• by Masha Geller , April 30, 2001

Blame it on the season, but everywhere I look, people are talking about weddings. As luck would have it, weddings these days have an online advertising component worth discussing in this column.

Here's an example: when the owners of Kleinfeld, one of the nation's oldest and largest upscale bridal salons, recently advertised a designer sample sale on TheKnot.com, hundreds of brides came crashing through their doors, proving that online advertising does work with the right equation. That equation, according to The Knot is "highly-targeted consumer base, highly-trafficked media outlets, relatively low competition, innovative technology and affordable prices."

Nothing new there, but worth mentioning nonetheless.

The Knot, a 2001 Webby Award nominee for best site in the "Living" category, has modernized the way bridal fashion marketers are reaching out to brides on the hunt for the perfect gown. Through marketing tactics specifically tailored for bridal fashion businesses, advertisers are invited to promote their designer lines year-round in multiple media outlets at a price that virtually any business can afford.

In fact, for $250 a month, gown salons are listing their dresses on the site and in The Knot magazine. Considering what traditional advertising can cost for this kind of reach (the site boasts 1.6 million registered members who viewed over 100,000,000 gown images since January alone), this is a minimal price to pay for larger bridal businesses looking to enhance current programs, and is a possible solution for smaller retailers who can't afford mass-market advertising.

Of course, The Knot isn't the only site offering such ad programs; so if weddings and bridal gowns are your line of work, check into proposing to your targets via the web.