Unless you are a KeyCorp or Chase Manhattan, you won’t be displaying your logo on the first page of one of the most successful e-commerce ventures to date, Auto-By-Tel. Or will you?

Financing is a prominent feature on Auto-By-Tel’s first page  www.autobytel.com

Auto-By-Tel is one of many Web merchants that is using the power of the Web to offer low-cost co-branding opportunities. Here is how it works. Banks or credit unions post a link to Auto-By-Tel for members interested in purchasing a new or used automobile. When the time comes for the user to purchase a car, they are sent back to the financial institution’s Web for financing, with Auto-By-Tel snagging a $25 commission on the deal. It’s a win-win arrangement. You’ve provided a valuable resource to your members without losing the financing opportunity. Auto-By-Tel picks up the car sale and a commission on the financing. Silver State Schools FCU www.sssfcu.org  is one of the first financial institutions to sign on to the new program.

The credit card world is full of examples of co-branding. We are just starting to see these programs sprout on the Web. One of the more aggressively marketed programs is the TicketMaster MasterCard issued by First USA. The card is promoted on TicketMaster’s Web  www.ticketmaster.com and features a 5.9% intro APR, no annual fee, TicketMaster Rewards, and a $20 gift certificate with first use. Oddly, there is no online sign-up. Users must call a toll-free number to apply. (When I tested the number one Sunday afternoon, the rep I spoke with hadn’t even heard of TicketMaster, but she did confirm it was First USA.)

First USA/TicketMaster co-branded card is promoted with banner ads throughout the TicketMaster Web.