Holiday marketing is no new concept: as the end of year approaches, many brands are planning how they will reach out to customers, clients and partners to share thanks and spread some cheer to strengthen brand loyalty and engagement.

As we approach the end of 2016, let’s take a look at the year that was – the year that we saw some of the world’s most recognized brands join the movement and truly demonstrate that this is a growing community of innovative marketers ready to take on the next evolution in branding.

It has been a long road to get here, however we’re confident that a revolution in digital branding is upon us and will forever change the way companies engage with their customers.

The world’s first sporting code to launch its own branded TLD has continued to flex its innovation muscle with a creative new endeavor.

From building trust to engaging more deeply with your customers, the benefits of a .brand can be as unique as your brand itself.

Take a cue from early adopters and you’ll see there are plenty of ways you can use your .brand right away—most of them pretty simple to achieve.