GTLD Digital Brand Strategist Jennifer Wolfe Releases New Book "Domain Names Rewired"

Cincinnati, Ohio, November 15, 2012 – A highly anticipated second “act” for generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) digital brand strategist Jennifer Wolfe and former US Commissioner of Trademarks Anne Chasser – Wolfe Domain, the leading gTLD digital brand strategy firm, today announced the release of Domain Names Rewired following the successful publication of Brand Rewired in 2009.

Delivering a clear message to brands that the Internet will experience a complete paradigm shift as more than 1,400 new gTLDS will launch in 2013, Domain Names Rewired details the most critical digital strategies for brands in building and protecting their organizations’ interests.

“Largely under the radar of even sophisticated and savvy business executives, when the new Internet launches in 2013, businesses of all sizes will need guidance on how to respond,” said Wolfe. “Organizations’ digital strategies will need to evolve to evaluate which domain names they use and how they connect to social media, apps and other mobile technologies. The next generation of the Internet is upon us and brands need to engage or they will be left behind.”

Domain Names Rewired covers the business community’s response to the program, opportunities, new business models and what is needed to defend brands in this new regime. In addition, authors Wolfe and Chasser interviewed global leaders in trade organizations, corporations, technology and other thought leaders including Microsoft Corporation, Verizon Communications, Neustar, Proctor & Gamble and RE/MAX to identify and predict trends. Based upon their research, a few trends emerged:

• Many of the generic TLD business will fail and new business models will emerge, just as in the .com era.

• There will be increased merger & acquisition activity because large companies that did not apply will look for companies that did apply and adopt successful strategies to acquire.

• This will likely spawn innovative activity that may lead to an increase in IPOs of the companies that get it right. IPOs always follow innovative or disruptive technology as a fast way to generate capital and grow at an accelerated rate.

• Elimination of cable and traditional television will accelerate. A few trusted sources will emerge as aggregators of content. Consumers will select a handful of sites and apps they trust to manage their entire life and world online.

• Brick and mortar retail will need to become a destination source of entertainment in driving consumers to continue visiting actual store locations. Additionally they will need to tie their in-store experience to savings for consumers purchasing other products online.

• There will be new ways of navigating the Internet and accessing communities and apps, and disruptive innovation will result. Search won’t die, but it must evolve.

Horacio Gutierrez, corporate vice president and deputy general counsel for Microsoft writes, "Domain Names Rewired takes a topic so far reserved for specialists—ICANN's upcoming release of over 1,000 new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs)—and makes plain why everyone else should care about it, and how they should think about the threats and opportunities that the resulting new Internet will present to them and their businesses. With full command of the technical aspects of the topic and keen awareness of the relevant historical precedents, Wolfe and Chasser spell out the impact of the new regime on existing Internet business models and predict the emergence of new ones. Just as in the settlement of the American West, the new frontiers opened by ICANN's regime will open doors to a new breed of pioneers, cowboys, trappers, prospectors, and miners. Like their predecessors in American history, only those who are well prepared for the new environment will succeed. Reading Domain Names Rewired is a great way to begin the preparation."

Published by Wiley & Sons, Domain Names Rewired is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

Wolfe launched Wolfe Domain in late 2011 to provide comprehensive guidance to global brands, interactive agencies, domain registrars and legal counsel representatives, on establishing and evolving holistic gTLD, name-anchored brand strategies for the next generation of the Internet. Using its proprietary Digital Mapping™ tool, Wolfe Domain helps brands and their partners develop digital brand plans that effectively leverage a new gTLD strategy as the foundation for branding, social media and mobile initiatives. Wolfe is also a member of the ICANN’s prestigious Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO) Council, the policy-development body responsible for developing and recommending substantive policies relating to gTLDs to ICANN’s Board.

About Wolfe Domain

Wolfe Domain is a gTLD digital brand strategy advisory firm, providing comprehensive guidance to global brands, interactive agencies, domain registrars and legal counsel representatives on establishing a holistic gTLD, name-anchored brand strategy for the next generation of the Internet. With thousands of new gTLD names set to launch in 2013 and an entirely new set of rules on the Internet, Wolfe Domain was founded to help Fortune 1000 and emerging growth organizations evolve and strengthen their brand identities in this next generation of digital engagement, regardless of whether they applied for gTLDs. Using its proprietary Digital Mapping™ tool, Wolfe Domain helps brands and their partners develop digital brand plans that effectively leverage a new gTLD strategy as the foundation for branding, social media and mobile initiatives. Visit www.wolfedomain.com for more information.