Exhibit 10.6
MARKETING
AGREEMENT
This Marketing Agreement (this “
Agreement ”) is entered into as of January
21, 2005 (“ Effective Date ”), by and
between Bankrate, Inc., a Florida corporation (“
Bankrate ”), with its principal place of
business at 11760 U.S. Highway One, 5 th Floor, North
Palm Beach, Florida, and LowerMyBills, Inc., a Delaware corporation
(“ LowerMyBills ”), with its offices
at 2401 Colorado Ave., Suite 200, Santa Monica, CA
90404.
A. LowerMyBills, among other things, is a marketing
firm that collects information from and about potential mortgage
applicants in the form of mortgage information inquiries and
provides such inquiries to mortgage brokers, lenders and other
third parties.
B. Bankrate owns and operates
http://www.bankrate.com , the Internet's leading consumer
banking marketplace.
C. Bankrate and LowerMyBills desire to create
Co-branded Landing Pages (as defined below) created, hosted,
operated and maintained by LowerMyBills.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and
promises recited below, Bankrate and LowerMyBills, intending to be
legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
1 .
Definitions . The following terms shall have the following
meanings for the purpose of this Agreement:
A.
Advertisements means LowerMyBills’ banner, poster, island
and skyscraper graphic advertisements to be placed on the Bankrate
Internet Site. Advertisements must be for products for which
Bankrate will receive CPA Price payments as defined in Section
5.A., including but not limited to mortgages (all types, including
purchase and refinance) as well as home equity loans and lines of
credit.
B.
Advertising
Impression means
the one-time display of a graphic advertisement on an electronic
site on the Internet or an on-line service.
C.
Bankrate Brand
Marks means
Bankrate’s trademarks, trade names, service marks, logos and
designations listed on Schedule A .
D.
Bankrate Internet
Site means any
electronic site on the Internet or any on-line service where
Bankrate collects revenue for Advertising Impressions, including,
without limitation, Bankrate’s network of co-branded web
sites and the Bankrate web site whose URL is
http://www.bankrate.com . The Bankrate web site includes,
without limitation, a national database of consumer bank rates,
yields and fees, as well as all news, articles, tips and
calculators for the following product areas: mortgages; credit
cards; automobile loans; savings; checking; ATMs; home equity
loans; online banking; small business; money market; personal
loans; taxes; and investing.
E.
Bankrate IP
Rights means
Bankrate’s present or future copyrights, trademarks, trade
secrets, service marks, patents and any other intellectual property
rights.
F.
Bankrate
Materials means
any content or materials that may be provided by Bankrate, in its
sole discretion, for inclusion in the Co-branded Landing
Pages.
G.
Cause
means (i) breach of Section 9(A),
9(C), 10, or 11 and (ii) any other material breach of this
Agreement by either Bankrate or LowerMyBills, which breach is not
remedied within thirty (30) days following the breaching
party’s receipt of written notice of such breach.
H.
Co-branded Landing
Pages means the
co-branded web pages developed pursuant to this Agreement to which
Users are directed to when clicking on any Advertisement, that
requests Users to provide information.
I.
Completed Inquiry means (i) any Co-branded
Landing Page completed in sufficient detail such that any
LowerMyBills Affiliated Entity is able to generate revenue from the
User information provided on the Co-branded Landing Page by
providing such User information in the form of a mortgage or home
equity-related information inquiry to a mortgage broker, lender, or
other third party, other lender or to another LowerMyBills
Affiliated Entity, including, without limitation, any redirection
of any User to another web site; and (ii) any Co-branded Landing
Page completed in sufficient detail such that the User information
may be utilized by any LowerMyBills Affiliated Entity in a manner
similar to those third parties from which a LowerMyBills Affiliated
Entity would ordinarily generate revenue by providing such User
information under Section 1(I)(i), above.
J.
CPM
means cost per thousand Advertising
Impressions.
K.
Impression
Channel means
all product channels, throughout the Bankrate Internet Site, as
determined by Bankrate in accordance with its standard policies,
including the Mortgage, Home Page, Calculator and Run of Site
channels listed on Schedule B .
L.
Inquiry means any Co-branded Landing Page completed
with User information.
M.
Invalid
Inquiry means
any Completed Inquiry where (i) the Inquiry clearly contains false
information; (ii) the Inquiry contains a false name (e.g., Bugs
Bunny); or (iii) all telephone numbers(s) provided as part of the
Inquiry are not working telephone numbers or are not telephone
numbers at which a User can be regularly reached.
N.
LowerMyBills Affiliated
Entity means
LowerMyBills or any of its parents, subsidiaries, or
affiliates.
O.
LowerMyBills Brand
Marks means
LowerMyBills’ trademarks, trade names, service marks, logos
and designations listed on Schedule A .
P.
LowerMyBills
Materials means
any content or materials that may be provided by LowerMyBills for
inclusion in the Co-Branded Landing Pages.
Q.
