Brand Thunder Ignores Economic Downturn by Tripling Business in Nine Months by Brand Thunder

COLUMBUS, OH — September 16, 2009 — Brand Thunder LLC (http://www.brandthunder.com), the custom browser specialists, announced today it has three times the number of clients and custom browser Booms! available to end users compared to December 2008. The visual intensity combined with useful content and functional integration into the browser have proven popular with both clients and end users of the Brand Thunder Booms!.

At the end of 2008, 18 signed clients and 31 browser add-ons resulted in over 500,000 downloads of its browser customizations. In middle of September 2009, the client list has grown to over 60 partners and 83 Booms! in the market with dozens more Booms! in the build process for release in the coming weeks. Downloads are approaching 1.5 million.

The browser customization is delivered through a small download called a Boom! and wraps the user’s web browser in a graphically-rich experience with integrated content and functionality that best serves a brand’s audience. Clients can include videos, streaming music, breaking news, Twitter feeds plus buttons that link to their most popular pages on their sites. The browser becomes a valuable connection between brand and its community and delivers continuous invitations back to the site of the sponsoring brand.

The client list taking advantage of the browser add-on continues to grow and now includes brands in the U.S., Canada and U.K. such as House of Blues, Major League Soccer, teams from the NBA and NFL, newspaper publishers, radio stations, TV affiliates, webcomics and more. This is in addition to companies like Geffen Records, Universal Music Group, Huffington Post, NASCAR Nationwide Series, NHL teams among others.

Additional milestones attesting to Brand Thunder’s growth include increasing strategic channel partners from 7 to 11 and spanning six countries on three continents. Despite a seasonal nature to a majority of product and clients, the active user rate has more than doubled during the first nine months of 2009.

“Our Washington Capitals browser has been a great success,” said Sean Parker, Director of New Media, Washington Capitals. “Over the last two years we have seen a significant increase in our Firefox visitor traffic. I am sure part of this increase is due to our branded browser. Brand thunder has done a great job of integrating Capitals news feeds, Caps365 and customized buttons into the theme, which reinforces our brand to our fans and drives traffic to our site. I am looking forward to seeing the new enhancements Brand Thunder will be adding to our browser for this upcoming season.”

“We help people customize their online experience and make that experience easy, better and more personal,” said Patrick Murphy, founder and CEO of Brand Thunder. “The result has been a growing and excited fan base, which makes it easier to bring on an amazing list of clients.”

Brand Thunder’s browser Booms! are free, lightweight active customizations that can include themes, toolbars, sidebars and other content or functionality. With a Boom!, users can switch real-time between any of the browser looks they created without restarting their browser.

About Brand Thunder:
Formed in April 2007, Brand Thunder creates custom-browser experiences. Brands enjoy a more persistent connection to their Internet consumer through the custom browser Boom!, which increases website visits and revenue. Through a software installation, end users change the look and feel of their Internet browser into an immersive experience from their favorite sports team, entertainment franchise or Internet site. The custom browser Booms! feature official logos, colors, content and functionality, but can also extend capabilities including video, music players or other Internet widgets. Current business partners and clients include the Huffington Post, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, NBA, NCAA, NFL, NHL, Universal Music and Yahoo!. Samples found at http://brandthunder.com/gallery/.

Contact:
Patrick Murphy, CEO
Brand Thunder, LLC
614-408-8202

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Posted in News, Press Releases | Tags: Branded Browser, brandthunder, browser boom, custom browser, firefox, Major League Soccer, Washington Capitals, Web browser | No Comments »

Measuring Engagement – Maintaining Engagement by Kevin Dwinnell

MediaPost’s Online Spin had another interesting article yesterday titled “The Three Rs Of Engagement” by Cory Treffiletti. Cory discusses how there is no standard for defining engagement because engagement depends on the objectives of the marketer. But he proposes three unifying themes necessary to define engagement — and they are Recency, Resonance and Relevance.

I like the structure of the three Rs. The classic dictum of reach and frequency can be rolled under recency. They are the elements to help with recall. You could argue Resonance and Relevance also aid recall, but I’d put the burden of meeting those two Rs with creative execution and strategy. Creative will help you Resonate and getting that message to the right audience will ensure your Relevancy.

