ON WEB 11/2/1999
FinancialBriefs1108 (hamstra)
NextCard, ONElist Enter Marketing Agreement
By Mark Hamstra
NextCard, an online purveyor of Visa credit cards, sealed a marketing agreement with ONElist, Redwood City, CA, a provider of Internet communities.
Under terms of the agreement, NextCard, San Francisco, will offer customized affinity card products and promotions to specialized communities within ONElist, which has 8 million members in some 250,000 free online discussion groups.
Mark Maxwell, director of business development for ONElist, said the NextCard Visa is being promoted through banner ads on the site, in addition to targeted banners within some individual communities where NextCard is offering affinity card products related to sports and animals. In the Animal Channel campaign, for example, customers can select a Visa card that has a submitted photo, or they can choose a default card that has standard pictures of cats and dogs. NextCard also is promoting its products through “run-of-text” e-mail messages.
Current promotions include a coupon for $50 off custom golf clubs from chipshot.com to ONElist’s Sports Channel, and a $20 donation to Canine Companion for Independence on the Animal Channel.
NextCard had been testing with ONElist since Aug. 1, Maxwell said.
Also, Meaghan Dixon, public relations manager at ONElist, said the company was planning to announce an “innovative opt-in program” with some business partners next week.
