Branded relationships are inherently customer-centric webs. Consider this scenario: Jane Mom USA is seeking info about healthy baby care. She could go to Dr. Koop.com or go to a brand she already trusts: When she gets to your site, she finds the information she needs. But what if she also finds: A coupon or sample of her favorite product good at the store around the corner An offer that pre-empts a competitive promotion and keeps her in the franchise A chance to win a free website to showcase her baby’s pictures Imagine if she also received : An invitation to a parenting workshop in her area An informative newsletter by the nation’s leading pediatricians Answers to the most frequently asked questions And when she comes back again, she sees more of the information, products and services that matter to her. Almost as if you know her. She comes to associate this valuable experience with your brand – building the relationship network.
So what companies can benefit from extending their relationship networks to the internet? The answer is any business or organization that either has an established web of content and commerce that is somehow shared with channels, partners, and customers – or businesses that want to create such a web, in the case of a portal (no relationship network in the brick and mortar world). That’s a pretty large target market, and frankly one that is not feasible to go after for a company of our stage. So we identified the largest segments where we represent a powerful value proposition to direct our initial marketing efforts. Franchise - Bennigan’s, Applebee's Kinko’s, H&R Block, Super 8, GNC, Radio Shack, Ace Hardware Association – AMA, AIP, Boys and Girls Club, YMCA Corp Chain/Retail - Starbucks, Ann Taylor, Gap, Old Navy Manufacturer Dealer Distr. - AutoTrader, Maytag, Ford, GM, Calloway MLM – Avon, Mary Kay, Herbalilife