Hinchtown Mobile helps fans get even closer to talented IZOD IndyCar Series rookie

INDIANAPOLIS, Tuesday, July 5, 2011 – Rising IZOD IndyCar Series star James Hinchcliffe launched a cutting-edge, unique driver mobile application July 5, allowing fans to interact with the popular “Hinch” even when their busy lives reach top speed.

Hinchtown Mobile is free and available for download at the Apple App Store and Android Market. It’s believed to be the first driver app in major motorsports.

2010 Firestone Indy Lights series runner-up Hinchcliffe drives for Newman/Haas Racing in his rookie season in the IZOD IndyCar Series, North America’s top open-wheel racing series. He is the second-highest rookie in the standings entering the Honda Indy Toronto, Sunday, July 10 on the streets of his hometown.

“I’m really excited about Hinchtown Mobile,” Hinchcliffe said. “I’ve gone all out to use the Web and social media to connect with fans for the last few years, which is really important to me. That’s been a big success, so the launch of my mobile app is taking my relationship with the fans to an all-new level of interaction.”

Hinchcliffe is one of the most innovative, creative drivers in the use of digital and social media. He is the “mayor of this little Internet civilization known as Hinchtown” at his unique website, www.hinchtown.com.

The site features features complete integration with Hinchcliffe’s YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter feed, all of which he updates regularly to provide entertaining content to fans and sponsors.

Hinchtown Mobile will include links to all of Hinchcliffe’s existing virtual content and channels. But the interactive app also offers exclusive elements. For example, fans attending the race this weekend in Toronto can download a “Key to the City” and get free admission to the Hinchtown After Party.

Hinchcliffe helped to develop the mobile app with sports marketing and consulting specialists GRand Solutions LLC and digital marketing agency Boost Media Entertainment, both based in Indianapolis. GRand Solutions has managed the marketing and activation efforts for Hinchcliffe since March.

“It’s not surprising that Hinch is the first driver to launch a mobile app,” said Ruthie Forbes, co-founder of GRand Solutions. “He’s always thinking one step ahead when it comes to connecting with fans and sponsors in digital media. I’ve never seen a driver more plugged into the power of virtual solutions.”

While Hinchtown Mobile is their first driver app, GRand and Boost teamed up to create and launch an Android app for Texas Motor Speedway in June 2011. It was one of the first apps for a major racing facility.

GRand formed a partnership with Boost Media Entertainment in February to represent Boost’s innovative mobile products in the motorsports marketplace.

“Hinchtown Mobile is a great example of how GRand’s partnership with Boost Media can help keep our clients on the leading edge by offering unique, nimble and efficient solutions through online and mobile technology,” said Gene Cottingham, co-founder of GRand Solutions. “This technology works for everyone in motorsports – drivers, teams, event and track promoters and sponsors.”

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About GRand Solutions LLC

GRand Solutions is a sports management and consulting company based in Indianapolis, featuring the complementary skills and more than 25 years of combined industry experience of former Champ Car CFO Cottingham and former INDYCAR marketing executive Forbes.

The GRand team is committed to exceeding client expectations in the traditional areas of sponsor and event activation, public relations, guest services and consumer marketing – as well as financial and operational consulting, risk management and business process improvement. The “dynamic duo” is dedicated to providing innovative, affordable and effective business solutions to the global sports community and beyond.

About Boost Media Entertainment

Boost Media Entertainment is a digital marketing agency, based in Indianapolis, specializing in web development, video production and mobile apps. Boost offers a full range of creative abilities to provide all the services of an ad agency or PR firm, with the technical capabilities to see the project through in-house. Delivering the client’s complete and cohesive message through multiple channels-with zero dilution-is Boost’s true expertise.

Each week, marketers from around the world join the ExactTarget Nexus partner ecosystem on Twitter for a conversation about trends and best practices in the interactive marketing industry.  They call it the Nexus Café.

On Thursday, March 17th we will join ExactTarget for a live Twitter Chat about the topic Customer Retention Campaigns.  Follow #nexuscafe and #CustomerRetention

#NexusCafe is a conversation on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus, featuring the latest topics in the digital marketing industry. You can follow and participate in the conversation on Twitter with the #NexusCafe hashtag.

