SINGAPORE: Lycos has dropped "Asia" from its name across regional
countries, except in Hong Kong where it failed to register the
Lycos.com.hk domain.
The portal has also launched a multi-million dollar regional advertising
campaign, created by Leo Burnett, which aims to re-position the search
engine as a destination site.
The name change is an effort by Lycos to brand its Asian portals as part
of the global network, according to T. C. Chao, Lycos Asia marketing
manager in Hong Kong,
"All sites except Hong Kong will drop Asia from Lycos Asia's name. The
reason is mostly for convenience, and it makes sense to brand it as part
of the worldwide network. We don't really see the need to keep the
Asia.
"Hong Kong, though, will keep the Lycos Asia name and that is basically
because we have had trouble with the URL. Someone has already taken it.
We are working with the legal department to get it, but until that
happens, we will continue to use Lycos Asia. We don't know who has
registered it, but it's obviously a pretty clever person," said
Chao.
Lycos' failure to register the URL could mean the portal is in for a
lengthy and costly legal fight.
Martin Roll, vice-president of global marketing and PR at Speednames,
said: "Companies need to plan ahead and protect their brand name for the
future. While the figure for settlement of cybersquatting cases is
rarely released, we know it can get very expensive.
"However, as well as the money, it is the hassle and the damage this can
cause to a brand name. Top management should have been aware of this as
it is not a new issue."
The regional branding campaign brands the company under the new name and
incorporates the tagline "Look no further" into the creative, which
hinges on man's innate desire for knowledge. It features different
facets of human curiosity in everyday life.
The television commercial, running in Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan,
will be supplemented by print and poster adsvertising.
The commercial shows an older woman peering through a window, with
children looking through a fence and a man gazing at his pregnant wife's
stomach.
"Because it's a regional campaign it has to be universally understood",
said Tay Guan Hin, Leo Burnett Singapore creative director.
"To communicate effectively we've used no word play and relied on simple
story-telling and emotion so people can relate to it more," he
added.
Lycos continues to depend on online advertising to generate revenue.
It is counting on the new ad campaign on boosting the number of visitors
to its sites across Asia.
As well as a search engine, the portal's other features include
information channels, covering news, finance and entertainment.
