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Near-ubiquitous fast food chain Burger King and mega-media company AOL Time Warner have teamed up in a marketing alliance. Under the terms of the deal, AOL software will be distributed at Burger King’s 11,370 restaurants. Also, some Burger King purchases will come with digital codes that will let consumers log onto web sites featuring AOL promotions. Additionally, AOL has established an online music channel called BK Backstage in its network, where Burger King patrons can download music, chat with musicians and register to win backstage passes. Burger King-related sports promos will be featured online as well. Not surprisingly, the deal extends beyond AOL Time Warner’s internet side, giving Burger King placement in its magazines and movies. Also, BK visitors will see snippets of content from AOL Time Warner’s magazines on their tray liners.
Jagger seeks satisfaction in web campaign
He might be practically geriatric, but that isn’t stopping rock star Mick Jagger from turning to the internet in an effort to win over a new generation of fans. The Rolling Stones' front man and Virgin Records are gearing up to promote his new solo album, “Goddess in the Doorway,” on the web. The strategy is a bald attempt to win over teens and young twentysomethings who aren’t as familiar with him as they are with, say, *NSync. First, MTV will play the record’s first video, “God Gave Me Everything,” on the popular teen-video show “Total Request Live,” which lets viewers vote on their favorite videos online. Additionally, Virgin is relaunching Jagger’s web site, mickjagger.com, to include archival footage of the 58-year-old and biographical information and links to his favorite web sites. The new site might host chat sessions with the rock star as well. Virgin is also putting together an online jukebox of tracks from the new album and distributing it over music sites.
Microsoft fixes flaw in its Passport tool
One of the internet's greatest barriers has been convincing consumers that their credit card information is safe on the web. Microsoft demonstrated how vital the maintenance of this trust is when it was forced to shut down access to its "e-wallet" feature Passport last week to fix a design defect that would have allowed hackers to pilfer credit card numbers and other personal details. Over two million people could have been affected by the fault. Users of Microsoft's new Windows XP operating system are safe because of additional built-in security features. A hacker could have had access to a user's credit card simply by emailing an apparent web link to that user’s Microsoft Hotmail account. When clicked, the link would force the central Passport computers into sending the hacker the user's details. Critics assailed the ease with which the larceny could have been conducted, as well as the broader impact of such poor security at such a major e-information proprietor. Microsoft emphasizes that Passport allows vital statistics to be stored at other organizations, not just at Microsoft.
Porno sites fined $30 million for fraud
The proprietor of several adult-oriented web sites, such as Playgirl.com and HighSociety.com, has been fined $30 million for tricking consumers into paying for supposedly free services. The Federal Trade Commission found that the web sites were having consumers input their credit card numbers, ostensibly just to prove their ages. The sites claimed the cards wouldn’t be charged, but that turned out not to be the case. Visitors who had not signed up for fee-based adult content were getting charged as much as $90 a month. Crescent Publishing and the 64 related companies that run the sites have to post a $2 million bond and put up $1 million before being allowed to continue running the racy web sites. The $30 million will be dispersed among the consumers.
Traffic to Xbox.com increases
Xbox.com, the web site of Microsoft’s new gaming console of the same name, is drawing lots of traffic as anticipation builds over its Nov. 15 release. The site attracted 589,000 visitors to its site for the week ending Oct. 28, according to data from Nielsen//NetRatings. That marks a 71 percent increase in traffic. Visitors logged on to a total of more than five million page views on the site, up 108 percent from 2.4 million page views in the previous week. Sixty-five percent of Xbox.com visitors were men and 35 percent were women. Each visitor spent roughly five minutes onsite, and 74 percent of people who stopped by Xbox.com clicked on a link to the Taco Bell-XBox Instant Win Sweepstakes. The web sites of Xbox’s more-established rivals saw their traffic increase as well, in anticipation of holiday shopping. For example, PlayStation.com drew 113,000 unique visitors, up 64 percent from the week ending Oct. 21.
November 6, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
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