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These iPads Transform Lives

“My daughter is nonverbal and she finally has a device where we can download the app that helps her communicate with us at home. It’s the biggest blessing and an amazing gift! People take their spoken language for granted and do not realize just how hard it is for a nonverbal child. This iPad can break those verbal barriers for our family!”

These were the words from a family member of one of 57 kids who went on the Kidd’s Kids 2018 trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Founded by late radio host and television personality, Kidd Kraddick, Kidd’s Kids provides hope and happiness by creating beautiful memories for families of children with life-altering and life-threatening conditions.

Every November, the organization sponsors a group of children and their families on an all-expense paid trip to “The Happiest Place on Earth,” where they can forget about doctor appointments and their illnesses, and enjoy a magical day with their families.
At the start of this once-in-a-lifetime trip, the kids were gifted with a personalized Apple iPad that is preloaded with all relevant and contact information for their trip.

Here are the words from another family:

“We were so grateful to have the iPad for my son’s 11-day hospital stay. He loves being able to keep in touch with family and friends using the FB Kids Messenger app. He also likes it for drawing, watching shows and playing games.”

This is the eighth year that FUSION OF IDEAS has gratefully donated our app development and customization services to this amazing cause. Together with Best Buy, we were onsite to help hand out the iPads to the kids, and see the delight on their faces when they were presented with the customized devices.
“The donation of the iPads from Best Buy and completely personalized by FUSION OF IDEAS provides entertainment, educational tools and memory-making apps the Kidd’s Kids otherwise would not have,” said Kelly Kemp, executive director of Kidd’s Kids. “We know how grateful all the kids are especially when they are back in the hospitals for days or weeks at a time. It’s a blessing and a partnership we are so very grateful to have for our Kidd’s Kids.”
For more photos from this year’s Kidd’s Kids trip, check out their album on Facebook.

Best Buy and FUSION OF IDEAS help hand out iPads at the Kidd’s Kids trip in Walt Disney World. Photo source: Kidd’s Kids
Fifty-seven Kidd’s Kids got their own customized iPads on this year’s trip. Photo source: Kidd’s Kids
The iPads are used by families after the trip for learning, therapy and communications. Photo source: Kidd’s Kids
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Inside Look: Dassault Falcon Jet

By Jennifer Fujimori

Each month, the Fusion of Ideas blog will highlight a unique client project. We’ll be giving you an inside look at each client and project, including the customization details, the project, and the outcome. Keep reading below to find out how we partnered with an aviation company at the top of its field in design and innovation.

Who they are:

Dassault Falcon Jet is a subsidiary of the French company Dassault Aviation, a global leader in the aerospace field. Falcons are known for industry-leading technology and design, incorporating comfort, speed and efficiency into each aircraft. The Falcon family of business jets, the first of which was introduced in 1965, delivered its 2500th jet in 2017.

Their customization goals:

Dassault came to Fusion of Ideas with a plan to enhance the buying experience for its customers. Before each Falcon jet is delivered to a customer, the aircraft is outfitted with a custom iPod Touch, iPhone and customized case, custom iPad, or all four of those items. The inclusion of the custom devices aligns with the company’s reputation as a luxury high-tech brand, and makes a big impact on the customer.

The process:

At the beginning of our partnership with Dassault, we created a system to uniquely meet their fulfillment and deployment needs. We procure, customize, and ship devices based on preset requirements. The process is seamless and efficient; each of these steps is completed entirely by the Fusion team at our headquarters in Lake Forest, which works diligently to ensure a high level of quality and accuracy throughout the process.

The outcome:

Each device and case is custom printed with the sleek Dassault Falcon logo. Upon unlocking the devices, recipients see a specially chosen app layout against a black background with the Dassault Falcon logo in white. The devices are preloaded with the prerequisite Apple native apps, as well as four apps that were selected by Dassault. The finished product is polished and professional, contributing even more to the unique experience of doing business with Dassault Falcon Jets.

 

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Neiman Marcus: The Ultimate, Interactive, Client Gifts

By Jennifer Fujimori

To many people, Neiman Marcus and other department stores might warrant the occasional stop when wandering the mall or looking for something in particular. But for an elite circle of customers dubbed the “Chairman’s Circle,” shopping at Neiman Marcus is part of a lifestyle – and one that comes with perks. Members of the Chairman’s Circle (the highest loyalty level under the InCircle Neiman Marcus reward program) must reach a designated annual spend using a private label credit card. Once they’ve met those requirements, customers unlock a treasure trove of exclusive benefits, including in-store dining, salon services, access to tickets for in-demand events, hard-to-get restaurant reservations, and premier getaways.

