Gather.com Brings on Top Consumer Brands
Social media Web site Gather.com has signed a number of new advertising agreements with top consumer brands.
Charles Schwab, Expedia.com, Starbucks, Amtrak, AARP and Universal Music Classical/Decca label Group are creating interactive, viral communities at the site around their brands, Gather.com said.
“We consistently seek out new ways to engage with investors in their everyday lives,” said Mike Naughton, vice president of media at Charles Schwab, in a statement. “Gather.com allows us to test the concept of online communities in a demographically targeted and content-rich environment.
Charles Schwab is sponsoring the money channel. Under the deal, the firm gets branding and ads and will also provide content at the site, said Lesley Solomon, vice president of sales and partnerships for Gather.com.
At Starbucks.Gather.com, Starbucks is promoting sales of books that it sells in its retail stores. For example, a live chat with author Ishmael Beah will take place March 13.
Site users are a median age 42, 72% are have a college education or higher, 54% are female and 80% have household incomes of $50,00 plus, Solomon said.
Other brands that have advertised at the site include Microsoft, General Mills, Sony Pictures, Volvo, Kodak and American Express.
Gather.com launched in November 2005 with the majority of its content user generated. It has nine content channels: books, food, health, money, movies, music, news, politics and travel, as well as more than 6,000 groups based around specific topics.
