Yep, Youâre Not Dreaming, We Are Late
Sorry we’re a day late on sending out this newsletter, but the truth is we were kidnapped by Santa’s mischievous gnomes! They took us on a wild ride through the North Pole, and we just managed to escape. But fear not, we’ve come back full of holiday cheer and some branding and naming news.
I See You, I Feeeel You (Sing it!)
Yeah, not the one you expected. Facial recognition is a biometric software that uses a person’s unique facial characteristics to identify and authenticate them. The market for facial recognition is moderately fragmented, with a growing number of startups entering the field. This year, the top trends in facial recognition are expected to be artificial intelligence, machine learning (especially deep learning), and machine vision technologies. These technologies allow for the matching of images from cameras with images in databases and enable complex facial recognition systems.
Facial recognition technology is being used in a variety of applications, including detecting individuals wearing protective equipment, temperature sensing, and digital healthcare. It is also being used for digital marketing on social media platforms. According to Juniper Research, facial recognition hardware, such as Face ID on iPhones, is the fastest-growing form of smartphone biometric hardware. In a recent analysis, we examined 115 companies in the facial recognition field and their domain names. Our findings are detailed in the report.
Entrepreneurship From South Africa to Canada
Meet Peter Wright in one of our latest Podcast episodes! Peter is an experienced podcast co-host, speaker, and writer. In addition to publishing a book, he has a background in coaching and consulting. His wealth of knowledge and diverse background makes him an engaging and insightful speaker. Plus, his experiences living in various places give him a unique perspective on a wide range of topics.
From Doorbot to Ring: How a Successful Rebrand Led to the Rise of a Household Name in Home Security
In 2011, Jamie Siminoff and a team of five engineers started working on a doorbell system called DoorBot in Siminoffâs garage. DoorBot allowed users to see and speak to visitors from their smartphone. Despite limited funding, the team was able to launch DoorBot to the public in December 2012 and start shipping orders less than a year later. In 2013, DoorBot appeared on the television show Shark Tank, but did not receive an investment from the Sharks. However, in late 2014, DoorBot raised $5.5 million in funding and rebranded to Ring.
While I am not into domains as an investment I think the ultra premium ones do make a big difference. When we talk to a partner and give them an email address, name@ring.com, they always say âwow.â Also from a viral perspective everyone can remember Ring.com. I think it is not one thing but many variables that make the ultra premium domains still valuable for companies.
Jamie Siminoff, Founder of Ring for NamePros
According to Ringâs blog, the company chose the name Ring because it had two meanings: the sound a doorbell makes, and the sense of security that a Ring doorbell system provides around a home. The company also acquired the domain name Ring.com, which it believed would be memorable and help the company stand out.
How is your domain serving your business? Feel free to book a call and discuss how to leverage the power of domains for your brand.
Rebranding to Success: Clarus Commerce Rebrands as ebbo After Acquiring PrizeLogic
Following the successful acquisition of PrizeLogic in late 2021, Clarus Commerce, a renowned provider of comprehensive loyalty solutions, has rebranded as ebbo.
The ebbo brand represents the convergence of two industry leaders in the loyalty space: Clarus Commerce and PrizeLogic. Clarus Commerce has been providing innovative, full-service loyalty solutions to help brands engage and reward their best customers since 2001, while PrizeLogic has been powering loyalty, promotions, and rebate programs for top brands in retail, CPG, and travel & hospitality since 2008.
The newly formed brand ebbo is able to offer its clients an even broader range of expertise and experience in the loyalty industry. The company has also invested in the exact brand match domain name ebbo.com
Shop Ukrainian Brands This Holiday Season and Support Local Talent While Getting Great Gifts
Itâs been 300 days since the life of Ukrainians changed fundamentally. Even though the war in Ukraine began eight years ago, it was on the morning of February 24th that the whole country, as well as many Ukrainians living abroad, woke up with the understanding that now they and their loved ones are in danger. In the 21st century, a whole nation began a fight for its right to exist.
Looking to support Ukraine during the holiday season? Consider shopping from these 100+ Ukrainian brands! By supporting Ukrainian businesses, you can help boost the economy and promote local talent.
In other news
Here are the stories from other publications that caught our attention.
Lionel Messi Leads Argentina to Victory in the FIFA World Cup 2022
The 2022 FIFA World Cup has reached its epic conclusion, with Argentina defeating France in one of the most exciting championship matches in the competition’s history. Led by the unstoppable Lionel Messi, Argentina brought an end to a month of non-stop action and cemented their place in the annals of soccer history. This is a game and a night that fans of both teams will never forget. Here are some brandsâ reactions.
Oh, TwitterâŚ
Itâs been quite a week for Twitter. From suspending journalistsâ accounts, through policy changes that affect brands (well, just about everyone, really), to voting on whether Musk should quit as CEO – itâs been a hell of a twitter ride! This can be fun to watch from the side but if your business depends on it it may end up hitting your pocket. The solution? Brand independence. We can surely help with that so reach out if you want to start the new year a step closer to building a strong, independent business online.
Whatâs in a Domain Name? Colorado May Spend $2 million to Switch to .gov
The state of Colorado is transitioning from the “state.co.us” domain extension to the “gov” extension due to security concerns, specifically related to “phishing” attacks. The transition has already begun, but the Governor’s Office of Information Technology is requesting $2 million in funding to complete the switch. The “.us” extension is vulnerable to phishing attempts as anyone can register a .us domain and deceive state employees or citizens through email.
â.us domains are subject to phishing attempts,â the budget proposal says. âAnyone can register a .us domain through many of the publicly available domain registrar. For instance, someone could register âco.state.usâ or âstate.col.usâ or âstates.co.us.â then email our users from these fake domains.â
Does âouchâ cover it? As an entrepreneur and business owner considering the risks of country extensions is worth the time before you start heavily investing in building your brand.
Fashion Tech Startup Virgio Has Raised $37M in Their Series A Funding Round
Indian fashion tech startup Virgio has secured $37 million in a Series A funding round, led by Prosus Ventures, Accel, and Alpha Wave. The funds will be used for technology development and hiring, according to a company statement. The brand has secured the perfect brand match domain, Virgio.com.
Founded in 2022 by former Myntra CEO Amar Nagaram, Virgio uses technology to streamline the design, manufacturing, and purchasing process in the fashion industry. The startup’s target market is Gen Z and late millennials.
Quote of the Week
Our company has always been called âNeighbor,â so people would naturally type in Neighbor.com assuming we owned the domain. All of that direct traffic was lost. Making the switch eliminated that problem.
Joseph Woodbury, CEO and founder at Neighbor.com (SmartBranding)
We hope the above information is useful to you in your journey of building a strong brand online. What do you want to see in our next newsletter? Let us know, we are happy to help you find the information you need!
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