Date: 03-21-2008
Kimberley-Clark and American Express have signed sponsorship agreements with Meetup, a site that offers an offline meetings service for computer users who share similar interests on various topics. Kimberley-Clark’s baby brands, Huggies and Pull-Ups, are sponsoring the initiative, which is part of an effort to target mothers of young children by paying the monthly fees for Meetup. American Express’s deal with Meetup, on the other hand, will provide “access and support” to entrepreneurs and small businesses, according to Marcy Shinder, vice president for brand strategy and marketing at the open division in New York. According to Dominic Preuss, Meetup’s vice president for marketplace in New York, Meetup has more than 37,000 groups with more than five million regular users and helps arrange about 80,000 physical meetings a month. The sponsorships are also indicative of the interest being generated on Madison Avenue in a range of online tactics to woo consumers.