Microsoft Corp. has entered into a three-year, $30 million deal with Bank One Corp. to jointly develop and promote services and products for the two companies' small- and mid-sized business customers in the United States.
Chicago-based Bank One will use Microsoft's MSN Advantage Marketing program to promote the jointly developed products. It also will use Microsoft's .Net Alerts technology to offer services that may include delivering account billing or investment data to customers over a variety of devices.
Bank One will promote products from Microsoft's Great Plains Software subsidiary to its small-business customers. Great Plains Software makes accounting products. The bank also will promote Microsoft's bCentral Web site, which offers Internet services for small businesses.
Microsoft said its Great Plains Software subsidiary will integrate a number of Bank One's commercial services into its distribution channels. Its bCentral site will provide Bank One customers with Web hosting and online scheduling services. Bank One said it will market Microsoft's MSN Internet access service to its customers.
The agreement also calls for Bank One ads to appear on Microsoft's MSN Web sites, including its MSN.com portal, MSNBC.com news site and MSN Money Central. Some of the ads will include rich media elements.
