Partnership to Expand Online Photo, Video Services
LifeClips, a firm that converts home videotapes to DVDs, will partner with PhotoPoint.com, an online community of photo enthusiasts, LifeClips said yesterday.The deal lets LifeClips expand its distribution channel and tap into PhotoPoint's consumer base of 1.5 million registered members. The service will allow PhotoPoint's membership to digitize their videos, store them online and share them via e-mail.
"The synergies were obvious," said Stephen Golden, vice president of business development at LifeClips, Acton, MA. "PhotoPoint members are already sharing still images, and now we're adding to [PhotoPoint's] portfolio and allowing its membership to share videos with a DVD or online."
Golden said LifeClip's goal is to build awareness for the company, which started in January 2000. In addition, the company hopes to distribute its service to PhotoPoint's customer base, which has a demographic of mostly college-educated photo enthusiasts with annual household incomes of $55,000 who have bought online in the past year.
LifeClips and PhotoPoint initially intend to publicize the availability of the service by placing banner ads on PhotoPoint's home page. After about 30 days, Golden said, the companies plan to e-mail PhotoPoint's database to introduce the service.
"Our members have embraced the benefits of digital photography, and by partnering with LifeClips we can provide a value-added service that allows customers to enjoy digital technology for their home videotapes," said Ed Bernstein, CEO of PhotoPoint, San Francisco.
