Provident Financial signs with NetNames for online brand protection

Source: NetNames

Provident Financial, a leading international financial services company has appointed NetNames to manage its 1,000-strong domain name portfolio and protect its well-known brands online including Provident and Yes Insurance.

Provident Financial is taking an assertive stance against cybersquatters, whose activity has increased by 25 per cent in the past year, according to the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

NetNames' Platinum Service, which manages the domain name portfolios for over a third of the FTSE 100 companies, will protect the vital domain names that Provident Financial uses to market its range of financial services online. NetNames will guard Provident Financial's brands from malicious registrations and cybersquatters while ensuring all key domain names, especially those used for customer service are renewed without fail.

Prior to appointing NetNames, Provident Financial's domain name portfolio had been distributed among each of its individual European offices. As the organisation's customer base grew to over 1.65 million, its domain name portfolio expanded and there was a need to simplify and centralise its management. This will enable Provident Financial to focus on its core competencies while being assured that its domain names are in safe hands.

NetNames will work closely with Provident Financial to check availability and secure domain names relevant to new product and service launches in each of Provident Financial's key European markets.

Jonathan Robinson, Chief Operating Officer for NetNames, commented: "The cybersquatting epidemic shows no signs of abating and financial services organisations are among domain name speculators' favourite targets. Provident Financial clearly understands the importance of domain names to its overall business and we're looking forward to working together to ensure ensuring their domain name strategy fully supports the business' wider marketing activity and new product development."

Provident Financial's domain name portfolio will be proactively managed by a senior account manager at NetNames who will advise on key online brand protection issues and work with Provident Financial to develop a robust domain name strategy.

Alison Shield, Digital Media Manager at Provident Financial commented, "Internet penetration levels are growing quickly in our Eastern and Central European markets and the web is becoming an increasingly important marketing tool for our International division. Domain names are at the heart of our online growth strategy and are fundamental to our business. We have had great success using campaign-specific domain names to capture public interest for our Provident brand. We're confident that our online brands are in safe hands with NetNames and that we're always ready to take advantage of any new opportunities or respond to potential threats."

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