LowerMyBills Web
Sites means
LowerMyBills’ website, whose current URL is
http://www.lowermybills.com .
R.
URL
means Uniform Resource Locator, the
unique text address for information located on the Web.
S.
Users
means any and all persons who access
the Co-branded Landing Pages or are otherwise linked to a
lowermybills.com Web site through Advertisements.
T.
Web
means the World Wide Web.
2 .
Term . The term of this Agreement (the
“Term”) shall commence at 12:00:01 AM Eastern Time on
February 1, 2005, and, unless terminated earlier in accordance with
this Agreement, shall continue until the later of (A) 11:59:59 PM
Eastern Time on December 31, 2005, or (B) such time as Bankrate
delivers the total number of Advertising Impressions specified on
Schedule B .
3.
Agreement to [*] . Unless Bankrate
terminates for cause, or LowerMyBills is in breach of this
Agreement, then, if Bankrate decides to [*] Bankrate shall
offer LowerMyBills [*] for a period of [*] ([*]) upon
terms to be mutually agreed upon by both parties. Notwithstanding
the foregoing obligation to [*], neither LowerMyBills nor Bankrate
shall be obligated to [*].
4.
Delivery of Advertising Impressions .
Bankrate shall deliver to LowerMyBills the number of Advertising
Impressions, based on Advertisement and Impression Channel, set
forth on Schedule B . LowerMyBills acknowledges that,
despite Bankrate’s efforts to deliver Advertising Impressions
as evenly in number as possible throughout the Term, fluctuations
in the number of Advertising Impressions delivered by Bankrate are
likely to occur due to, among other things, seasonality and traffic
spikes on the Bankrate Internet Site. The content and
specifications of Advertisements and Impression Channels are
subject to Bankrate’s standard placement policies.
Bankrate’s ad server measurements of Advertising Impressions
delivered will be used to determine completion of Bankrate’s
delivery obligations under this Agreement.
[*] Blank spaces contained confidential
information that has been filed separately with the Securities and
Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 24b-2 under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
A.
Bankrate Advertisement
and Impression Channel Adjustments . Bankrate may, in its
discretion, adjust up or down the location and/or position of
Advertisements, Impression Channels, or both, by a maximum of ten
percent (10%) from the levels detailed on Schedule B .
Advertisement positions on the pages may be adjusted at
Bankrate’s sole discretion.
B.
Bankrate Advertisement
and Impression Channel Substitutions
. To the
extent Bankrate and LowerMyBills determine, in good faith, that the
conversion rate of Completed Inquiry per Advertisement or per
Impression Channel are materially similar, Bankrate may, in its
reasonable discretion, substitute one Advertisement or Impression
Channel with another of a materially similar impression-conversion
rate.
Notwithstanding
Bankrate’s rights pursuant to Sections 4(A) and 4(B), the
total number of guaranteed Advertising Impressions delivered during
the Term as provided on Schedule B shall not
change.
C.
Exclusivity . During the term of
this Agreement, LowerMyBills will be one of two mortgage lead
aggregators sold display advertisements on Bankrate.com and the
Bankrate.com advertisement network. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
(i) other mortgage lead aggregators may run advertisements in the
Bankrate.com pay-per-click text advertisements, which are not
graphical in nature, and (ii) one other mortgage lead aggregator
has a small buy in a Bankrate channel not included in this package,
which will be cancelled as soon as possible, but in no case later
than March 31, 2005.
A.
CPM and Variable Rate
Payments .
During the Term, LowerMyBills shall pay Bankrate the following: (i)
a fixed rate of $[*]
billed on actual ads served per
calendar month; and (ii) a variable rate per Completed Inquiry
[*] (the “CPA Price”, as indicated in
Schedule C). (Example: total Inquiries - Invalid Inquiries =
Completed Inquires)
B.
Payment
Due .
LowerMyBills shall pay all amounts due Bankrate no later than the
last day of the month following the month in which (i)
[*] and (ii) [*] .
C.
Third Party
Reconciliation : Bankrate will track delivery of
Advertising Impressions through its ad server and LowerMyBills will
also track delivery of Advertising Impressions through its
subcontracted 3rd party ad server. In the event that Bankrate's ad
server measurements are higher than those produced by LowerMyBills'
3rd party ad server, by a difference of more than [*]%, both
parties agree to [*]. For example: [*]
[*] Blank spaces contained confidential information
that has been filed separately with the Securities and Exchange
Commission pursuant to Rule 24b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, as amended.
D.
LowerMyBills Does Not Pay
When Due, Bankrate is Entitled to Interest and Collection
Costs . If
LowerMyBills does not make payment when due under this Section 5,
interest at the rate of eighteen percent (18%) per annum,
calculated from the date which such unpaid amounts should have been
paid, shall accrue and be owed to Bankrate. LowerMyBills shall also
pay Bankrate all collection expenses incurred by Bankrate,
including costs and reasonable attorneys' fees in the event
Bankrate is required to commence formal legal action under this
Agreement.
