There was an interesting article on Brandweek.com today in which the CMO of United Online, MyPoints’ new parent company, discussed the company’s expansion strategy. In it, Matt Wisk says that although NetZero and Juno (other companies United Online owns) bring in around 80% of the company’s total revenue, and although they realize that dial-up access is on its way out, they have no intent to offer broadband. They want to take whatever money they can make from NetZero and Juno, as long as they last, and use it to diversify into other online opportunities, like MyPoints, and their latest offering, PrivatePhone.com.
That doesn’t sound like much of a long-range plan to me. Cut your losses on your core businesses, raking in the profits as long as they last, while taking the cash and spending it on various other online businesses? What happens when the NetZero/Juno gravy train runs out? Is there some sort of unified master strategy, some core focus, to their business, or is it just “buy stuff and see if we can do something with it?” And — my concern as a long-time MyPoints member — in a few years, will MyPoints be the cash cow they’re just stringing along, milking for income they funnel into buying other businesses?
A related article about how United Online’s dial-up competitor, Earthlink, is embracing — and pursuing — broadband, is here.
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I tried MyPoints & if you don’t mind working for less than .0005 per hour answering a lot of really stupid questions, I feel sorry for you. Myself, I’ve got better things to do! After you save up all these points you need to get anything, the crap they send you isn’t fit to give away. What a colossal rip-off!!!! And to think of how much money these people have made using me & they aren’t even willing to pay me????? I ask you; what kind of lowlife are these people?