We take that basic model and license brands names, in this case Marvel, to create a branded ISP service fans can sign up for. Its other major ISP service, the Catholic Family Network , offers a filtered Internet access with content that caters to the Catholic community. In the future, IConnect may offer branded broadband services. While branded e-mail and ISP services have some appeal to fans, one analyst doesn't expect them to last. The ones that lasted were tied to a particular activity, such as accruing points to buy airline tickets, he notes.
People go to the Web to do something.
Yahoo works because it's tied to an activity or set of activities, not a person or an event. As users mature, they won't want to be tied to the same character, Enderle says. It's so competitive to get people. The idea is once you have them you can sell them and offer them other things that are more valuable than what they pay for the service.