I always find it interesting to see businesses using a new domain name extension, especially startup businesses. A little over a week ago, I saw a tweet about a new social club in Napa Valley that launched its website on a .Club domain name:
New in #Napa Valley: “AMERICA’S FIRST PRIVATE CLUB FOR COOKING ENTHUSIASTS” https://t.co/spi84GeSQ4 @kcclubnapa #Cooking #FineDining #Wine
— .CLUB Domains (@getDotClub) November 4, 2016
In this tweet, the .Club registry highlighted a recently opened high-end Napa Valley culinary  and social  club  called Kitchen Collective. As you can see, this business is using a recently registered .Club domain name for its website: KitchenCollective.Club.
Kitchen Collective is billed as “America’s first urban cooking club.” According to a press release announcing the club, “Kitchen Collective is the only culinary club of its kind in the nation.” The initiation and membership fees are fairly steep, but  I could see it becoming popular in a major foodie area  such as Napa Valley. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the private club expand to other cities should they find success in Napa.
The KitchenCollective.Club domain name was hand registered in March of this year at GoDaddy. Garret Murphy, Founder of Kitchen Collective, told me that he learned about .Club domain names through GoDaddy’s website after trying to buy KitchenCollective.com. The KitchenCollective.com domain name has been registered for several years, although it doesn’t appear to be in use right now. I am unsure if he made an offer to buy the .com domain name or opted to buy the .club domain name when he realized the .com was registered.
I asked Garret if he is concerned about people not understanding  what .Club is and possibly not being able to find the club’s website. He said he hasn’t  had any issues. He also told me he has a back up plan. “I have also purchased several other domain names with a traditional “.com” just in case we come across any issues and need to change it later,” he told me.
I think Kitchen Collective is a good example of a business using a new domain name for its website.
Pretty awful domain imo. Hard to say, spell, too long for a non .com.
If you’re gonna go gtld at least choose a one word prefix.
Is it collective kitchen club, club kitchen collective, kitchen collective club .com, I don’t remember.
I don’t agree with you.
They chose their brand name in a .club. If you can’t remember the Kitchen Collective brand name, it would not have anything to do with the domain name. Also, it would be much more confusing if they chose Kitchen.Club or some other one word name that didn’t match their brand simply based on domain name availability.
I didn’t ask, but my assumption is that the domain name is much less important to them than other aspects of their branding. The .Club was a cost effective selection that suits their needs.
When you choose alliteration that is three words including the extension, and the words can make sense in any combination, it is not a wise branding move. Very difficult to remember.
I hand registered alliterativedomains.com (along with alliterationdomains.com) several years ago. I’ve had a fancy for these types of domains for 18 years but they have to be unique and easy to remember. The example above is neither.
Hands down the domain is horrible, not because it is a GTLD, because it is a GTLD with Keyword1Keyword2.Keyword3
Some places gtlds work Kitchen.Collective, some places they do not work KitchenCollective.Club
Yes, I know there is no .Collective, but that is the shortfalls of going this route, confusion, and looks horrible in marketing materials.
When you state the domain is much less important to them, you have basically deflated your point, and admitted the domain is weak.
I never said the domain name is “strong.” I think it makes sense for their purposes.
Thanks for the post Elliot. At the end of the day, it is interesting and innovative end-users like Kitchen Collective that inspires us, and let’s us know we’re on the right track with .CLUB. Many of these sites are achieving success and notoriety in their own right, and we’re honored they chose a .CLUB name for their domain. Just last week Forbes wrote about the “innovative organization” 42nd.club… http://www.forbes.com/sites/marchershberg/2016/11/10/barriers-fall-for-broadway-investing/
Kitchen Collective sounds like a great concept and we look forward to following their success!
I think KitchenCollective.club is ok…
If the name have been better the name would have been bought already.
I do however think that “Kitchen.club” would have been way better and has a reasonable price.
$2,318 with Uniregistry
I disagree for three reasons.
1) I think Kitchen.Club is far more generic
2) Kitchen.Club does not match their brand name
3) Kitchen Collective is a more upscale brand name than simply “Kitchen Club”
I don’t own any .Club domain names and I have very few new gTLD investments, so I don’t really have a horse in this game. Just my own observations.
I agree with @Elliot. While we love to sell premium names like Kitchen.club, in this case I think KitchenCollective.club is more of a desirable and memorable brand name than just the keyword Kitchen would be, especially with their model of a more exclusive and luxurious club.
Full Disclosure: I DO have a horse in this game. 😉
Honestly I’m surprised he used a .club when he has owned TheKitchenCollective.com for a few years. Even with “The” in the name it is far superior than having a .club extension.
@Todd. I am not that surprised they chose a .CLUB because they are in fact a club! TheKitchenCollective.com could be anything – a site that sells Kitchen utensils or Kitchen appliances, or anything Kitchen related. KitchenCollective.club is more clearly a club. The Kitchen Collective club. The value of many of the new extensions comes from the meaning they can add to the right of the dot that adds value and clarification to the stuff on the left of the dot. It is a different mindset from using a purely generic extension. Sure, I am biased, but when the extension is relevant it can actually make a better domain…
In my opinion it confuses the branding. They are the Kitchen Collective not the Kitchen Collective Club. Yes they are a club but they aren’t using club in the branding. When the left of the dot and the right of the dot collectively are the brand then it makes since. This is why non generic extension like com and net work because they have nothing to do with the brand. I do love love the new G’s but only when it doesn’t cause confusion of the brand.
That is a reasonable take.
We can keep an eye on this business and see if they change the domain name in the future, as it seems they are prepared to do in the future if necessary.
I prefer Kitchen.Club , 2 words max! KitchenCollective.Club is too long!
They should upgrade the club name Kitchen Collective to Kitchen Club, then spend $2318 for Kitchen.Club
Simple.
As far as I am concerned, “Kitchen Club” sounds low end and does not have the same cache as “Kitchen Collective.”
Nothing wrong with Kitchen Club, but that doesn’t sound as nice.
If I were creating a lifestyle club brand, domain name availability would be very low on my list unless my business needed a major online presence. Even then, I would pick the brand first and find a good domain name that worked.
You are right it’s way to generic. Luxury targeted businesses can’t survive without optimal branding. The wealthy live for brands and hate anything generic. I also agree that if your business is not primarily an online business then it’s very easy to name the business first and then come up with a domain that works. The total reverse if online is the main target.
why not just go with a mobile friendly and easy to remember domain like KCC.co KCC.xyz KCC.org?
Shorter the better. Less to remember the better. Three words is too much unless it is something really familiar like LifeisShort.com or BackToBusiness.com