Each week, ExactTarget will feature a guest and marketing topic relevant to the Nexus Partner Ecosystem. The audience features ExactTarget customers, partners, and employees. All you have to do to participate is tweet during the event using the hashtag #NexusCafe in your tweet so that it gets pulled into the conversation.

The best contributor, chosen by the featured guest, will win a Starbucks card*!

Remember that 80% of sales come from 20% of current customers and clients? With these statistics I am wondering why most marketing and sales campaigns are designed for the new customer.

Successful customer retention starts with the first contact an organisation has with a customer and continues throughout the entire lifetime of a relationship.   At Boost Media, we have a special promotional product to assist with this.  It’s called TalkToCustomers.

TalktoCustomers.com implements successful promotions where customers willingly trade key demographic data for discounts, chances to win, and other incentives.  This strategy achieves two important results: The collection of valuable consumer information – essential for both tactical and strategic marketing efforts. The creation of a growing audience who “opt in” for periodic communications and promotions by email, text and other electronic communication, keeping the conversation going between you and your customers (customer retention).

Our TalkToCustomers product launch was similar to many.  An accidental discovery.  We were contacted by a potential client who had a particular problem.  In this case, it was Mikes Express Carwash and they wanted to use email marketing to sell their coupon books (buy four get one free) in order to maximize customer retention.  The problem, was that they didn’t have a customer email database yet.  Boost Media suggested that we put a unique code on each sales receipt and invite customers to visit a URL to fill out a short survey, while rewarding them with a free carwash.  We ran the promotion for 14 days and the results were amazing.  Of all the surveys that were completed, 54% of respondents opted in for future messages.  Bingo.  Our idea (TalkToCustomers) was born.

Since the Mikes Success story, we have launched our promotion in many retailers producing opt-in results as high as 90%, 95%,and even 98% in one case (customer retention).

To learn more about our customer retention strategies using TalkToCustomers, please check out the live Twitter chat with ExactTarget this Thursday at 11:00.

Float clearing can be frustrating for any new front-end developer. If you don’t develop with floated elements, you should–they’re incredibly intuitive and aren’t really that complex. Here’s a great article about the float theory.

That being said, there are several ways you can clear a floated element. Most use some sort of clearfix — but here’s a better way:

Markup:

<div id="wrapper">
	<div id="content">
		<p>Content.</p>
	</div>
	<div id="sub-content">
		<p>Content.</p>
	</div>
</div>

CSS:

#wrapper{
	width:960px;
	overflow:hidden;
}
#content{
	width:65%;
	float:left;
}
#sub-content{
	width:30%;
	float:right;
}

That’s all there is to it. The trick here is pretty simple. It uses the width and overflow declarations on the wrapper DIV element–the resolves the issue and the wrapper now stretches around both contained DIV elements.

Boost, GRand Solutions to devise unique mobile, online solutions for clients

Sports management and consulting specialist GRand Solutions has formed an inventive relationship with digital marketing agency Boost Media Entertainment to provide exciting new digital avenues of expression to clients through products such as mobile apps, dynamic website design and interactive video.

The first effort of the partnership is the creation of a mobile app for event promoters that host multiple race events and are focused on creating a unique “user experience” for their fans.
Unified communication platforms for drivers will be offered soon. Packages will include a website, app and mobile site – all with consistent branding and easy, instant updating from a Web-based content management system.

“Our clients know how important it is to properly use digital technology to reach fans and sponsors,” said Ruthie Forbes, co-founder of GRand. “Boost Media Entertainment will help us position our clients for success through smart, effective use and integration of every digital platform.”

Said Gene Cottingham, co-founder of GRand: “Our motivation is always the success of our clients, strengthening their brand and image. One of the most effective places to achieve that is through the online and mobile segments, with apps and social media. Boost knows how to capitalize on those spaces better than anyone.”

GRand Solutions is a sports management and consulting company based in Indianapolis, featuring the complementary skills and more than 25 years of combined industry experience of former Champ Car CFO Cottingham and former INDYCAR marketing executive Forbes.

The GRand team is committed to exceeding client expectations in the traditional areas of sponsor and event activation, public relations, guest services and consumer marketing – as well as financial and operational consulting, risk management and business process improvement. The “dynamic duo” is dedicated to providing innovative, affordable and effective business solutions to the global sports community and beyond.

