The Mayor of London Boris Johnson championed a phenomenal opportunity for businesses to link to the capital’s powerful brand, as Dot London domain names are now on sale worldwide.
Interest in Dot London has been strong from the start and on the first day the new domain name went on general availability over 9000 domains were registered making a total of over 44,000 registrations now received. Leading businesses that have signed up include Fortnum & Mason, KPMG, Metro Bank, Cath Kidston, ZSL London Zoo, the menswear clothing firm dunhill, The Royal College of Art, and Storm Models, who represent models such as Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne. Today, the Mayor met some of the first businesses and organisations who have taken up the opportunity to have a Dot London Domain name.
Following a successful three-month launch phase during which Londoners and London-based businesses received priority for their applications, Dot London domains are now available to all companies and individuals who want to create a digital link with the city. Strong interest has been received from the capital’s most recognisable brands, business organisations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Premium names have also been particularly popular with the average price for premium names such as enterprise.london and smart.london standing at over £200 a year.
Boris Johnson, The Mayor of London said: “The launch of Dot London is one of the most exciting things to have happened on London’s digital scene for many years, and it’s thrilling to be right at the centre of this ground-breaking moment. London’s new domain name provides a phenomenal opportunity to link businesses all over the world with our city’s powerful brand.”
Gordon Innes, Chief Executive of London & Partners, the official promotional company for London, said: “London is an internationally recognised city brand and we are delighted a huge range of businesses and individuals from across the world have registered for Dot London domain names in order to be linked to the capital. Dot London enables businesses big and small to put London right at the heart of their businesses and online branding.”
A number of London and UK-based sports teams and associations, including West Ham United and Harlequins, have also registered their Dot London names with the aim of bolstering their links with London’s reputation as one of the world’s leading international sporting arenas.
Harlequins Head of Marketing and Communications, Imogen Gaunt said: “Deciding to adopt a Dot London domain name was a very easy decision for us at Harlequins. We are the London rugby club with a vibrant history in the city and a real heritage within the capital. This domain reinforces our London position and augments the relationships we have with our supporters and partners in the city.”
The new domain name has also, as expected, proved to be popular with many of London’s SMEs, with applications from companies like Highgate-based classic car dealers, Hexagon Classics; family-run organic butchers, Grahams; and Southeast London-based The Cake Store, who have been baking since 1945.
Paul Michaels, chairman of Hexagon Classics, said: “For over 50 years we have been in the business of dealing with iconic luxury British motoring brands, such as Jaguar and Aston Martin, so having a Dot London domain name will allow us to stand out from the rest and strengthen our link with one of the most seminal brands in the world – London.”
Antony Van Couvering, Chief Executive of Minds + Machines, the commercial partner of Dot London, said: “By acquiring a Dot London domain name, businesses, museums, shops, theatres and galleries will secure a web address that is more relevant to them as a London brand, identifying them as either being located or associated with the city. This is something that will not only strengthen their link with the city but also help raise their profile and improve their credibility as an internationally recognised brand.”
Demand for Dot London domain names remains strong with registrars, such as 123 –reg, Easyspace, Fasthosts, 1&1, Minds + Machines and Go Daddy. Dot London is one of more than 1,000 new gTLDs being released by ICANN, the global internet body, as alternatives to ‘.com’ or ‘.co.uk’, a move hailed by ICANN as changing the internet forever. Other city based domain names include ‘.paris’, ‘.berlin’ and ‘.nyc’.