The three Rs also identify the keys to success when you’re dealing with a branded application like our Booms!. With an app, especially one used regularly, you are ensured Recency and since an app typically requires user action to download and use Relevancy is also virtually guaranteed. Now if you can provide the value that Resonates with that user, you’ve got a truly powerful tool to drive a lot of usage from your end user.

While you do this, you have to maintain Trust. This is implied in most marketing efforts, but essential in something like an application where the user extends a lot of faith from the moment they decide to download or install, and is committing themselves to hours of connection at a time. If you abuse the relationship you sought through the engagement capabilities of an app, you undermine more than any single marketing effort. In our world, that threshold can be pretty low if we disrupt the user’s experience. So if we don’t manage Trust very well, our three Rs quickly turns into ARRRG.

Posted in News | Tags: brand thunder, Branded Browser, browser boom, custom browser, internet application, internet apps, marketing engagement, MediaPost | No Comments »

Brand Thunder and Phoenix Suns to Bring a Planet Orange Experience to Internet Browsers by Brand Thunder

COLUMBUS, OH – September 2, 2009 – Brand Thunder LLC (http://www.brandthunder.com), the custom browser specialists, announced today an agreement with the Phoenix Suns to offer its fans a unique online experience.
Basketball fans who use the popular internet browser Firefox will be able to download a Phoenix Suns branded browser at Suns.com, featuring the team’s logo and colors, as well as prominent links for quick access to the club’s various digital and social media channels.

“We are always looking for new ways to connect with our fans, and our fans are always looking for new ways to show their love of Phoenix Suns basketball,” says Suns VP of Digital Jeramie McPeek. “The Suns branded browser is a great way for the citizens of Planet Orange to express that pride, and enhance their overall experience online.”

A leader in technology among pro sports franchises, the Suns’ official website, Suns.com, has been named the top team site in the NBA on three occasions, while the team’s official social network, PlanetOrange.net, and virtual tour site, SunsLockerRoom.com, were both recognized with Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards in 2008. The Suns’ family of sites average more than 50 million page views from more than 200 different countries.

“The Suns have been so savvy in the Internet space, that there’s a robust amount of content and functionality to build a really engaging fan experience,” said Patrick Murphy, founder and CEO of Brand Thunder. “We expect some new and exciting surprises out of this.”

Brand Thunder’s browsers are free, lightweight active customizations that can include themes, toolbars, sidebars and other content or functionality.

About Brand Thunder:
Formed in April 2007, Brand Thunder creates custom-browser experiences. Brands enjoy a more persistent connection to their Internet consumer through the custom browser Boom!, which increases website visits and revenue. Through a software installation, end users change the look and feel of their Internet browser into an immersive experience from their favorite sports team, entertainment franchise or Internet site. The custom browser Booms! feature official logos, colors, content and functionality, but can also extend capabilities including video, music players or other Internet widgets. Current business partners and clients include the Huffington Post, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, NBA, NCAA, NFL, NHL, Universal Music and Yahoo!. Samples found at http://brandthunder.com/gallery/.

Contact:
Patrick Murphy, CEO
Brand Thunder, LLC
614-408-8202

###

Posted in News, Press Releases | Tags: Branded Browser, brandthunder, browser boom, custom browser, Mozilla Firefox, National Basketball Association, NBA, Phoenix Suns | No Comments »

Help Your Customer, Help Yourself by Kevin Dwinnell

Brand Thunder received some nice coverage over at Folio Magazine yesterday. The story focused on our latest release for the Columbus Dispatch and some technical benefits we added behind the scenes to make the product more useful to Dispatch readers and ultimately The Dispatch itself. I encourage you to read the Folio story and get their take on the work we’ve done.

What we did was enhance search queries made from the browser so that Dispatch content related to the query is presented in a news block at the top of the search results page. It’s not intrusive, it’s presented respectfully and it’s a true value add. Dispatch readers will more easily find Dispatch content, and getting more readers into its online content is what helps The Dispatch.

