Melbourne, 24 March 2004 - Chris Disspain, CEO of .au Domain Administration (auDA), today advised marketers that they should check the availability of .au domain names before launching new brands in Australia.

This advice is in response to a recent article in the Australian Financial Review titled 'Developers play the name game' (March 18, 2004, p54).  In this article a property developer stated that property names and brands are often determined by the availability of the domain name because they were marketed primarily via the Internet.

"All marketers, not just those in property development, should check the availability of a new brand’s .au domain name if they are to ensure the brand is successfully launched," said Mr Disspain.

Now more than ever before, Australians rely on the Internet to source information about new products and services being launched in Australia.

"As most Australians are now conditioned to look for local brand names with a .au domain name, it would be a fundamental marketing error not to ensure any brand’s .au domain name availability, prior to public launch," continued Mr Disspain.

Creating a brand where .au domain name is already registered could have dramatic financial repercussions on an organisation.

"If you create a brand that someone else already registered as a .au domain name, quite simply, you’ll need to spend more money to ensure consumers remember a non-intuitive domain name or go back to the drawing board and create a new brand.  Either way, it’s a big cost that can easily be avoided," he said.

Most marketers now realise the power of the Internet to disseminate information about products and services.  As a result, more and more brand names are determined by the availability of .au domain names.

"It was always inevitable that the Internet would one day shape the commercial environment in a much more pervasive manner than was anticipated even 10 years ago.  Nowadays, the availability of a .au domain name may determine a brand more than the actual product or service," said Mr Disspain.

auDA advises all marketers that the availability of .au domain names can be easily determined by accessing the WHOIS database at www.ausregistry.com.au.

"Through the WHOIS database, any business in Australia, either large or small, can check domain name availability quickly and free of charge," concluded Mr Disspain.

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About auDA

.au Domain Administration Ltd (auDA) is an Australian not-for-profit company vested with the responsibility of operating the .au domain for the benefit of all stakeholders.

In its role as manager of the .au domain, auDA carries out the following functions:

• develop and implement domain name policy
• license 2LD registry operators
• accredit and license registrars
• implement consumer safeguards
• facilitate .au Dispute Resolution Policy
• represent .au at ICANN and other international fora.

For more information:

Blackie McDonald
Grant Thomas, Account Director or Luke Dean, Account Manager
02 9929 0200
Grant.Thomas@bmcd.com.au