By Gabe Bonifacio
Operating in more than 100 countries generates a substantial digital footprint to manage. Recognizing this, the German automaker Audi fully embraced their .BRAND as a way to strategically and creatively leverage their domain names. From consumer facing marketing domains, to multiple internal and external organizational uses, .AUDI was launched to reduce domain name sprawl, enhance user experiences, and provide consistent and predictable naming conventions.
The local website for Autohaus Graupner, an Audi dealership, hosted on graupner-brandis.audi
Domain Control: Building a Centralized Dealership Network
Primarily deployed in Germany, Audi crafted a network of region-specific and dealership-specific domain names using .AUDI. Aiming to provide a consistent user experience and reduce domain sprawl, Audi provides .AUDI domains for both dealership locations that they own (e.g. graupner-brandis.audi) and for third-party owned multi-brand car dealerships (e.g. autoschmitt-idstein.audi). Providing .AUDI domain names to third-parties creates a consistent presentation for Audi vehicles, and allows Audi to retain control of those names, all while coexisting with each dealership’s existing primary domain. The BMW Group has also adopted a similar approach (e.g. bauer.bmw) for their .BRAND use.
Additionally, Audi launched regional domain names, such as berlin.audi, which redirects users to the closest dealership based on their location, and ca.audi, which redirects users to the corresponding region-specific site. Other corporations have used their .BRAND in a similar fashion, such as BNP Paribas bank (e.g. usa.bnpparibas) and Canon International (e.g. in.canon), exemplifying use outside of the automotive industry.
Audi’s A2D2 microsite, hosted on a2d2.audi
Ultimate Flexibility: Internal Use and Public-Facing Microsites
In other instances, .AUDI is deployed for a variety of purposes, including:
- Internal corporate use, such as the audi employee portal;
- Event or special-interest microsites, such as twin-cup.audi, which advertises the annual Audi-sponsored race; and audi, which details Audi’s autonomous driving research; and
- Product showcasing, such as audi, which provides the latest news and model specifications from the Audi Communications team.
Similarly, .BRANDs are used by companies such as Amazon to highlight new product offerings (primepremiere.amazon) and Sony to showcase their research and development teams (research.sony).
Audi’s approach to their .BRAND has been that of a super utility tool. By mapping out a domain strategy that remains structured while allowing for certain creative freedoms, the auto manufacturer has been able to:
- Establish a self-managed dealership network with uniform naming conventions;
- Launch region-specific domains at multiple levels of specificity;
- Serve a wide range of secure and self-managed internal corporate sites; and
- Host microsites geared toward vehicle owners and special interest campaigns or initiatives.
Such use is not exclusive to the automotive industry, as other .BRAND owners have deployed their TLDs in similar ways. However, Audi remains a standout use case with their wide spread exploration of their .BRAND’s various functions.
The Next Round for new gTLD applications opens in late-April 2026. If your company or organization is interested in applying for a .BRAND TLD, contact us today. Our expert team is prepared to discuss the end-to-end process of application, delegation and operation of your very own new gTLD, ensuring informed and strategic decision-making for every step along the way.