I like it because it’s a concrete example of marketing using new media. I get lost in all the discussions around social media and how brands need to become part of the discussion. What does that mean? (I know there are a lot of great blogs that discuss this, but the information falls out of my head the moment I leave the site.) I feel we’ve delivered a good example of helping our client’s community, satisfying a need of that community and seeing our client benefit from it. I also think it’s closer to what the social media experts want when they say “engage your community” and less on the side of the conversion marketers who are driving clicks and sales.

Another real world example is Woot. They do a great job on their shirt.woot.com site. The community designs t-shirts based on a topic provided by Woot. The user generated designs are voted on by the community and the top ones are made into t-shirts ($10 + free s&h). It provides a creative outlet and recognition for designers. It’s fun, even for the casual observer like me. And for Woot, it’s a fantastic model for keeping the community active and coming back. You know they’re going to sell some shirts along the way. Woot creates entertainment for its visitors, helps designers with exposure and generates revenue directly from it.

If you know a little about the history of Woot, you know they have killer writing and very active discussion boards. When Woot first launched, each night there was a race to make the first page of comments. You can see how that became the springboard for looking at other ways to engage their community and still stay true to their commerce mission.

We do have the benefit of leveraging the brand affinity between our client and their customer. That provides a lens through which we can view our products and benefits. “Our customers have expressed a connection to this brand by downloading our Boom!. Is there an opportunity to super serve them by knowing about that relationship?” The ideas and opportunities flow from there. So what unique feature can you leverage to help better serve the needs of your audience? And what do you possess that will help your customer with their needs? From that point, you just might see your next opportunity.

Posted in Commentary, News | Tags: brand thunder, browser boom, Columbus Dispatch, custom browser, folio magazine, Internet forum, marketing, Woot | No Comments »

Two Views to a Boom! – Toolbar Only Look & Why It Matters by Kevin Dwinnell

Brand Thunder prides itself on the immersive visual experience our browser Booms! deliver – but sometimes less is more. For those times, Brand Thunder built a Small Boom! (toolbar only) view of our Booms!. It’s as simple as clicking on the B/T button in the toolbar and choosing the Small Boom! option. That’s it. The full functionality of the Boom! is reduced to toolbar size.

So, if that’s it, then why a blog post? One reason is it tells people about the feature. The other is that its a good reminder for the challenges facing product managers and UI designers. Less really is more in so many ways. Every step you place in between the user and their goal significantly increases the abandonment rate. For example, each screen in an installation or sign up process results in a 30% abandonment. What is the equivalent for the product and features essential to your business and consumer? How many barriers are you putting in front of your consumer from reaching them?

Posted in Commentary | Tags: brand thunder, browser boom, Browsers, custom browser, Toolbar, User interface | No Comments »

Elaboration on Earning Customer Loyalty by Kevin Dwinnell

Customer Loyalty: How to Earn It is a commentary over at MediaPost. Guy Maser gives some simple and straightforward ideas to help you better serve your existing customer. The fundamentals often aren’t that complex. His suggestions are geared for a certain type of business, but his premise is applicable anywhere – do something for the benefit of your current customers.

I’d take it a step or two farther. What can you do for your customer today? How much of your time was spent working on tasks focused on revenue for you as opposed to experience for them? When was the last time you focused on figuring out what would “wow” your customer? Do you have a daily “to-do” task that focuses specifically on the customer?

Questions like these drive a set of behaviors that can benefit your customer and ultimately your business. Just picking up the phone and calling a customer can have a very positive impact as well as offering a chance to get first hand feedback. Reviewing message boards and comments, on your sites and sites related to your product can be very insightful, but also give you an opportunity to respond and learn. I found a comment in Mozilla’s Add-ons that warranted a reply, but Add-ons doesn’t offer a reply option. Fortunately, this member had an email address in his profile and I was able to reach him. I can’t vouch for this instance, but in the past, these extra steps have gone a long way.

Think of all the other touch points available through the Internet. What if some of the viral-video energy went into service videos? Pictures and text also works. I completely disassembled my laptop to fix a cracked solder joint and couldn’t believe the number of parts. I found a step-by-step guide, however, that allowed me to do it myself in about the amount of time it would have taken just to drive it to a repair shop. It was awesome.

