According to reports the pizza chain plans to invest £100m over the next six years to revamp its 700 restaurants in the UK but according to NetNames it has overlooked implementing a solid online brand protection strategy by not registering some of its most valuable domains..
Pastahut.com was registered many years ago but Pizzahut did not attempt to buy this domain before the announcement was made. Instead, for this marketing campaign, Pizza Hut registered the domain Pastahut.co.uk. However they failed to register any other extension including the ..net or .org or .info and not suprisingly, Pastahut.net, Pastahut.info and Pastahut.org have been registered by cybersquatters and filled with Google-style pay-per-click links, according to domain name specialist NetNames.
NetNames chief operating officer Jonathan Robinson said although Pizza Hut would have undertaken significant planning for the rebrand, failure to register the domain name could be a costly mistake.
"It never fails to surprise us how quick off the mark cybersquatters are to register the domains of major brands where given the opportunity," he said. "Organisations need to manage their online brand effectively and proactively register relevant domains well ahead of a major launch or rebrand."
The type of stories hurt the reputation of domainers at large but proves yet again that “big business” doesn't understand the importance and complexitiy of their online presence. This is another good example where a corporate giant proved incompetent in protecting their brand in the quickest, simplest manner. To manage your online brand identity and prevent this type of fiasco, DomainNews recommends hiring an online brand protection agency such as eBrandservices.
