It seems like a plethora of American advertising agency associations in recent weeks have just woken up to the fact that new generic Top Level Domains are coming. Individually groups such as American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers have been complaining to ICANN with letters strewn with errors.
Since this has not worked, the organisations have banded together with 87 of their co-conspirators to wail that the world will end with the introduction of new gTLDs and formed the Coalition for Responsible Internet Domain Oversight (CRIDO).
Showing that they either display a lack of knowledge of the process, or are not of afraid of hyperbole, the organisation claims the new gTLD programme is deeply flawed, will lead to excessive cost and harm to brand owners, lead to the likelihood of predatory cyber harm to consumers and failure to act in the public interest, which they note is a core requirement of ICANN's commitment to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
"This unprecedented, united opposition to ICANN's top-level domain expansion program clearly demonstrates the enormity of the dissatisfaction across the Internet stakeholder community," Bob Liodice, President and CEO of the ANA moans in the news release announcing CRIDO, giving a bizarre definition of the "internet stakeholder community."
"The major global industries represented by CRIDO foresee immense damage to their constituents, consumers and the economy. We implore ICANN to discontinue its efforts to roll out this ill-conceived, unwanted and destructive program."
Members of CRIDO include the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Society of Association Executives, the National Restaurant Association, the Intellectual Property Owners Association, the American Council of Life Insurers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA). The WFA represents a global network of 51 advertiser associations representing some 90 per cent of global marketing communications spending, equivalent to $700 billion annually.
To date, the following 47 associations have joined CRIDO and signed a petition that will be sent to the US Department of Commerce publicly stating their opposition to new gTLDs:
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- AAF-Amarillo
- AAF-Dallas
- AAF-Fort Worth
- AAF Hampton Roads
- AdClub Cincinnati
- American Advertising Federation (AAF)
- American Advertising Federation of Des Moines
- American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA)
- American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As)
- American Beverage Association (ABA)
- American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI)
- American Health Care Association (AHCA)
- American Insurance Association (AIA)
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA)
- American Society of Association Executives (ASAE)
- Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA)
- Association of National Advertisers (ANA)
- Austin Advertising Federation
- Boise Advertising Federation
- Cable Advertising Bureau (CAB)
- Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
- Direct Marketing Association (DMA)
- European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA)
- European Publishers Council (EPC)
- Food Marketing Institute (FMI)
- Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA)
- Idaho Advertising Federation
- Idaho Falls Advertising Federation
- Intellectual Property Owners Association (IPO)
- Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
- IAB Europe
- Lewis-Clark Valley Advertising Federation
- Magic Valley Advertising Federation
- Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)
- MPA - the Association of Magazine Media
- National Association of Broadcasters (NAB)
- National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
- National Confectioners Association (NCA)
- National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR)
- National Restaurant Association (NRA)
- Pocatello Advertising Federation
- Promotion Marketing Association (PMA)
- Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB)
- Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA)
- Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB)
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce
- World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) - Which includes fifty independent federations throughout the world
Additionally, the following 40 companies have joined CRIDO and signed their petition:
- Acxiom
- Adobe Systems Incorporated
- Allstate Insurance Company
- American Express
- Brinker International
- Burger King Corporation
- The Coca-Cola Company
- Combe Incorporated
- ConAgra Foods
- Costco Wholesale Corporation
- Darden Restaurants, Inc.
- Dell Inc.
- Dunkin Brands, Inc.
- Educational Testing Service (ETS)
- Fidelity Investments
- Ford Motor Company
- General Electric Company
- Hack Creative
- Hewlett-Packard Company
- Hunter Douglas NA
- J.C. Penney Company, Inc.
- Johnson & Johnson
- Kellogg Company
- La Quinta
- Liberty Mutual
- MillerCoors
- Money Mailer of Amarillo
- Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
- Neon Sun Tanning Salon
- Nestle USA
- ORCI
- OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC
- Papa John's
- Procter & Gamble
- Publicis Groupe
- Pulte Group
- Samsung
- US Bank
- Vanguard
- Verge.