We mention frequently the items we often include in our browser Booms! News feeds, RSS, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and more. These are all easy to implement touch points with your consumer. Some of these elements get the news to your customers as effectively and more timely than any email campaign can. You don’t even have to do the bulk of the communicating at sites that offer a dialogue. Listening goes a long way, but you will have to say something, just so your customers know you’re there.

The list can go on and on. There’s no one path to earning your customer’s loyalty, but it clearly requires pursuing some path.

Posted in Commentary | Tags: brand thunder, Branded Browser, browser boom, custom browser, Facebook, Internet forum, Mozilla, MySpace, RSS, Social media, Twitter, Viral video | 1 Comment »

Evolving the Not Invented Here Syndrome by Kevin Dwinnell

“Not invented here” has long held a negative connotation. I’ve been involved in my share of corporate development efforts that ignore marketplace solutions and pursue an internal one only to see the project stagger and fall. I’ve also used it as an excuse for obstacles encountered when dealing with other companies. In those respects, it’s alive and well.

When you’re a lean startup, however, you can’t afford to ignore something because it wasn’t developed from within. You’re trying to serve your clients and end users in the best way possible as fast as possible in the run toward sustainability.

Fortunately, there are many examples on the web where “not invented here” has produced beautiful results. Think of all the mashups where content and functionality from multiple sites are combined (you can find fun examples at Mashup Awards).

For the web, it’s morphed into the “I want some of what’s over there” syndrome, and that’s often all it takes to start pulling it into your product. Looking at Brand Thunder’s own efforts, we did that with Surf Canyon (who was just recognized by Search Engine Journal). We don’t view ourselves as just creating a more personal and customized browser experience; we’re trying to create a better one. Regardless of how badly we want to do something, we simply don’t have the time nor resources to do it all. And, it doesn’t make sense to reinvent a good product when it’s sitting “over there.”

When your resources are fully tapped out developing your core offering, finding something of value that was not invented here is a gift. We’ll continue to look for relationships that can help us improve our product at a rapid rate. And hopefully we won’t lock ourselves into mindsets that limit us.

Posted in Commentary | Tags: brand thunder, browser boom, custom browsers, search engine journal, Surf Canyon | No Comments »

Brand Thunder Unveils “Canvas” and the Ability to Add Any Photo or Image to Your Browser Theme with Just a Click by Patrick Murphy

COLUMBUS, OH (May 28, 2009) — Brand Thunder LLC (http://www.brandthunder.com), the custom browser specialists, today announced the beta release of Canvas, a major advance in Internet browser personalization. This lightweight browser enhancement puts the look and feel of the browser fully in the hands of the user by allowing any picture on their computer, or any image on a web page, to be set as the theme for their Internet browser. Canvas is available for download at http://brandthunder.com/Canvas and represents the easiest method to customize the browser on such a personal level.

“Brand Thunder was built on the premise of allowing users to personalize their browser experience,” said Patrick Murphy, founder and CEO of Brand Thunder. “Today, with Canvas, we radically redefine what that means. There’s no other tool that’s as easy to use and gives this amount of visual control over the user’s existing browser.”

With Canvas installed, users may instantaneously wrap the browser with images or photos found on sites like Flickr and Facebook, even animated gifs by right-clicking the image and selecting “Add to Image Canvas.” Any image added to Canvas becomes part of the “MyPix” button, the equivalent of a browser photo album where the user can switch browser themes any time they wish. Clicking the Manage button allows the user to add and remove images, or to modify the look by changing image position, background color and tiling.

“The browser theme offers one of the most visible customizations for the computer,” Murphy said. “Wallpapers and screensavers have been available for a long time, but once software is opened the wallpaper is hidden. The screensaver is primarily on when you’re not at your computer, so you don’t get to enjoy it much. We’ve put the same kind of personalization and ease of use into an application that is open for hours at a time, the browser.”

Brand Thunder’s browser Booms are free, lightweight active customizations that can include themes, toolbars, sidebars and other content or functionality. With a Boom!, users can switch real-time between any of the browser looks they created without restarting their browser. Canvas works with Brand Thunder’s other Booms! offering a custom browser experience as often as users like.

