Image via Wikipedia

The Washington Capitals were Brand Thunder’s first client and we’ll forever be in their debt for taking a chance on a fledgling company with a good idea and execution. Now, almost four years later, we’re still going strong and Caps fans, like us, are enjoying our fourth version of the Washington Capitals browser theme. Plus, it’s now available for Firefox and Internet Explorer.

The best looking Caps browser theme yet features “Classic Blue” and “Rock the Red” themes and you can switch between the two styles. You can get the latest Caps news, features and videos no matter what site you’re on.

Plus, with just a single click, the Capitals themed broswer gets you to the Capitals destinations you need to get to, including:

• Tickets
• Schedule
• Roster
• Caps365
• Caps gear on ShopNHL

You can also get your Caps News fix in the Caps365 Sidebar

• News from the Caps RSS feed
• The most recent videos
• Pictures of the Caps in action
• The official Capitals twitter feed

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to get the newest Washington Capitals browser theme.

Image via Wikipedia

The Brand Thunder gallery for browser themes, ThunderThemes.com, has some stylish new looks for your browser. These selections are for Firefox only, so if you’re on IE and want your own – get over to our Facebook page and let us hear from you!

• It’s only a game. Or is it? Keep asking yourself when you run the TRON-Grid browser theme. It’s not the Master Control Program. Right?
• Ice Hockey browser theme is a great choice for NHL fans who don’t want to commit to a backing a team as the Stanley Cup Playoffs approach.
• We missed the deadline for submitting nominations for the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, but we’re starting write-in campaign for next year and our Rock ‘n Roll browser theme.
• Or maybe you prefer your music and browser a little darker, if so try the Death Metal browser theme. And once it’s installed, sit back and listen to this interview with the father of the darker side of Rock, Alice Cooper.

Get ‘em while they’re fresh and before we get you excited about the next cool browser themes.

Hockey teams seem to be the innovators in the interactive marketing space, especially if the team’s name is the Capitals. At least, that’s been our experience to date.

One of Brand Thunder’s first clients was the National Hockey League’s Washington Capitals. Now, we’re first again with the Capitals. This time it’s the Elite Ice Hockey League’s Edinburgh Capitals in Scotland. It’s the first entry we’ve had into the sports marketing arena within the UK. You can read the details here or see the product here.

The sports industry has been the most aggressive in adopting our product. That seems natural as they’re businesses are dependent on the ongoing and strong relationship with their existing fan base. They are not solely focused on the trial or new user that so many marketers pursue. Reaching and appealing to new audiences is important, but it’s never at the expense of that vital core.

We’re thrilled to count the Capitals and their fans among our users. Again.

We’re launching just in advance of the Thrashers Draft Party. If you can’t make the party or aren’t local to Atlanta, Thrasher fans can still enjoy the latest news and videos delivered right into the browser. The links to the team’s blog and message boards will keep you in touch with the drama of this year’s picks and trades.

You start to see why our product is finding a solid audience with sports teams and their fans. With the Internet and cable TV, sports are a year round effort – for any league. While the Pittsburgh Penguins just earned the Stanley Cup in a stellar series for the rest of the league, fans are already turning attention to next year and it’s teams like the Thrashers that are right there with the fans.

We’re thrilled that our clients, the Pittsburgh Penguins, have won the Stanley Cup. If you want to join us in celebrating, customize with your browser with the Pittsburgh Penguins browser Boom!, which you can download here. If you want to relive the highlights of the historic 7-game series, click the Media button in the Penguins Boom! or go to the Penguins TV Online here.

Way to go, Penguins!

I think it’s the result of the immersive experience and the positive energy that the team/fan connection creates… OK, I realize that correlation does not imply causation. The playoffs are about winning. All the teams advancing had the effort, motivation and good fortune to advance into the post season. No single thing can guarantee achieving this. The best you can do is put as many factors in your favor as possible to give yourself or your team that chance to advance.

For companies, a Boom (branded browser) is one thing you can put in the “W” column for your business. We recognize that leveraging interactive media to connect with your user or fan base is not likely to be core to your business. That’s why we manage as much of the process as possible and limit your resource commitment to delivering a few assets from your existing web page, approval of the browser mock, a promotional link and download page (for which we also deliver assets). With a low level of effort, you enjoy a high return from increased web site visits and transactions from your fans. I wonder if any of the teams entering the playoffs had wins this easy.

In any case, congratulations and good luck to the Blackhawks, Blues, Canadiens, Canucks, Capitals, Flyers, Penguins and our home team, making their first playoff appearance, the Blue Jackets. If you’d like specifics as to how meaningful a Boom can be for your business, drop us a line.

Brand Thunder reworks the visual style of the browser to match the colors and logos of leading brands, entertainers and sports teams while also adding content and functionality to the browser. The branded browser provides marketers with a persistent means to keep their brand presence with their customer and fans whenever they are connected to the Internet.

The growing list of company’s extending their brand to the browser includes the NASCAR Nationwide Series, internet news blog site The Huffington Post, several National Hockey League teams, NCAA schools, entertainment news site Starpulse, HowStuffWorks.com and more. The full list of active custom browser themes can be found at http://www.brandthunder.com/gallery.

“For a startup company trying to achieve critical mass, it’s a race to reach that state before funds run out,” explained Patrick Murphy, CEO and founder of Brand Thunder. “The investment gives us the necessary financial and intellectual support to become a thriving company.”

About Brand Thunder

Formed in April 2007, Brand Thunder creates a more persistent presence between corporate brands and their Internet consumer through its branded-browser customization, which leads to increased 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 customized browsers 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, NASCAR, NCAA, NHL, Starpulse.com, Universal Music and Yahoo!. Samples found at http://brandthunder.com/gallery/.

Contact

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

###