Campaign will promote the Web’s hottest property

123-reg, the UK’s leading domain registrar, has launched a campaign in association with Verisign, the global leader in domain names, to promote the use of the .com top-level domain (TLD) by businesses of all sizes.

The campaign will build on the 2012 SME / brand awareness campaign which promoted the .com domain and used the tagline: ‘Whatever your business, put it online with 123-Reg.’ It will include a powerful campaign on the London Underground as well as the creation of a bespoke YouTube video – all designed to promote 123-reg as the UK’s number one domain registrar, and the .com domain as the ideal choice to help small businesses develop their presence on the Web. Social media activity will be aligned to the outdoor campaign and across 123-reg’s Twitter and Facebook channels as well as print advertising in the London Metro, Yorkshire Post and leading trade publications.

Matt Mansell, Head of Domain Strategy for Host Europe Group, 123-reg’s parent company, said: “A .com domain is the most sought after TLD worldwide and the default extension for most people when they type a site address. While country-specific domains, such as .de and.fr, are great for localising your site to a particular territory, and the soon-to-launch gTLDs, such as .book, are useful for communicating with a specific audience, there’s no denying the immediate appeal of a .com domain for a business. .com stands for commercial and is the standard for doing business online. The domain has secured the position as the most prized TLD on the Web for businesses in every field, and has helped to define the Internet itself.

“Indeed, most people tend to type .com into the browser, assuming your site has this extension. Few think of trying other domain extensions. .com is considered a default extension because when you type "companyname" into the browser address bar. By registering a .com domain, you ensure your visitors will find you easily,” he continued.

“Many businesses, especially start-ups, are under the false impression that .com domains are either prohibitively expensive, or too hard to secure. But that isn’t the case. While millions of new .com domain names are registered every year, if your preferred .com domain is already taken, you can take advantage of our domain back ordering service where you can reserve the domain you want and we’ll try and secure it for you when it becomes available,” Mansell concluded.

View the bespoke YouTube video here: https://www.123-reg.co.uk/123-com/customer-service/