About Brand Thunder:
Formed in April 2007, Brand Thunder creates custom-browser experiences. Brands enjoy a more persistent connection to their Internet consumer through the custom browser Boom!, which increases website visits and revenue. Through a software installation, end users change the look and feel of their Internet browser into an immersive experience from their favorite sports team, entertainment franchise or Internet site. The custom browser Booms! feature official logos, colors, content and functionality, but can also extend capabilities including video, music players or other Internet widgets. Current business partners and clients include the Huffington Post, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, NBA, NCAA, NHL, Universal Music and Yahoo!. Samples found at http://brandthunder.com/gallery/.

Contact:
Patrick Murphy, CEO
Brand Thunder, LLC
614-408-8202

###

Posted in Press Releases | Tags: brand thunder, Brand Thunder Boom, Branded Browser, browser boom, custom browser, Facebook, Flickr, Huffington Post, Major League Soccer, Patrick Murphy, Yahoo | No Comments »

Casting a Wider Net – Sales Discipline to Grow Your Start Up by Kevin Dwinnell

For a young company, early success can define you as much as it can ensure your immediate survival. The question is whether staying with that success is good, in the long run, for the company.

Brand Thunder has been fortunate selling its custom branded browsers early on to major teams in major sports leagues. It wasn’t a surprise as sports teams regularly encourage the connection between the team “brand” and the fan. What was a surprise is how slow certain verticals, like TV and Movies with equally avid fan bases, have been to get on board and how quickly the comment of “oh, you do that sports-browser thing” came up despite having strong clients like the Huffington Post, HowStuffWorks.com and Universal Music Group.

As a start up, anything that moves you toward profitability in a significant way is vital to pursue, but equally vital is continuing to do the hard work of building the full market potential of the product. It’s still early in our company’s life to predict its outcome, but it feels right to keep pushing toward the broader market. I credit our business-development lead, Ryan, for bringing sales discipline and structure to the company. We did the formal planning of which markets would be a priority and how we’d go about approaching them. It was painful at the time, as it felt like we should be selling – sending emails, making calls. Those came in time and we’re hopeful we’ve chosen the right priorities. While sports is among them, it’s not the only one and we’re making our in roads.

Check out our Gallery, there’s lots of progress. You’ll see the latest cool launches for the Chicago Blackhawks as well as a special-addition Playoff Boom! for the Canucks. You’ll also find lots of other new Booms! for brands like the leading pet community sites Dogster and Catster, Hard Music Magazine, How Stuff Works, FLW’s Fantasy Fishing game (good fun, btw). There’s even a few of our own offerings like our holiday spin for Mother’s Day and a Boom for fans of The Office.

And when we hear “oh, you do those cool Boom! browser things” we’ll know we’re really on our way.

Posted in Commentary | Tags: brand thunder, Branded Browser, browser boom, Catster, Chicago Blackhawks, custom browser, Dogster, HowStuffWorks, Huffington Post, Universal Music Group | No Comments »

National Dodgeball League’s Browser Boom! It’s a Hit! by Kevin Dwinnell

You may not associate laughing and having fun with athletic prowess and skill, but that’s the appealing mix when it comes to the game of dodgeball. The National Dodgeball League’s Browser Boom! (branded browser) is no different.

It’s a clean and stylish design for a browser that keeps you in and around the dodgeball world. But, it also pulls in the sheer joy of the game. Click the News button, not just for the latest in professional and amateur dodgeball news, but also for the built-in video player featuring matches that you can watch while still surfing the web.

At three to five minutes in length, the games are the right length for a little indulgence of competitive sport and fun. If you’re in the mood for more in-depth viewing, click the NDLtv.com button and you’ll find yourself in the full library of tournament play.

So whether or not you’re actively playing dodgeball, this is a Boom! to try. It’ll bring back a lot of good memories, offer a lot of insight into the current game and may just have you forming a league of your own. Check it out here.

Posted in Commentary, News | Tags: Branded Browser, browser boom, custom browser, Dodgeball, Games | 2 Comments »