CA-based Internet search service Ask Jeeves has formed
partnerships with Nike and Fidelity Investments, according
to Bambi Francisco of CBS MarketWatch. While terms of the
deals were not disclosed, Ask Jeeves VP/Marketing for
Corporate Service Sean Murphy said the company has been
"typically signing year-long contracts, and typically our
transaction size is between $300,000 and $1 million for a
year or 15-month contract." The "Ask Nike" feature is
already on Nike's Web site and is "fielding about 1,500
questions a day." The service "works as a customer service
provider, answering questions just like a sales clerk would"
at NikeTown. Nike has also "incorporated the service into
NikeID," which allows consumers to design their own shoes."
Francisco noted that the Nike deal is not Ask Jeeves' "first
play on the retail market, as its current roster already
includes" Williams Sonoma, Martha Stewart Online and
UBid.com (CBS MarketWatch, 1/18). But Reuters reported that
the Nike deal "marks one of" Jeeves' "first with a major
consumer product marketer" (REUTERS, 1/18).