It was the last item on that list that Neiman Marcus sought to optimize with Fusion’s help. Working with the team at Neiman Marcus, our app developers created a completely custom mobile app for Chairman’s Circle members. When a user opens the application on an iPad (customized of course!), a message is displayed describing the purpose of the app, which is to detail the amenities available at Chairman’s Circle level. The app then shifts its focus to one particularly notable amenity: a complimentary trip to one of eight destinations around the world. Using the navigation at the bottom of the screen, users can tap an icon labeled “Itineraries.” This leads to a selection of clickable photographs with destination names, which users can click to view the details of the excursion and corresponding hotel.

To present this as a gift from Neiman Marcus to Chairman’s Circle members, we created a fully customized package including an iPad wrapped in matte silver Stealth Armor, a sleeve to house the iPad box, and a high-quality box with magnetic closure encasing the entire bundle. It’s the best kind of gift: one that contains another gift inside.

We have worked with high-end retail clients before and we dove into this project headfirst, gathering information from the client until we felt confident enough to build the app they were looking for. “Neiman Marcus knew they wanted to gift their Chairman’s Circle members with a free trip, but they were looking for a truly memorable way to package that information,” said Hollie Go, App Development Project Manager. “Instead of sending a letter or an email, this app is an interactive way for recipients to see full color photos and details about each destination.” With Fusion’s custom branding, packaging, and mobile app services, Neiman Marcus found the level of prestige they were looking for in a gift for their most valued customers.

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Another Fantastic Year With Kidd’s Kidds

This November marked FUSION’s seventh year of sponsoring and working with Kidd’s Kids.  Since 2011, FUSION has donated app development and customization services to the charity, who works with families of children with life-altering or life-threatening conditions.

Kidd Kraddick founded Kidd’s Kids in 1991 with the goal of making a difference in the lives of children and families who are dealing with life altering conditions.  Initially, the program began with a bus ride to Sea World in San Antonio, Texas. Thanks to the volunteer efforts from partners, donors, and medical professionals, along with the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show listeners’ willingness to embrace their mission, Kidd’s Kids has grown at an exponential rate. Now in its 26th year, the foundation has sent over 1000 kids and their families on a trip of a lifetime to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

Here’s a video showcasing a little more about this foundation and our involvement with them.  For more information, please visit http://www.kiddskids.com

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Creating An Unparalleled Welcoming Experience For New Homeowners

For over 30 years, Consultatio Real Estate has successfully developed innovative high category real estate projects in prime locations.

Passionate about transforming ordinary into extraordinary, Consultatio Real Estate wanted the most high-end, absolute best for their tenants. They wanted to create an unparalleled welcoming experience for new homeowners of both the Oceana Key Biscayne and Bal Harbour properties that reflected the union of art, real estate and technology.

In 2014, Consultatio needed a solution for their welcoming process with their Oceana Key Biscayne project.  They wanted a very unique gift experience for the tenants of Consultatio Real Estate that would capture the attention of future homeowners and provide a suitable resource for displaying the many amenities the property had to offer. As an unprecedented solution to enhance Consultatio’s welcoming process, FUSION created fully equipped and branded iPads, including a custom sleeve, branded Smart Cover, and preloaded with custom iOS content, providing each tenant with a little piece of art for their new home. The tenants loved the gift so much that Consultatio knew it needed to be part of their next project.

This year, when the Bal Harbour property neared completion, Consultatio Real Estate connected with FUSION again to discuss the next rollout of customized iPads. It was quickly discovered that among the many exquisite works of art on the Bal Harbour property, one in particular stood out above the rest. Created by iconic Americana artist Jeff Koons, the mirror-polished, stainless steel sculpture “Pluto and Proserpina” stands over 10 feet tall and serves as a centerpiece of the property. Using this masterpiece as an inspiration, FUSION presented a new complete iPad package with a design that surpassed expectations. Consultatio loved the new packaging and exquisite custom gift boxes built specifically for their custom project with high-end materials fit to be displayed on a coffee table. The iPads were customized with pre-loaded content about the property and its amenities. A custom printed Smart Cover paired nicely with the full-color printed iPad. A custom sleeve was also fitted around the iPad box before it was inserted into the gift box. The result was a stunning, one-of-a-kind gift for each tenant to feel welcomed and cherished.

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