You Can Ride a Horse, You Can’t Ride a Stampede

Morning Folks!!

Want answers? Always look at both sides and do it often. We talk about new gTLD's like this is something new. It ain't. Nobody is putting any fingers in a dyke. I love what is coming. I am looking forward to it. But one must know the difference between getting on a winning horse and getting run over by a stampede. We are witnessing what will be a stampede. A stampede is uncontrolled and comes in a fury and can destroy anything in its path including other horses in the stampede that get trampled to death.

stampede

I look for answers not pronouncements but the conditions indicate certain things that are completely inevitable. So 1000 horses don't mean anything but danger until things thin out. That is why so many are in a wait and see mode. Caution is key unless you have unlimited funds to put at risk and tie up indefinitely. I certainly don't.

It's not like there won't be plenty of inventory. And it will all come to strings and adaptation. Google and Search are the least important parts of the equation the way I see the universe. It means nothing if you are not a destination with content going forward.

In a stampede, the last horse is also the safest horse.

You at least have to answer the question of how many will survive the stampede? If you say all will, then I just don't think that is being realistic. How many and which ones will be woven into the fabric of the internet and how many will get trampled and have no meaning? I just don't know how an extension with maybe 1000 or less meaningful combination strings survives or gets any oxygen or traction in the scheme of things. So I look to those that could have wide adaptation.

Arguably auction.xyz is one of the very best of that extension. It sold for $310. So can it be sold for $500?Maybe. Probably. But I would first have to put the keyword "Auction" in front of all the other gtld's and at least ask myself is that the strongest and best match? I don't know the answer. Auction.Horses is actually a better choice. Auction.cars. I mean IF we go down this road. But if you correctly brand yourself as the "lands end" in xyz, it is possible. But the odds are against it because of the dollars that would have to spend to brand.

And still, when I re-read the paragraph and look at all the dots it is a bit confusing. End of sentence missing a space? May be years before the common folks even realize it is a url. But this is just in a controlled classroom discussion. It all changes when it hits the air of masses. The stampede is coming and I remember talking of other stampedes back in 1997 and 1998 when folks were deciding whether to go online or not. That was an easy stampede to predict and we are living the outcome as the world is now online. But this stampede has nothing in common other than the stampede itself.

Rick Schwartz

Sears To Close Flagship Store in Chicago. Predicted Right Here 3 DAYS ago!

Morning Folks!!

I have been saying this for a year or two now and here it is.

Sears is closing their FLAGSHIP store in Chicago to go ONLINE!

This one I wrote just THREE DAYS AGO!!

"Retailers will have to analyze those holiday numbers and they are going to one day come to the realization that for folks like JC Penny and Sears to survive, they need to start closing every store that is not growing in sales. BOOM! Just like that. Done! Overnight. Stop the hemorrhaging and focus on what works. Take some of those employees and train them how to use Facebook and Twitter and all the rest and unleash their power of change. The game is over guys. Time to rethink the next 100 years or you won't be around to rethink it. Time is running shorter and Amazon is growing bigger."

http://www.ricksblog.com/2014/01/discover-fortune-can-still-made/#.UuFDM3n0D_Q

This is what I wrote about this in August and stay tuned for my next post as JC Penny is closmg 33 stores and 2000 employees.

http://www.ricksblog.com/2013/08/jc-penny-bleeding-nearly-200-million-a-month-and-still-clueless/#.UuFDv3n0D_Q

http://news.yahoo.com/sears-closes-chicago-flagship-store-moves-online-retail-004125876--sector.html

Here are some thoughts from 2009 about the future of Sears and Pennys and Kmart:

http://www.ricksblog.com/2009/11/ricks-2009-report-card-and-what-2010-is-likely-to-look-like-imo/#.UuFFo3n0D_Q

and 2008

http://www.ricksblog.com/2008/12/the-collapse-of-2009-happy-new-years/#.UuFF9nn0D_Q

http://www.jckonline.com/2014/01/15/jc-penney-closing-33-stores-laying-2000

It's all so forseeable. I see what they get PAID to see.

Rick Schwartz

 

 

The Candy Crush, “Candy” Trademark Saga. TM May be Worth Less Without Domain

Morning Folks!!

As my research department discovered the other day, King.com, owners of Candy Crush, the $1 Million dollar a day hottest game in the world, is trying to trademark the word "Candy". Folks think I would be upset. WHY?? If you have a trademark and don't own the .com domain that goes with it, you got ZILCH going forward!!

logo

And of course Candy.com is a full-fledged business that will do $10 Million in sales in 2014. It is no longer a domain purchase. As I have said for years, we soon will see "Priceless". No, not on Candy.com but other domains in which you would have to buy the company to own the domain. Like any real brand starting with Apple.com. No domain will ever be separated from their brand until they sell the company.

So this is an unauthorized blog post since I have nothing to do with the daily operations of Candy.com. I am just a shareholder.

I would predict that as soon as their sales get past the $10 million mark and start heading toward $20- $25 million with the expansion that is coming, that eventually they will be acquired by the proper company based on the relationship they already have and the domain will become priceless and never be on the market ever again.

This deal is right here right now and I see the single biggest domain sale ever because should they have interest, they would throw away the candy store completely and focus on games and their other things they expect to go into.

So these are just my personal thoughts and there is no offer here, but fellas, you obviously understand the power of domain names with King.com. A domain I certainly would have liked to own but was one that I never got. If you are really that serious about trademarking the word "Candy", then it really has much less value and meaning without the domain. That is my professional opinion. It is consistent with everything I have written for 18 years.

There is an interesting moment here and I hope I don't get some folks inside Candy.com upset but...... for reasons I can't disclose publicly, it is VERY time sensitive. What I can say is the expansion that I talked about is ready to happen. Negotiations started in July. Documents may be signed as earlier as Monday. Once that happens, I will have no real influence as to whether the domain will ever be sold. Some heavy hitters are coming on board and they will not be interested in selling and instead of 2 guys making a decision to ride in the sunset a Board of Directors is about to take over and then folks will understand what priceless means. These are facts.

I never saw a $50 million domain rising like a cake in the oven. But I am looking at one right now because there is a growing and expanding company behind Candy.com and each day that domain has more value because the company has more value. And sooner than most think, it will be priceless. And then they will regret not having Candy.com just as I regret not having King.com. Obviously not going to be a trade here.

I think we all can agree that there is a need. Could even have a want. And where there is want, there is desire. Give me 5 minutes with the Founder and once the need is defined as I would, then the want and the desire can't be held back. I think that condition is already present without me saying a word.

Here is the Google search. This is huge news. The candy trademark issue is on every newscast and is being discussed far and wide be legal scholars and talking heads. I am sure candy.com is enjoying the boost in traffic at what is obviously the slow season:

candy trademark

All that said, I think Candy Crush will have many folks filing objections and that of course would probably include Candy.com as I doubt these guys will just sit back and say nothing. And if they can't trademark the word "Candy" then you tell me what then next best thing would be? And if they can trademark candy, how less valuable is that trademark without owning the .com? These are serious and solid business questions and issues and should be viewed as such. Things I have talked about for many years and not there is at least a very live example.

Rick Schwartz

Disclaimer: Candy.com is in no way affilated with Candy Crush, King.com, Saga. However I did see some of their Candy Crush Candy on the candy.com website.