A new global survey conducted by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has revealed that 52% of marketing leaders believe that generic top-level domains (gTLDs) hold strong potential for enhancing brand visibility online.
However, a significant knowledge gap is preventing many brands from taking full advantage of the opportunities gTLDs offer.
The survey polled over 2,000 marketing leaders across eight countries—Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, the U.K., and the U.S.—with the aim of understanding awareness levels and perspectives on gTLDs in the evolving digital marketing landscape.
The report comes ahead of ICANN’s upcoming application window for new gTLDs, set to open in April 2026, under the New gTLD Program: Next Round—the first opportunity in over a decade for organizations to apply to operate their own gTLD.
gTLDs refer to the string of characters that appear after the dot in a web address (e.g., .charity, .menu, .paris, .ceo). Brands can apply to manage their own gTLDs as a means of reinforcing their digital identity and clearly associating their domain names with their brand or purpose.
The research found that increasing brand awareness and visibility was the top priority for 54% of marketing leaders, with over half recognizing gTLDs as a valuable tool in achieving that goal.
However, nearly a third (32%) of those surveyed admitted to being unfamiliar with gTLDs, indicating a strategic opportunity that many organizations are currently overlooking.
Once provided with a definition of gTLDs, 92% of respondents acknowledged their potential benefits, citing enhanced brand differentiation (46%), improved customer trust (45%), better control over online presence (44%), and improved SEO (44%) as key advantages. Only 19% reported that their organizations had previously applied for a gTLD.
The study identified the main barriers to application as cost concerns (31%), lack of knowledge (27%), and insufficient internal resources (24%).
Notable regional differences also emerged. Marketing leaders in Nigeria (74%) and India (61%) were the most optimistic about the potential of gTLDs to strengthen branding and online presence.
Conversely, marketers in China were more divided—50% saw strong potential, while 49% viewed gTLDs as a costly investment with unclear returns.
These insights come at a time when marketers face increasing pressure to stand out from competitors (53%), engage the right audience (52%), and keep up with digital trends (47%).
gTLDs are seen as a promising tool to help brands create distinctive, trustworthy, and memorable digital identities, especially for niche markets, regional initiatives, and sector-specific organizations. By operating their own gTLDs, entities can boost user confidence in their online presence.
Theresa Swinehart, Senior Vice President of Global Domains and Strategy at ICANN, emphasized the importance of the upcoming application round:
“The New gTLD Program: Next Round presents an opportunity for businesses, communities, governments, and others to operate their own secure space online—tailored to their identity, language, and audience. While interest is growing, this research shows there’s still a lack of awareness. ICANN is committed to raising awareness and providing guidance on the opportunities available.”
To close the knowledge gap, ICANN is preparing educational resources to support potential applicants ahead of the 2026 window. The organisation also runs an Applicant Support Program (ASP) to provide financial and non-financial assistance to eligible candidates.
