.EE CO-MARKETING PROGRAM 2025

The Estonian Internet Foundation (EIF) is launching a co-marketing program to support .ee registrars and the quality of the .ee zone. The program will also help increase the visibility of .ee and highlight its value to end-users. The objectives and conditions of the program are designed to be equal and feasible for all registrars. The co-marketing program is meant only for the accredited .ee registrars.

The objective set by the EIF for .ee co-marketing projects is:

Enhancing the quality of .ee:

by renewal of registrations and encouraging new long-term registrations, i.e. at least two-year registrations
by use of domain-related services (e-mail, web hosting, etc.) when registering a domain name

With these objectives, we will improve the quality of the .ee zone and provide long-term value to domain registrants. These are based on the results of the studies carried out by EIF and CENTR, according to which the motivators for renewing a domain registration are more favourable prices, use of a domain-related service and understanding the value associated with a long-term domain registration.

In order to meet these objectives, registrars can choose the marketing activities that suit them best, such as:

a promotional campaign for .ee registration renewal
a promotional campaign for .ee multi-year registration
a promotional campaign for .ee registration with an added service (web hosting, server service, DNSSEC, etc.)
other reasoned activities that would be consistent with the objectives set

Conditions of the co-marketing program

The total budget for the co-marketing projects is EUR 50 000. The maximum funding amount for a project is up to EUR 10 000 per registrar. The registrars' own contribution has to be at least 10%. However, it may be bigger and therefore, the total amount of one project is bigger (the grant amount by EIF will remain the same). EIF has the right to reduce the grant amount for the project applicant with an evaluation decision and propose the implementation of a project with a reduced grant amount (by increasing the own participation or proportionally reducing the expenses in the project).

The framework for the co-marketing projects is set through specific conditions. However, registrars remain free to design the marketing activities and channels that are appropriate to the conditions and the objectives set. Where necessary, we will consult the registrars on the design of their projects and provide a .ee marketing toolbox with messages and simpler visuals that the registrars can use where desired.

The conditions set for projects are:

the projects must meet the objectives set by EIF;
the focus of marketing activities must be on the .ee domain, and advertising or promotion of other domains is not allowed (except for international registrars that have an alternative domain for a business name or trademark);
the .ee domain may be advertised in combination with other domain-related services offered by the registrar (examples given above);
the funding may only be used for marketing activities (including the purchase of marketing services);
the project registrar's own contribution has to be 10% (which can be used to cover the staff costs);

The best projects, which will be supported by EIF, are selected on the basis of the evaluation criteria from among the projects that meet the conditions. EIF will conclude a contract with the beneficiary registrars, under which the funding will be paid after signing the contract and before the start of the planned activities. All project-related activities must be carried out during the calendar year, but where desired, they may be carried out in several parts within a single project. At the end of the activities, an overview of the materials used and the results achieved must be submitted to EIF.

Submission of a co-marketing project

Co-marketing projects are assessed anonymously by the form below. This involves an EIF staff member anonymising for the evaluation panel the name and contact details of the person submitting the project. Please write your co-marketing project in the third person.

The application deadline is 03.02.2025 (Estonian time). The deadline for submitting the project summary is 31.12.2025. If you have any additional questions, please contact us at mare@internet.ee.

The statue of the Co-marketing Programme

All the conditions and evaluation criteria are in the statue of the programme and contract:

Submission form is also available here: https://forms.gle/DD9vJUsp2j5nE13u6