18(b) How do you expect that your proposed gTLD will benefit registrants, Internet users, and others?

Prototypical answer:

1. What is the goal of your proposed gTLD in terms of areas of specialty, service levels, or reputation?


Specialty


The proposed TLD will also reinforce the company’s strategic positioning by offering high-end customized online financial services branded under the .lacaixa TLD, which will leverage the brand equity and differentiate the entity online from its targeted competitors.


The .lacaixa TLD will prove “la Caixa”’s commitment, integrity, professionalism and teamwork as well as will enhance the trust of both its customers and the society as a whole based on the highest quality services that will be provided by its different professional web sites comprised under its own Top Level Domain.


Reputation


Undoubtedly, the .lacaixa Top Level Domain will strengthen the holding’s brand and will enhance its recognition internationally, a fact that will naturally increase the value of the group as a result.


With the slogan “Making the difference”, the current strategic plan aims to underline its vocation to leadership and growth, both nationally and internationally, and to maintain its commitment to the business fabric. “la Caixa” group has always had and wishes to continue having a management model with a difference defined by the following items, which are intrinsically related to the values and the meaning of what “la Caixa”’s own TLD will represent:

* Social commitment
* Prudence and long-term vision
* Proximity to customers
* Excellence in service
* Technological innovation
* Model of corporate governance


Service levels


Protecting the brand and having exclusive control of what can be done is a top priority for “la Caixa”. It will help the group in controlling the brand presence online and will help “la Caixa” group to protect its trademark as well as the company reputation. It will also reduce security risks, posed by scams based on counterfeit identities in the second level domain name registrations under any other existing TLD, that may be registered due to their possible similarities with “la Caixa”, and that may be put to fraudulent use, tarnishing the brand’s reputation.


1. What do you anticipate your proposed gTLD will add to the current space, in terms of competition, differentiation, or innovation?


Differentiation


“la Caixa”, as a leading financial group in Spain and Europe, has an international vocation which aim is generating value for society, its costumers and its employees.


The strategic activity of “la Caixa” is underpinned by its identifying values, guidelines and characteristic convictions. The most important of all the Institution’s values are: quality, responsibility, innovation, efficiency and safety, attributes that would be indeed enhanced and reinforced by acquiring the brand TLD.


Competition


This new space will not only distinguish the brand placing the company as a pioneer within the financial sector, but will help reaching new potential customers as well as expanding the target market.


Innovation


The .lacaixa TLD will be a significant amplifier of “la Caixa”’s branding and marketing endeavours by creating innovative marketing efforts for customers, partners and suppliers. Some of the great challenges, benefits and innovative elements that the .lacaixa TLD will bring to the company structure are:

* To strengthen leadership in retail banking.
* To diversify business towards companies.
* To balance territorial presence.
* To grow internationally.
* To maintain a distinctive investment portfolio.
* To maintain financial strength.
* To improve on return of investments.
* To progress in organisational efficiency and flexibility.
* To develop and motivate talent.
* To underline “la Caixa”’s social commitment.
* To communicate the aims of the institution both inwards and outwards

1. What goals does your proposed gTLD have in terms of user experience?


Compared to the existing generic TLDs, the .lacaixa TLD experience will greatly enhance mnemonics and security. The .lacaixa TLD will simplify the way the customers find information about the company on the Internet by creating a more easy and understandable web address, and will drive customers into deeper levels of engagement with the brand. This engagement will increase:

* affinity
* ease of use
* customer service efficiency
* distribution of the different financial services
* increase the number and improve the security of online transactions


The .lacaixa TLD will give services of virtual communities to their clients. All keywords related to the entity will be assigned in an organized and controlled framework where users will get immersed in a truly branded experience driven by the entity’s vocation to offer the best and most comprehensive range of financial services to the greatest number of customers. This unified framework will be led by “la Caixa”’s successful on-line banking system, “Caixa Oberta”, a customized and secured service that had over 355 million impacts in 2011 and that allows “la Caixa”’s customers to manage their savings and accede to its diverse services, including social activities and the purchase of tickets for leisure activities, another benchmark activity of the entity.


The .lacaixa TLD will provide shorter URLs to “la Caixa”’s digital customers who look for ways to make their browsing and linking experience more streamlined and will offer user services via online portals which will customize the customer experience to an unprecedented degree by offering URLs.


Social media will of course play a crucial role within the introduction and promotion of the string to the name space scenario and, therefore, the branding exercise, throughout social networks, will be fundamental to ensure the highest standards regarding user experience with the .lacaixa TLD.


iv. Provide a complete description of the applicant’s intended registration policies in support of the goals listed above.


The .lacaixa TLD will be for the exclusive use of “la Caixa” and its Affiliates for the Group’s services and purposes. “la Caixa” does not contemplate at this stage opening the registration to any third party. Therefore, the mandatory registration agreement will refer to the following terms and conditions:


a) Eligiblity: The registrant will be “la Caixa” or any Affiliate.
b) Name selection: .lacaixa domain name registrations must be related to “la Caixa” Group services and products.
c) Use and content: .lacaixa domain names may only be used in relationship to “la Caixa”’or its Affiliates’ services and purposes, subject to the approval of “la Caixa”. Domain names used must be commensurate to the role and importance of “la Caixa” services.


Considering that,


(i) “la Caixa” will register and maintain all domain name registrations within .lacaixa for its own exclusive use, and that
(ii) “la Caixa” will not sell, distribute or transfer control or use of any registrations in .lacaixa to any third party that is not an Affiliate of “la Caixa”, and that;
(iii) application of the Registry Operator Code of Conduct contained in Specification 9 of the Base gTLD Registry Agreement to .lacaixa is not necessary to protect the public interest;


“la Caixa” will request the exemption to the above mentioned Registry Operator Code of Conduct, and expects ICANN to grant such exemption as “la Caixa” provides reasonable satisfaction of the conditions hereof expressed. “la Caixa” may in the future consider extending the use of domain names for employees, customers and partners, but this is not foreseen neither allowed in the current description of the registration policies.


v. Will your proposed gTLD impose any measures for protecting the privacy or confidential information of registrants or users? If so, please describe any such measures.


“la Caixa” recognizes first-hand that this is a relevant issue and an evolving area of law in which there is no international standard. The protection of privacy and confidential information of registrants and users will comply with applicable Law, in particular the European Data Protection framework and the Catalan and Spanish Personal Data Protection legislation, as well as any ICANN requirements in the area.


Nevertheless, the specific model of the .lacaixa TLD and the registration policies as described above limit to a great extent the possible concerns on privacy, as no third parties and even less individuals will be allowed to register .lacaixa names.


vi. Describe whether and in what ways outreach and communications will help to achieve your projected benefits.


Outreach and communications will be entirely done in-house for internal communication to inform “la Caixa”s Group workforce. Externally, outreach and communication efforts will be focused on advertising campaigns in the various existing media. With strong emphasis on digital media and via point-of-sale advertising in more than 5,000 branches throughout Spain to inform the general public and above all, “la Caixa”’s clients.

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