Portal Power

Brandweek, Oct 2, 2000 by Hassan Fattah

Go.com's power is really in its content. With its ties to ABCNEWS.com, ABCSports.com NBA.com, WNBA.com, NFL.com, Soccernet and a host of other properties, Go is linked to some of the most popular content sites on the Web. And more significantly, perhaps, the portal's TV-centric bent makes it an extension of the boob tube, with all things entertainment featured prominently on the site.

Look and Feel: Simple, clean design with a quirky lighthearted style that's remarkably un-corporate.

Advertising options: Banners, buttons and featured sponsorships. Go offers the opportunity to advertise across several properties for the greatest reach.

Bottom Line: A full-featured portal with powerhouse brands that deliver a highly targeted audience.

IWON.COM

The Point: A portal that combines content, search and community with an online sweepstakes.

Vital Statistics: Launched October 1999. Majority-owned by CBS.

Target Demo: Web users 18 and over.

Traffic: 8,758 users in July 2000.

Content: IWon's motto might be "If you can't lure 'em, buy 'em." The portal's business is to provide everything a typical portal would--search, e-mail, chat and news--with the added attraction of daily cash giveaways. Radio stations have done it. TV stations have tried. This was inevitable.

The company gives away $10,000 every day, 30 prizes of $1,000 every week, $1 million every month and $10 million on Tax Day. Site users collect entries into the daily, weekly, monthly and Tax Day sweepstakes by using the site like any other portal. But the more they use the service, the more likely they are to win. At the heart of the iWon is a patent-pending entry-tracking system that provides users with a real-time tally of their entries, and invariably a metric of each user's habits.

But there may be more than dollar signs behind the venture. The company has worked to build a powerful search engine, using a combination of meta-search, RealNames search, a Web directory, a "most popular sites" search and even a news search. IWon has made sure to build a feature-rich offering of mail and community functions.

Oh, and did we mention that users can win $1 million?

Look and Feel: Simple clean design with a hint of schlock.

Advertising Options: Banners, buttons and links, in addition to a variety of partnership opportunities

Bottom Line: The implications of the site may say a lot about your brand. Either it's a fun and entertaining way to use the Web, or it's just a marketing gimmick.

ABOUT.COM

The Point: The "human Internet," with guides helping you find what you're looking for.

Vital Statistics: Launched February 1997 as The Mining Co., relaunched in 1999 as About.com.

Target Demo: Tech-savvy early-adopters with extensive experience on the Net.

Traffic: 18,282,000 visitors in July 2000.

Content: They said it couldn't be done, but About.com proved them wrong and built a huge audience in the process. A self-described "content portal," About.com has pioneered the use of "real-life" people to help make sense of the Net and the world around them. Whether it's motorcycling, gardening or gourmet cooking, About.com's editors and specialists offer advice, articles and links to thousands of sites and pages.