Faith Murugi Kariuki

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Faith Murugi Kariuki

• EBusiness Case Chapter 11

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Case IVillage Discover the Path to
Success. But has it lost its way?!?
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www.ivillage.com
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What is IVillage????

• It is a media company owning girl and
  woman-oriented online and offline content
  channels.
• Has a website targeted at Women and Womens
  issues

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History

• Founded by Candice Carpenter, an early veteran of
  America Online
• Founded In the 1990s.
• It was one of the first Online Community sites
  (Women)

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• IVillage was among the most successful websites
  to mix community, Commerce and Content.

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• In 2005, IVillage re-designed its website .
• The new website featured easier to use
  navigations, More photos, streaming videos
  advertisements and editorial.
• Content aimed at an audience of women between
  18-29 years

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Topics covered

• Beauty
• Diet
• Fitness
• Health
• Home and garden
• Money

• Parenting
• Pregnancy
• Childbirth
• Relationships
• Work

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Membership..

• Free Sign Up.
• If you're not yet a member of iVillage, you can
  read their boards but you can't post messages.
• iVillage has over 1,000 message boards.

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• Ivillage has over 2 million members.
• It is an absolute goldmine of information! with
  it's hugely extensive selection of message boards

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Membership Benefits.

• Access to over 1,000 message boards where you can
  meet and share ideas with other women.
• Members- Only discounts, Coupons and Easy-to-use
  interactive quizzes and tools.
• Your choice of more than 50 newsletters delivered
  right to you.

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• IVillage created a womens community online and
  was the 9th most popular family and lifestyle
  site and 4th among US females
• In 2007, its visitors were 8-10 million monthly

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AVirtual Sylist???

• Enabled women to try on over 2000 different
  hairstylists using their own photos.
• Fee 14.95 for 3 Months Access.

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How???

• One had to submit a photo then try on the Virtual
  Wig.
• Different Styles, Textures and Lenghts for
  different face Shapes-Oval, Square, Oblong..

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Other Virtual Trends

• Vitual make Over.
• Try on Clothes at your Desk.

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Financial Analysis?IVillage.coms revenue has
grown in revenue from 12 Million in 1998 to
100 Million in 2006.
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• Ivillage became the leading source of news and
  information for and about women.
• It aggregated websites such as www.women.com,www.g
  url.com, healthology.com
• Together all these websites produced 100 Million
  in Profit

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NBC Universal And IVillage

• In 2006, NBC Universal purchased ivillage at 600
  million
• NBC Universal is one of the worlds leading media
  and entertainment companies in the development,
  production, and marketing of entertainment, news,
  and information to a global audience.
• NBC Universal owns and operates a portfolio of
  news and entertainment networks and is a leading
  television stations group

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The acquisition.

• NBC had hardly any Web revenue or income and
  IVillage would jump start its entry into the web.
• NBC would therefore reuse news and entertainment
  programming from shows and Combine with Ivillage
  Website

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Year 2007.

• NBC promotion of IVillage on the shows had little
  effect on the ivillage traffic. Women who watched
  Today show did not visit ivillage.
• A major effort to increase traffic led to a TV
  program called IVillage resulting in a month to
  month drop in IVillage Traffic.
• Conclusion A bad TV show can kill a website.

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Pitfalls of the Merger

• Strategies that work on TV do not necessarily
  work on the web.
• At the time of the Purchase, the technology of
  ivillage was out of date and its editorial
  products were not a leading edge

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• Focus was on women beauty products and not
  financial planning for women or investing advice
  or advancing in proffesion

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Sept 2007

• A new IVillage was launched.
• Videos were more apparent, opportunities to
  contribute more visible but the philosopy is
  unchanged It still reports to women and not
  letting women generate the news

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Competition

• iVillage competitors are primarily in the
  Internet Content Providers industry.
• iVillage also competes in the Publishing sector.
• iVillage competitive landscape includes
• Lifetime,WebMD Health
• IVillages has some big names competitors for
  female audience which include glam.com

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END

• For more Information visit
• www.ivillage.com
• THANK YOU.