The top-level domain (TLD) is the last segment of a domain name and it is important to note that this part of a domain directly follows the “dot” symbol. However, I found no credible or trustworthy source to confirm that Allstate, an insurance company, has its exclusive top-level domain (TLD) as per your question.
It’s important to clarify that most organizations use commercial (.com) TLDs. For example, Allstate, a major insurance company in the United States, utilizes the .com TLD, as can be seen from their domain ‘www.allstate.com’.
But, let’s delve deeper into the topic of top-level domains for clarity. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) describes TLDs as the highest level of domain names. ICANN is an organization that maintains and coordinates the internet’s Domain Name System, including top-level domains. TLDs include domain extensions like .com, .net, .org, etc. There are three types of TLDs: gTLDs (generic top-level domains), ccTLDs (country code top-level domains), and sTLDs (sponsored top-level domains).
Coming back to the topic of the TLD ‘Allstate’, it would fall under what ICANN terms as ‘brand TLD’ if it existed. These type of TLDs are brand-related and are exclusive to companies or organizations that have lodged successful applications with ICANN.
Successful applicants for a brand TLD can exercise substantial control over the domain, enforcing policies unique to the brand and restricting who may register subdomains. However, the application process for a brand TLD is extensive and expensive, with ICANN stating that the initial evaluation fee cost $185,000 USD.
Some big companies have their own TLDs. For instance, Google owns ‘.google’, Barclays owns ‘.barclays’, and BMW owns ‘.bmw’. However, as far as I can see from the ICANN’s TLD application archives, Allstate has not applied for a .allstate TLD.
In conclusion, while having a brand TLD can certainly be beneficial for a company from a branding perspective, not all companies follow this trend due to the high costs and operational challenges associated with controlling a top-level domain. Currently, there’s no ‘allstate’ TLD as per ICANN’s list of delegated strings.
Sources:
1. ICANN. (2012). New gTLD Program. https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/about/program
2. ICANN. (n.d.). List of Delegated Strings. https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/program-status/delegated-strings
3. ICANN gTLD Applicant Guidebook. (n.d.). https://newgtlds.icann.org/en/applicants/agb
4. EnCirca. (n.d.). Brand Top Level Domains (TLDs) – Powerful digital marketing tools. https://www.encirca.com/brand-tlds/
5. Allstate website. (n.d.). https://www.allstate.com/