6.
Co-branded Landing Pages;
Advertisements .
A.
Creation and Maintenance
of Co-branded Landing Pages . LowerMyBills shall create and maintain the
Co-branded Landing Pages. The Co-branded Landing Pages shall
incorporate and integrate the LowerMyBills Brand Marks,
LowerMyBills Materials, the Bankrate Brand Marks and the Bankrate
Materials. Bankrate and LowerMyBills shall mutually agree upon the
design, contents and all other elements of the Co-branded Landing
Pages; provided however, that LowerMyBills shall not make any
changes to the content of the offer to the consumer which a
reasonable person may deem to be misleading or deceptive, or
changes to the Bankrate Brand Marks or the Bankrate Materials
without Bankrate’s prior written consent LowerMyBills can
change the layout and/or arrangement of the form, and of the
Co-branded Landing Page without notice and at its discretion. The
Co-branded Landing Pages shall be accessible via LowerMyBills
advertisements displayed on the Bankrate Internet Site.
B.
Notice of Ownership and
Operation . The
Co-branded Landing Pages shall contain mutually agreed upon notices
and disclaimers (or link to such notices and disclaimers), in a
manner and using language reasonably satisfactory to Bankrate. The
notices and disclaimers shall also provide an e-mail address for
LowerMyBills to receive comments, questions and complaints from
Users, as detailed in Section 6(G) below.
C.
Ownership; Responsibility
for Co-branded Landing Pages . Except with respect to Bankrate Brand Marks
and the Bankrate Materials, LowerMyBills shall retain all rights of
ownership over the Co-branded Landing Pages, including all
LowerMyBills Materials.
D.
Notices and
Disclaimers .
LowerMyBills shall comply with Bankrate’s reasonable
requirements with respect to notices, disclaimers and legends that
Bankrate may require LowerMyBills to include on the Co-branded
Landing Pages, and any copies, extracts, etc., that may be derived
from the Bankrate Materials.
E.
Users shall Comply with
Privacy Policies of Both Bankrate and
LowerMyBills .
Bankrate and LowerMyBills shall ensure that when a User submits
information on the Co-branded Landing Pages, the User must agree to
comply with both LowerMyBills’ and Bankrate’s
respective privacy policy. Notwithstanding, in the event
Bankrate’s privacy policy is more restrictive or in some
manner inconsistent with LowerMyBills’ then-posted privacy
policy, Bankrate and LowerMyBills agree to use LowerMyBills’
privacy policy so as not to limit LowerMyBills’ use of the
User information submitted on the Co-Branded Landing
Pages.
F.
Advertisements on
Co-branding Landing Pages . Advertisements on the Co-branded Landing Pages
may only be sold upon the mutual consent of Bankrate and
LowerMyBills.
G.
Customer
Support . All
customer or technical support inquiries shall be directed to an
e-mail address specified by LowerMyBills on the Co-branded Landing
Pages. LowerMyBills shall handle all associated first-line customer
and technical support for Users. LowerMyBills shall respond to all
User comments, questions and complaints promptly and in a courteous
and professional manner.
H.
Project
Managers . Each
of Bankrate and LowerMyBills shall designate a project manager, who
shall be the other party’s primary contact under this
Agreement. Either Bankrate or LowerMyBills may change its project
manager by providing notice to the other party.
I.
Hosting of the Co-branded
Landing Pages .
LowerMyBills shall be responsible for hosting, serving and
maintaining the Co-branded Landing Pages, including arranging all
hardware and software and communications links.
J.
LowerMyBills Shall
Provide Information Necessary to Deliver
Advertisements .
LowerMyBills shall provide all information necessary for Bankrate
to complete the Advertisements and deliver the Advertising
Impressions detailed on Schedule B .
7.
Reports Provided by
LowerMyBills; LowerMyBills’ Access to Advertisement Serving
System; Bankrate’s Use of User
Information .
A.
Weekly
Reports . Each
Monday, or, if Monday is a federal holiday, the next regular
business day thereafter, LowerMyBills shall provide a report to
Bankrate, in a format to be mutually agreed upon by Bankrate and
LowerMyBills. Such report shall specify the estimated sum of
Completed Inquiries for the most-recently completed week prior to
delivery of such report.
B.
Monthly
Reports . By the
15 th day of each month, or, if the 15 th day
is not a business day, the next regular business day thereafter,
LowerMyBills shall provide a monthly report to Bankrate, in a
format to be mutually agreed upon by Bankrate and LowerMyBills.
Such report shall specify the number of Completed Inquiries in the
prior month.
C.
LowerMyBills’
Access to Bankrate's Advertisement Serving
System .
Bankrate shall provide LowerMyBills with Internet access to its
advertisement serving system that will permit LowerMyBills to view
the number of Advertisements served by Bankrate pursuant to this
Agreement.
D.
LowerMyBills Shall
Provide [*] Data. LowerMyBills shall supply Bankrate with certain
[*] data abo