Neutrogena, TLC Sponsor Sisterwoman

The niche social networking site Sisterwoman went live Wednesday with Neutrogena and the TLC cable network as lead sponsors. Aimed at women between the ages of 25 and 50, and co-founded by online advertising vet Allie Savarino, the site touts itself to marketers as offering a sponsorship format that melds editorial, advertising, and consumer-generated content.

Beyond standard display ads, both TLC and Neutrogena are hosting "sister circles"--multimedia pages that surround their respective product offerings with relevant pictures and site links, as well as member profiles, discussion, and other postings. The purpose of such environments is to remove perceived barriers between advertising, editorial, and user-contributed content. Female visitors are encouraged to create their own circles--either private places with friends and loved ones, or open interest. Like other social networking sites, Sisterwoman facilitates the exchange of words, videos, photos, and social calendars between the members of its community.

Sisterwoman expects to name about eight additional sponsors from key industries within a month, including consumer electronics, financial services, autos, and telecom, said Savarino.

Savarino, who helped launch the streaming media company Unicast, believes that advertisers and publishers are just now catching on to women's Internet usage habits. "We're giving advertisers new ways to deepen their relationships with women," she said. "And for women, the deeper the relationship, the better."

A report released earlier this year by Deborah Fallows, senior research fellow at the Pew Internet Project, indicates that men pursue many Internet activities more intensively than women, while women frame their online experience with a significantly greater emphasis on deepening connections with people.

The self-described "women's community site" iVillage--which NBC Universal last month agreed to purchase for $600 million--is presently the most popular "woman-oriented site," according to comScore Media Metrix. In January, iVillage garnered 14.5 million unique visitors.

Through affiliate partnerships, Sisterwoman on Wednesday invited roughly 86,000 women to join its community, said Savarino, who is projecting 1.2 million uniques by the end of August. "That is a number that we feel is very realistic."

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