When a Generic Domain Doesn’t Match…
As some of you know, in 2003 I got into the bobblehead business by leveraging my Internet marketing expertise, which at the time got FadToys.com to rank in the top search results for ‘bobbleheads.’ Paid Search in those days was GoTo.com (which became Overture and than acquired by Yahoo) where I got qualified traffic for literally pennies and paid inclusion (remember Inktomi) where I paid $15 per URL per year to get indexed organically…those were the days!!!
Like any good startup, I pivoted in 2006 with a focus on custom bobbleheads and successfully launched AllBobbleheads.com and a decade later BobbleBoss.com.
This week the bobblehead “bat phone” rang and I got extremely excited as the caller ID displayed CottonCandyCom; many thoughts flew threw my head in the two seconds it took me to answer the phone and of course pull up the domain before I even said “Hello…”
The caller was indeed someone looking to purchase bobbleheads and I quickly navigated the conversation to ask ‘Bob’ for his email address so I can send him our catalog. ‘Bob’ proceeded to give me his email address which was @CottonCandy.com. “Oh” I said, “you work at CottonCandy.com? Do you sell cotton candy?”
‘Bob’ admitted that CottonCandy.com does NOT sell cotton candy; although they do get plenty of requests for cotton candy (go figure!!).
I than shifted from bobbleheads to domaining….and asked – “So have you always owned CottonCandy.com or did you acquire it?” (logging into Domain Tools as I asked, LOL).
‘Bob’ clearly was not an owner of the company as he replied “yeah, we’ve always had it” and I quickly discovered that CottonCandy.com was registered in November 1999 by Gary Chernoff, an extremely well respected domain investor!!
It looks like the domain name transferred from Chernoff’s NetIncome Ventures, Inc. to Canadian-based Cotton Candy Inc. in November 2012.
I also researched Archive.org and without question Chernoff had the domain until 2012 as previous historical screenshots confirm the current domain holder (Cotton Candy, Inc.) did NOT control the domain.
It also appears that Cotton Candy, Inc. has registered and procured other cotton candy-related domain names including:
While it does NOT sell cotton candy, the twenty-four year company provides corporate branded merchandise….
I personally do NOT understand how CottonCandy.com does not offer cotton candy?? For heaven’s sake do a joint-venture with a cotton candy manufacturer and put some qualified traffic to good use!! Or maybe use CottonCandyPromos.com (available for hand registration) for your promo business and launch a cotton candy business on CottonCandy.com
What are YOUR thoughts? Let us know!
Strategic Travel & Tourism Advisor | Speaker | Travel Tech Advisor | Podcast Host | Adventure Specialist | Community Building
8 年The big one that springs to mind is Kayak.com and Kayak.co.uk which are huge in flights, hotels etc but not in Kayaks! As the owner of rafting.co.uk and canyoning.co.uk I spent sometime trying to get kayak.co.uk a few year back. The seller had a much bigger buyer than me!
Academic Dean ?? PC Professor Technical Institute ?? [email protected] ?? 561-684-3333
8 年Keep up the awesome work, Garry Chernoff. Nice post Andrew Hazen. Howard@PCProfessor.Edu
The3DPrinter.com
8 年Hello Andrew Hazen, I liked what you wrote about CottonCandy.Com . I have been bashing my head against the walls of the domain name business seriously now for about 7 years. Since 2010 I have developed a 469 .Com portfolio of 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing names. 3DPrintedElectronics.Com is one of them. Nano-Di.Com is a company that is pioneering the 3D Printed Electronics field and uses the exact term "3D Printed Electronics" on every page of their website and it is also plastered prominently at there booths for every trade show they attend. My last communication with Simon Fried, communications officer for nano-di, he asserted that they prefer using there brand name and see no value in the generic term!! lol , hello!!