MEDIA-I: Lycos in URL dispute as campaign starts

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