Permission marketing company Yoyodyne said it established a partnership with Fast Company Magazine to create an online business-to-business marketing program for entrepreneurs called Fast Company EZVenture.
The partnership marks the first time Yoyodyne will co-brand its EZVenture permission marketing program.
Set to launch on Oct. 1, Fast Company EZVenture aims to attract more than 250,000 entrepreneurs to participate in the program, the companies said. Using content exclusively created by the editorial staff at Fast Company, business people visiting the site will be presented with relevant articles and information, updated weekly, about owning, operating and growing a business. The promotion will run through April 15, 1999.
All registered participants will be entered into a sweepstakes for the chance to win their choice of a grand prize of a $100,000 investment annuity, a BMW Z3 convertible, or a home office technology suite. Weekly prizes, such as Palm Pilots, printers, office equipment and books will also be awarded. Total spending on the promotion was not disclosed.
“. . . we are very excited to be integrating top notch content from Fast Company into the program,” said Seth Godin, president and CEO of Yoyodyne. “Unlike many other Internet promotions, Fast Company EZVenture marries editorial and compelling product information, through sponsor offerings, to the self- interested pursuit of big prizes. It’s a devastating combination.”
Participants earn entries for the grand prize by finding specially marked buttons on the EZVenture site, which take them to an exclusive sponsor page/offer, where advertisers can make specific propositions (get information, buy a product, have a salesman call, get on an update list, etc.) .
In addition, Fast Company EZVenture offers several opportunities for sponsors to gain in-depth knowledge of promotion participants through opinion polls and “opt-in” participant lists for ongoing marketing programs.
“The EZVenture audience exactly replicates our readership and will provide an excellent platform for Fast Company to reach our core market of young entrepreneurs,” said Fast Company founding editor Alan Webber.
EZVenture sponsors already include Value America, Okidata, iCAT and Network Solutions. Founded by two former Harvard Business Review editors, Fast Company is published by U.S.News & World Report.