This Is The Dawning Of The Age Of Web Astrology

Copyright © 2001 Investor's Business Daily- Full text in April 3, 2001 edition. Below are excerpts involving Astrocenter.com

By Jed Graham

Astrology and the Internet might be a match made in the heavens.

The Web has become a breeding ground for discussing out-of-this-world phenomena. But astrology sites aren't just built around what skeptics might refer to as "hocus-pocus." Believe it or not, some online astrology firms say their competitive advantage lies in their technology.

"We're a company made up primarily of technology experts," said Jeremiah Rosen, director of business development for San Francisco-based Astrocenter.com. "Over the past 18 months we've built a 16 million word database." In four languages, he said.

When Astrocenter.com's more than 2 million registered users visit the site for personalized astrological readings, the database can crank out a 20-page report in under a minute. Daily e-mail horoscopes are free, but personalized readings cost $12 to $29.

In some ways, the astrology site's technology challenge is similar to that facing online insurers, Rosen says. A person enters key data and the company crunches the data and instantly produces an assessment for thousands of clients a day.

Computer-generated astrological reports have been available offline for 20 years, but the Internet has changed the game, says Rick Levine, co-founder, president and "chief wizard" at Redmond, Wash.-based StarIQ.

"Never until Internet technology did we have a way to mass-personalize," Levine said. ...

Math Adds Up

Even as other dot-coms are crashing to earth, StarIQ and Astrocenter.com, both funded by individual investors (appropriately called "angels"), are forging ahead to compete in their niche against more-established Web businesses geared to women, such as Women.com and iVillage.

Astrocenter.com launched a marketing blitz in January. That helped triple its membership in six weeks, Rosen says. Its banner ad was among the most visible on the Web that month.

Why are astrology firms trying to prosper in the dot-bomb era?

One answer is that many Web users believe in astrology, or at least find it interesting. According to Alexa Research, "horoscope" was No. 7 among the most popular search terms at leading search engines from March 1999 to January 2001.

Targeting Messages

The second reason is that astrology is well-suited to advertising. The data that people enter to receive daily e-mailed horoscopes are much the same data online advertisers need to target their message, Rosen says.

Astrocenter.com says it doesn't sell its membership data. But it can deliver fairly tightly targeted advertising because about 80% of its members are women, Rosen says.It can use even more precision in directing ads within its daily e-mails.

The company supplements its ad revenue by selling personalized reports on such topics as an individual's career or compatibility with a mate. ...

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