The “Dawn” of a new day was announced Tuesday when Women.com Networks Inc. inked a $15 million
marketing deal with Procter & Gamble, the household products and consumer brand giant.
Women.com , which provides women with advice,
community and shopping on the Web, will incorporate Procter & Gamble’s
ParentTime.com
property into its Web network.
Parentime.com is an interactive resource designed to provide
comprehensive, personalized information on child rearing.
Additionally, Women.com will work to develop unique marketing programs
for
P&G’s beauty care and home care business segments, according to Lillian
Gilden, vice president, strategic alliances, Women.com.
The alliance of Internet players with larger, well-known entities is
growing pattern in the online arena and a win-win situation for the
women.com, noted Emily Meehan, senior analyst, The Yankee Group.
“Today’s onliners tend to go to the same sites over and over,” Meehan
said. “Women.com is trying to gain the next-wave audience in a less costly
and more efficient way. Piggybacking with P&G gets women.com into the door
and it cuts down on marketing costs. Besides that, everyone knows P&G. It is
a well-known, tried-and-true company. Players who are known on the Internet
only need to garner public trust.”
Tuesday’s agreement is an expansion of a relationship that began three
years ago when the two companies partnered to developed new ways to market
to women
including content sponsorship, product promotion and advertising.
According to Jupiter Communications, women are projected to generate $41
billion in online sales in 2003.
“Our collaborative marketing approach is based on a deep understanding of
our clients’brand objectives and marketing imperatives and our history of
delivering a
huge audience of women online,” noted Gilden.