Pervasive computing is the revolutionary idea that the Internet is not a fixed entity available to consumers only via desktop hardware. Instead, it can come to you, fitting seamlessly into your life. The future begins with a portable, flat-screen Web pad: a simple, inexpensive device that allows consumers to access full Internet functions and personalized information, all from their favorite brand. With its combination of access and smooth connectivity, this platform allows a company to maintain long-term customer relationships via a private-label portal. The possibilities for branded Internet hardware are limitless: a wireless key chain that can call up movie listings or restaurant recommendations, a flat-panel screen on the refrigerator with Internet-based food delivery options.

Consumer online spending--expected to reach $300 billion by 2003--is exploding, while the price of Internet hardware and access continues to fall. The Web is everywhere, and consumers are starting to spend real money on it. The challenge for Fortune 500 companies is to maintain profitable online customer relationships. Large Web portals like AOL and Yahoo! account for a growing majority of consumer impressions--and the cost of doing distribution deals with these portals is prohibitive. More important, using one of these channels adds another layer between marketer and consumer, diminishing brand equity. Until the advent of Internet Appliance Network, brands hoping to establish a meaningful online relationship with consumers had to try to build their own portal from scratch and hope that customers would remain loyal enough to justify the investment.

Internet appliances--featuring non-PC, Web-enabled hardware--are a powerful new medium for consumer brands to develop and retain their customer base. Internet Appliance Network (IAN) is an ideal platform to leverage this medium, as well as a full-service, cost-effective solution to help brands own their customers' Web experience. IAN starts with a branded Internet device, designed to meet the specific needs of your customers, and brings the system to life with a proprietary platform of Web software and consumer marketing services. IAN allows your customers to access full Internet functions and personalized information, all brought to them by your company--their favorite brand. It serves as both a means for consumers to access the Web and, within a persistent, active frame, as a continuous guide to wherever they surf.

For Your Consumers