From now on, T-Online will be providing services for private and corporate clients in a kind of virtual retail outlet of Postbank. The integration of the Postbank’s services marks the start of a cooperation between the two partners, which is to be extended in the future through innovative offers and product packages. To mark the start of their cooperation, Postbank is running a competition in which T-Online clients can win two percent more interest on a fixed-term deposit.

"With Postbank we have won a most interesting partner. Our companies’ target groups overlap – and that makes it possible to use this kind of innovative offer format to the best effect,” says Burkhard Grassmann, Member of the Board of Management at T-Online International AG, who is responsible for media policy. With more than half a billion page impressions (according to the Association for the Auditing of Advertising Media Circulation - IVW), T-Online’s portal is Germany’s leading content portal (in the field of general interest, according to IVW information). With more than 1.5 million visitors, Postbank’s website (www.postbank.de) is Germany’s most-visited finance site (Nielsen market research/NetRatings in May 2003). To boost its further growth, Postbank is using T-Online’s portal with its large audience as a platform for its offers and services.

"We see the Internet as a platform through which we can address existing customers in a targeted way and can acquire new customers,” says Dr Wolfgang Klein, Member of the Management Board responsible for Postbank’s private customers. "This cooperation with T-Online gives us the opportunity to address these target groups effectively. “Consumers nowadays want to be able to enter into dialogue with their brand", says Klein. "And to do so whenever, wherever and however they want to. We know that dialogue marketing significantly boosts brand loyalty and that the Internet is absolutely predestined to be a channel for such dialogue.”

The concept of T-Online and Postbank picks up on Internet users’ wish for fast access to information. Postbank’s advertising banners and texts are put on a co-branded microsite featuring targeted product information. Visitors can make a quick calculation using an online calculator and can order products straight away by concluding a contract online. Additional information, service tools and tips on finance round off what Postbank has to offer. In addition, Postbank is the hire-purchase partner on the T-Online portal.

Through Postbank’s cooperation with T-Online on its homepage, and also on its finance portal (for private customers) and T-Online Business portal (for corporate customers) Postbank is represented on all finance-related themes. Postbank’s services will also be integrated on the broad-band portal, T-Online Vision.