Case file: a category-killer one-worder

Case file: a category-killer one-worder
From large vertical sales on record.

— vacationrentals.com: HomeAway paid a reported $35M in 2007 — at the time the largest domain sale publicly known.
— Why it matters: it wasn't a brand, it was the literal category. The buyer was building a marketplace and the exact-match name was the marketing budget made permanent.

📌 Pick of the day: category-killer .coms are rare and mostly held — but the principle scales down. The exact-match phrase for a buyer's whole business is worth more than any clever brand. Source: DNJournal, 2007 sale records.