Boost, GRand Solutions form partnership for digital motorsports marketing

“We’re really happy to work with Gene and Ruthie, as their experience, energy and vision are a great match for Boost,” said Jason Zickler, Boost CEO. “They’ve been able to open a lot of doors for us. We’re especially excited about the opportunities with race promoters and drivers and look forward to more opportunities to innovate.”

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Media Contacts:
Jason Zickler, Boost Media Entertainment
(317) 698-1309 – jzickler@boostmediaentertainment.com

Ruthie Forbes, GRand Solutions
(317) 731-6394 – ruthie@grand-solutions.net

While an Intern at Smithville, their developers turn me on to a wonderful Mac web editor I think every front-end developer should use. It’s called Coda, developed by Panic. It’s smooth, one-window approach is incredible–it’s a text editor and file transferer, packed with terminal, live preview, and a full-featured (up-to-date!) css-editor. But, that’s just the start. It has the power of Transmit, built in the space of a sidebar. Also, it has the best web preview I’ve ever seen thanks to Apple’s WebKit.

Most importantly, is it’s seemless integration with its “Sites” feature — both remotely and locally. You can make an edit to a file, and it will save both the remote file and local file–so you always have an up-date backup of your websites.

The only draw back? It’s a Mac-only program. Check it out for free!

One of our favorite sources for inspiration and information is Smashing Magazine. Earlier this week Matt showed me an article of theirs that listed some great merchant sites. Among the list, I felt like there was one stand out, Chicago L-Shirts. I love how they use a dominant background image to anchor the design of the site. It’s not flash, and despite the size and sharpness of the background photography, the pages load quickly.

Our first response was, who could we do something like this for? It’s a realistic and undeniably cool web solution for the right client.

Accent on Indianapolis is a destination management company that brings Indianapolis to life through customized, creative events and programs. Resourcefulness, unsurpassed knowledge of Indianapolis, and decades of experience equip us to provide unique, imaginative solutions that consistently exceed expectations.

This month we launch a new website for our friends at Accent on Indianapolis. They now have an updated site that accentuates their brand, allows users to view galleries of events, insider info about Indianapolis and gives them the ability to get there message out quickly through an easy to use editor. If you are planning an event this is the eccentric group you want to be working with.

Check out the site at www.accentindy.com

Financially and also in terms of marketing, branding, and communication, online customer satisfaction surveys pay for themselves. Companies that fail to leverage the power of online survey technology often pay a price that can be catastrophic. For example, launching an expensive branding campaign or marketing a product to appeal to a particular customer demo can reap huge rewards. But if you miss the mark because you lack an understanding of your potential audience, it can waste time and money.

With a simple online survey, (bundle your survey with an incentive such as a discount coupon) you can track those who respond to the survey by capturing valuable email addresses. Or compare changes in customer survey responses across a time-line or in relationship to multiple retail locations.

We have recently launched a new survey product TalkToCustomers.com.  Stop by and check it out.

6/15/2010

The setting is a production line at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana near Princeton; elaborate robots spin and maneuver, sparks fly and a career begins—at least that’s the reaction Conexus Indiana leaders are hoping for from young people viewing online videos at DreamItDoItIndiana.com, a new website designed to attract young Hoosiers to careers in the state’s advanced manufacturing and logistics (AML) industry.

The website is the centerpiece of Conexus’ “Dream It. Do It.” program, a broad marketing effort to attract more young Hoosiers to AML careers.

“To maintain our position as first in the nation in manufacturing, Indiana has to remain competitive in human capital,” says Conexus Vice President of Workforce and Community Programs Claudia Cummings. “That means people not only have to have an interest in careers in advanced manufacturing and logistics, but they also have to have the proper training to fill the jobs.” Listen

Conexus leaders say recruiting young people to AML careers is more critical than ever; the Hoosier industry is bracing for a “tidal wave” of Baby Boomer retirements. The resulting gap is projected to create a shortage of qualified workers in AML’s high growth sectors, including medical manufacturing, aerospace, supply chain management, electric vehicles and other clean technologies. Listen

The “Dream It. Do It.” campaign, which targets young Hoosiers between the ages of 16 and 24, is striving to connect this tech-savvy generation with Indiana’s emerging high-tech jobs in manufacturing and logistics by “speaking their language;” designing an interactive, multimedia website and social media network.

