Visa Extras Program Attracts Small Businesses With Custom MSN Campaign

REDMOND, Wash., Feb. 16, 2004 — A special online marketing campaign conceived and developed by MSN®
allows Visa Extras, a customer rewards program from Visa USA, to reach out to small businesses like never before — via a branded Web site for owners of small companies and through targeted advertising across the MSN network of Internet services.

The Your Business Web site, part of the integrated marketing campaign on MSN and located at http://yourbusiness.msn.com/ , debuts today in the United States.

“This campaign shows how MSN enables advertisers to connect with their target audience in a way that is useful to the customers and that demonstrates the advertiser’s understanding of the customers’ challenges and its ability to help solve them,” said Gayle Troberman, MSN director of custom brand solutions at Microsoft Corp. “In addition to attracting a huge audience, MSN can pinpoint specific audiences — in this case, small businesses — with our network’s many and varied themed sites or by creating sites such as Your Business.”

Branded Web Site Attracts Small Businesses With Useful Tips From Experts

Designed to serve business owners that have 10 or fewer employees, Your Business offers an interactive experience including business tips and advice that can have an immediate impact on small-business owners. Contributors to the site include respected business journalists (and contributors to the Microsoft®
bCentral (TM) small-business portal service) such as Joseph Anthony, Christopher Elliott and Monte Enbysk. Topics vary from small-business marketing strategies to timely financial tips. The site also makes a connection with the small-business visitor by offering profiles of successful small-business owners and sharing their secrets to success.

The site offers a unique way to integrate Visa and Visa Extras branding, along with links to additional information about the rewards program, which invites businesses to earn points toward a variety of rewards when they use an enrolled eligible Visa Business debit or credit card to make certain types of purchases.

“This campaign is a great example of how MSN provides advertisers new ways to reach small business owners,” said Jon Raj, director of advertising at Visa USA. “The campaign demonstrates Visa’s commitment to serving small businesses by explaining the value of Visa Extras alongside other relevant ways small businesses can improve their bottom line and streamline their operations.”

MSN Ads and Session Strip Provide Easy Access to Your Business Site

In addition to using a branded experience to build mass awareness and targeted reach for Visa Extra, the campaign on MSN will feature targeted media running throughout the MSN network and areas most frequently visited by small-business owners, including bCentral and MSNBC.com. An innovative on-screen “session strip” offers additional business tips and news as well as a link back to the Your Business site. The strip can remain at the top of the screen throughout visitors’ browsing session even after they leave the Your Business site.

About MSN

MSN attracts more than 350 million unique users worldwide per month. With localized versions available globally in 38 markets and 18 languages, MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and ad sales to businesses worldwide. The most useful and innovative online service today, MSN brings consumers everything they need from the Web to make the most of their time online. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com/ . MSN worldwide sites are located at http://www.msn.com/worldwide.ashx .

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, MSN and bCentral are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp .

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