Florida Panthers Launch Fan-Focused Browser Theme with Brand Thunder by Brand Thunder

COLUMBUS, OH – January 12, 2010 – Brand Thunder LLC (http://www.brandthunder.com) and the Florida Panthers (http://www.floridapanthers.com) announced today the launch of an interactive browser theme designed to keep fans in touch with the team. Panther fans can find the free download at http://panthers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=59831.

Through a small browser add-on, the user’s web browser will get a complete makeover that includes a Florida Panthers theme, links to the most popular sections of the team site, a news ticker for breaking headlines and a multimedia sidebar full of team videos and its Twitter feed.

“We continue to look for new and innovative ways to stay connected with our fans,” said Michael Yormark, President & COO of the Florida Panthers. “This browser theme with its integrated news, video and Twitter offers both style and substance to the online experience of every Panthers fan.”

“The Florida Panthers have great online content for their fans,” said Patrick Murphy, founder and CEO of Brand Thunder. “That great content is delivered as it happens within the browser making it a powerful community tool.”

Brand Thunder’s browser Booms! are 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 extreme makeovers for the Internet browser. Brands enjoy a persistent connection to their Internet consumer, 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 interactive browser themes 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 Bing, The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, NBA, NCAA, NFL, NHL and Universal Music. 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: brandthunder, browser theme, Florida Panthers, nhl, Web browser | No Comments »

Compelling Data and a Call for Lead Generation by Patrick Murphy

It’s been a little over a year since we launched our first custom browser theme for the NHL’s Washington Capitals. That tenure has given us a solid data pool from which to compile our first case study, which will be made available via our website as a lead generation tool. (For our blog readers, you can secure yours now simply by giving us your name, title, company, phone number and email address on our Contact Us page – as close to free as you can get, but yes, you’ll hear from us for a short follow up). Note: The commercial portion of this blog post has now ended.

We don’t want to give away all the facts that are found in the case study, but one that we’re proud of is we doubled the penetration of Firefox usage on the Capitals web site. OK, we’ll give Firefox its due since it saw 40% growth over that period of time (growing from 16% to 19% over the time frame analyzed). Even giving Firefox credit for a 40% lift, that still leaves 60% that looks an awful lot like Brand Thunder contribution.

While Firefox penetration is not the goal of our program, what it indicates is a user’s willingness to overcome the hurdle of acquiring another browser to get the Capitals custom browser theme and that a compelling product can reach beyond the boundaries of your site and reach a new user. It also demonstrates a growing audience that has a persistent online connection with the Capitals. And that ongoing connection to the fan is the goal.

Posted in Commentary | Tags: capitals, firefox, nhl, themes | No Comments »

Firefox 3 Customizations Now Available by Patrick Murphy

It’s been a frenetic few days getting our products in line with the Firefox 3 launch, but we’re happy to say we made it.

Our staff has rolled a single installer that will deliver the right browser customization whether you’re on Firefox 2 or Firefox 3. The single install is great from an end user perspective and great from a business perspective. The more you can reduce decision points during software installation, the more you can increase adoption of your product. That may be an obvious point, but it’d be a shame to overlook it.

Try the new installers for any of our current partners on our Media page:

· CoachTressel.com, site for head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes football team
· Go Big Network, an entrepreneurs network site
· NLT, an Universal Music artist
· The Washington Capitals, a top NHL team

Posted in News | Tags: extension, firefox, nhl, osu, theme, universal music | No Comments »