are business that promote REGIONALY and have no GLOBAL interest but are they the flag waving companies CIRA wants to profile.
Who decided on the companies to profile? what criteria was required?

 

[Ricks]

The launch of some .ca marketing is great news, Jeff! - I hope they ramp it up soon to catch the Fall business cycle.

Thanks for the info!

Cheers,

 

[whitebark]

Yes indeed... why not start simple. Tell Canadians what a .ca is, why they should care, how to get one etc. Tell them it is for Canadians only - owned and operated by Canadians or at least businesses legally set up here. Online shopping can be a dangerous affair at times and it might spur more sales on Canadians websites if Canadian consumers KNEW a .ca was only for Canadians - thus should anything go wrong with their purchase they don't have to be dealing with some overseas entity.

 

[liberator]

I agree with HG and Jeff's explainations, the more businesses using the .ca the more indirect advertising it gets.

 

[Jeff Rybak]

You know, in a sense I get where whitebark and related criticism is coming from. But I consider that a far more indirect way of improving sales and registration of dot-ca domains. That doesn't mean it's completely unreasonable - just less direct.

You can advertise the dot-ca domain to people who might actually register and use them (businesses) or advertise what dot-ca means to people who might do some online business or other activity at the domains (call them users). Advertising to the former is aimed at moving some domains. Advertising to the later is aimed at increasing the value of current dot-ca domains in the hope that businesses might notice and respond, and therefore become more interested in dot-ca domains. It can work, but it's certainly less direct.

Believe me, CIRA has done market research on what dot-ca means to Canadians. And the short answer is not a lot. But I still believe the most effective way to change that (as much as possible) is in secondary ways. Reaching the average Canadian consumer ain't easy. But ad placements in more mainstream web sites will be intended to go there as well.

This, btw, is one area where I believe CIRA stands to benefits immensely from the roll-out of new gTLDs. The added competition is bothersome, but think about what those gTLDs will be doing. They'll all be out there advertising the value of their dot-whatever on the basis of what the "whatever" is supposed to mean. So the argument that the "whatever" is significant, and means -something-, will have been made for us. From that point, convincing people that they'd be best with a dot-ca that means "Canada" and has established stability and legitimacy ... that's an easy argument. That's where the flight to quality comes in.

I think the new market is going to be interesting. But I think these sorts of advertising efforts and the kind of thing, at least, that we need.

 

[jaydub]

And I think CIRA dropped the ball as far as creating awareness for the .ca domain...no other way to look at it as the "let others promote it" attitude would tend to suggest.
GM didn't sell cars by sitting and putting some cars on the road and letting them sell themself as their advertising budget would back-up... perhaps simplistic but on point.

Believe me, CIRA has done market research on what dot-ca means to Canadians. And the short answer is not a lot.

 

[Jeff Rybak]

And I think CIRA dropped the ball as far as creating awareness for the .ca domain...no other way to look at it as the "let others promote it" attitude would tend to suggest.
GM didn't sell cars by sitting and putting some cars on the road and letting them sell themself as their advertising budget would back-up... perhaps simplistic but on point.

To be clear, my opinion here is just my opinion. I can comment on what I think about management level decisions, and my opinion (if reelected) may be meaningful in the future, but I don't want to present it as the final word. Just adding some context, before I dig in deeper.

The suggestion that we should drive people towards using dot-ca domains - by promoting what they mean to individual Internet users - goes far beyond GM promoting the sale of its vehicles. We're trying to sell dot-ca domains to the people who actually want them (i.e. people with a reason to own domains) just as GM is trying to sell its cars. To suggest we go after people who don't want domains and extol the virtue of existing domains ... well that's something else entirely.

This is where I hope enlightened domainers can see the limitations of your priorities. CIRA registers domains. To market and advertise what we do means that we're attempting to promote and register more domains. This may have a significant collateral impact on the value of existing domains, because if we drive up demand that is true across the board. But you have to realize that will always be the collateral impact and not the central thrust.

I can't be more honest here. I hope that the folks here can appreciate that CIRA serves a diverse community and our ultimate goal is to promote the dot-ca registry. When that's done well it may benefit everyone, but if you see it only through the lens of your own interest then what we do will probably always appear lacking.

 

[theinvestor]

Sorry to break it to the rest of the folks here.....

but why what is the purpose of targetting regular people to visit a .ca ? we don't even have the majority of companies owning .ca's yet...focus on business ...the rest will follow.

Jeff is right you promote it to businesses not regular people. Regular people don't buy domains...they go to websites. How many people do you know own a domain? I am sure you know lots of people who go to them though.

Jeff, the strategy is right. Once companies understand how important it is to own a .ca...the more likely the users will start visiting .ca's because they will start to understand that .ca's are targetting Canadians.

 

[jaydub]

Jeff...I understand that CIRA's priorities are not to create awareness so that it will be easier for domainers to sell names to them.
My point was that awareness should have been considered long ago whether it be corporate or individual awareness when companies/people were still, and still do to some degree, scramble to get a lesser .Com domain instead of a better .ca name for their website/business site.

And thanks for breaking it to "the rest of the folks here" investor but some of us are aware of how marketing/targetng advertising works...

 

[Jeff Rybak]

My point was that awareness should have been considered long ago whether it be corporate or individual awareness when companies/people were still, and still do to some degree, scramble to get a lesser .Com domain instead of a better .ca name for their website/business site.

Well, now I don't know where we disagree exactly. Earlier there was this suggestion that CIRA should promote to people why they should go to and trust rather than value and register dot-ca domains. I thought you were on that trend and so I replied int that vein.

Now all I can gather is that you're saying the boat has sailed and we're too late. Well ... I guess better late than never? While acknowledging failures in the past (as discussed in the election thread - and please do note the limitations of what the board can do and has done with respect to management) I still think the best way to move forward is to encourage the best marketing available at this time.

Absolutely. Businesses and individual registrants are often registering other domains, sometimes marginal dot-com domains and also a smattering of other things, rather than dot-ca. And we definitely, 100% want to change that. I don't know what can be more explicit than "get your dot-ca." That's what we want.

Now, whether this is exactly the right way to promote that or not is another matter, but I feel like we're at least on the same page. So I feel your frustration with the past and I'd like to better explain what we're doing now, but I guess I'm just lost on where we disagree exactly on the objective. You want us to promote the value and importance of dot-ca domains to the people who need domains. That's exactly what we're trying to do. I hope you'll track the campaign with some interest and give it a chance.

 

[jaydub]

Just stating my POV...not an attack on you, your efforts here or your views.
Better late than never is fine, as it is the option available now...that's all from me...over and out.

Good Luck to you..

 

[Jeff Rybak]

Just stating my POV...not an attack on you, your efforts here or your views.
Better late than never is fine, as it is the option available now...that's all from me...over and out.

Good Luck to you..

Understood, and thanks. As I said before, a certain degree of frustration is very understandable and inevitable. And yeah, fully acknowledged. If we could go back in time by about a decade or more, and see where things were headed ... we look at dot-uk sometimes with considerable envy. Their penetration is insane. But at this point we can only play the hand we've got, and do our best to make modest gains each year.

Totally understand where you're coming from, and thanks for clarifying it.