“You’re not going to see a lot of TV commercials or billboards from us,” says Cummings. “Instead, we’re going to be laser targeted at our audience—young people who have an aptitude for technology. We’re going to be using Facebook, YouTube and Twitter, with our centerpiece being this robust website with multimedia activities including games, videos and quizzes.” Listen

On the website, visitors can watch videos that showcase some of the high-tech AML companies in Indiana; young people will see engines manufactured at Rolls-Royce for unmanned military aircraft, slick cars powered by EnerDel’s lithium-ion batteries and FedEx jets—loaded with packages processed in Indianapolis—taking to the sky.

In addition to sparking interest in AML careers, Conexus hopes giving young Hoosiers a first-hand look inside AML operations will help change their outdated perception of the industry. It’s a critical step toward filling job openings, according to Cathy Langham, owner and president of Langham Logistics in Indianapolis and a member of the Conexus board.

“[Before launching Dream It. Do It.], if you asked high school kids what logistics meant, they didn’t know. They had no idea,” says Langham. “I’m most excited about this campaign helping people understand more about this industry—it’s not just driving trucks. This will help kids understand what AML is and the opportunities.” Listen

The website also encourages visitors to create personal accounts, which will be used to connect them with specific information about careers and educational opportunities that could lead to enrollment in programs of study. Since the website’s launch, more than 300 accounts have already been created.

Langham says driving young people to educational programs designed for AML careers is greatly needed to create human capital.

“Hiring hasn’t been easy the last couple of years—and that’s for all levels of positions,” says Langham. “From the basic skills up to the higher level skills, it’s not easy. It’s been very difficult to find people with all the skills we look for.” Listen

It’s a common concern across the state’s AML industry, and Conexus leaders are confident the new website, combined with the overall “Dream It. Do It.” campaign, will battle workforce shortages and prepare a new generation of workers to maintain the industry’s might.

InsideINdianaBusiness.com Report

Indianapolis, Ind. — The Indiana Association of REALTORS® (IAR) today released its “Indiana Real Estate Markets Report” for the month of April as a continuation of its “Indiana is Home” project.
The Report, found online at www.IndianaIsHome.com, was the first-ever county-by-county comparison of existing single-family home sales in Indiana. In March, statistics on other types of existing, single-family home sales – condominiums, duplexes, townhomes, mobile homes, etc. – was added to the report.

IAR obtains the data directly from 26 of the state’s 27 Multiple Listing Services (MLSs), including the Broker Listing Cooperative® (BLC®) in central Indiana. To date, the Report represents 98% of the housing market statewide and 91 of 92 Indiana counties.

Statewide, April sales of all types of existing, single-family homes increased 28.4% from the same month last year; median prices saw an increase of 13.7%.

This is the seventh consecutive month that there has been an increase in median prices over the previous year.

“April showed continuation of an expected spring surge due to the federal tax credit,” said Karl Berron, Chief Executive Officer. “While the increase in sales is positive, the best news is that inventory is trending down and there seems to be a broad stabilization in home prices, demonstrating that the tax credit did its job to preserve housing wealth.”

Last month’s Reportisode (video) talked about the other incentives available to help consumers achieve their dream of homeownership, namely the Market Stabilization Program created by the Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA) to minimize the negative effects of foreclosures in many Hoosier communities. That program runs through the end of June. Find out more by watching Reportisode #9, archived along the right side of the Reports tab at www.IndianaIsHome.com. This month’s Reportisode celebrates the first birthday of the “Indiana Real Estate Markets Report” and discusses upcoming changes to the Report that will make it even more robust.

More about “Indiana Is Home”
It is a multi-media project hosted by media professional Pat Carlini and aimed at keeping Hoosier homeowners, would-be homeowners, policymakers and the media well-informed on the ever-changing local real estate markets. Indianapolis-based Boost Media and Entertainment shot and produced all videos found at www.IndianaIsHome.com.

IAR represents more than 16,000 REALTORS® who are involved in virtually all aspects related to the sale, purchase, exchange or lease of real property in Indiana. The term REALTOR® is a registered mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the world’s largest trade association, the National Association of REALTORS®, and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Source: Indiana Association of REALTORS