• The New York Times, Wednesday, March 19, 2008 11:15 AM

Kimberly-Clark and American Express have signed sponsorship agreements with Meetup, a site that facilitates offline meetings of computer users who share interests like politics or parenthood. The deals are indicative of the increasing interest on Madison Avenue in a wide variety of online tactics that include social networking, blogs, virtual worlds, community Web sites, social media and word-of-mouth marketing.

Kimberly-Clark's effort is aimed at mothers of young children who might use brands like Huggies and Pull-Ups. It is paying the monthly fees that organizers of affinity groups usually pay to Meetup.

Similarly, American Express' deal with Meetup will provide "access and support," says Marcy Shinder, vice president for brand strategy and marketing at the Open division in New York. The access is to experts who can help with tasks like developing business plans and managing cash flow, she adds, and the support is for "Meetup organizers on how to put together great events.

Read the whole story at The New York Times »