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Smart Advertising to Advertisers

Amazon TV Fire Stick
Custom-branded Amazon TV Fire Stick for Newsy

For the first time ever, online video subscriptions, such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, have outnumbered their cable subscribing counterparts, according to a report by the Motion Picture Association of America. 

And with the rise in popularity of smart home devices, there are more and more options for smart display devices, such as Amazon Echo Show, Google Home Hub, and the newest player on the market, Facebook Portal and Portal+.

What all this means for advertisers is that there are more ways than ever for your consumers to experience your brand. And to understand the new experience from a consumer’s point of view, advertisers need first-hand experience with these new platforms.

That’s what online news network Newsy allowed its advertisers to do. When Newsy announced the Newsy app on Facebook Portal and Portal+, they partnered with FUSION OF IDEAS to customize Newsy-branded Facebook Portal devices to send to its top advertisers.

In addition to the Facebook Portal devices, the network also customized Amazon TV Fire Stick streaming devices with the Newsy logo that would allow existing and prospective advertisers to experience Newsy on subscription-based video on demand services.

The distribution of the customized devices was part of Newsy’s overall sales strategy to allow its advertisers to experience content in new ways.

“By doing so, the ad buying community was able to see first-hand how our content stands out from other news brands,” said Dominick Borgia Jr., senior account manager at Newsy.

Newsy custom-branded Facebook Portal
Newsy branded Facebook Portal devices were sent to top advertisers as part of the announcement of its app.
Newsy app on Facebook Portal and Portal+
Newsy app on Facebook Portal and Portal+
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A Raffle Prize Worth Putting For

The GOLFWEEK Amateur Tour, with 50 regional tournaments, was founded to give amateur golfers a chance to compete in a nationwide series of stroke-play golf tournaments. Open to men and women, young and old, the tournament – now in its 25th year – uses some of the best championship golf courses and concludes with a National Tour Championship, which awards the final winner among the top players in each flight.

In addition to a day on the greens, the winner of each flight is awarded a crystal trophy and each participant is entered into a tournament raffle. At the El Paso, Texas/Las Cruces, N.M. tournament, customized Apple AirPods served as one of the top prizes for the event raffle. As one of the hottest tech accessories, it was a highly sought-after prize for the 60+ participants of the event.

Additionally, Apple iPad Pro tablets with customized Smart Keyboard Folios were used to check the golfers in at each tournament and serve as a live score board. As we have seen in this event, and others, cohesive branding can significantly add value and experience for all attendees and participants involved.

 

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5 Must-Have Features for Your Mobile Business App

As a business owner, you see the benefits of having a mobile application to help create efficiencies, cut operation costs and increase mobility.

Before you rush into the development stage, you should clearly identify your primary goals for your mobile solution and secondly, understand the features that you may want to be included in the app.

While most app features are discovered during initial conversations with the developer and discussed throughout the development process, it is still important to know and understand the elements of an effective mobile app.

To help you get started, we’ve put together the top five features of good mobile apps:

1. An Attractive User Interface

Visual design is not only about selecting the perfect images, colors, icons, fonts, but also determining how the appearance of the application impacts the user experience. The architecture and design phase is typically the first phase of every app development process, as it lays the foundation for the look and feel of the app.

2. Ease of Use

Eliminating any barriers to entry when using the app is another important element in creating an effective workplace application. You may lose users if they find your app difficult to navigate. In order to create the best user experience, it’s important to test your app with different user groups to find out how comfortable they feel while interacting with the app’s content across different platforms and environments. The journey throughout each section of the app should be smooth and seamless.

3. Fast and Reliable Performance

Have you ever used an app that loads slowly, crashes or completely shuts down while running? Understandably, most users have little patience for poor functionality and end up uninstalling or abandoning the problematic app. The most successful apps have fast response times and run continuously in the background. This is generally tested during the quality assurance phase in the app development process.

4. Simplicity

While it’s tempting to throw in fancy features on your mobile app, you lose your user when there are too many buttons and clicks in the app journey. Sometimes a simple, templated app, such as FUSION OF IDEAS’ Dynamic Content System (DCS), can be the best choice to meet your business needs.

5. Updated Content

When you have a system for pushing new or updated content and features to your app, you can continue to improve the reliability of the software. For businesses, it’s important to keep policies, sales messages and security issues up to date.

 

While understanding these qualities and features is essential to creating an effective mobile app for your business, it’s even more important to find the right partner to build your software.

The FUSION OF IDEAS dedicated in-house app development team follows a rigorous nine-step process when designing and executing a mobile application. Our number one priority is to create a custom mobile software solution that is tailored to your organization, and we are proud to have developed more than 300 mobile applications for companies of all sizes and budgets.

Contact our app development team to start a conversation about the possibilities of using technology to take your business to the next level.

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Wealth Management Firm Invests in a Digital Client Experience

Wealth management group Garrison Murphy Wealth Management (GMWM) has a fiduciary duty to their clients to provide transparency in their investment and wealth management services.

One of the ways they are delivering on that promise is by engaging with their clients via iPads that securely display all aspects of their financial life. This custom-branded iPad with GMWM’s logo serves as a communication tool through which GMWM can deliver advice, content and services. Clients can view and access their financial data and important documents in real time and securely transmit, store and share documents with interested parties.

This open-architecture approach has allowed the firm to break away from traditional, time-intensive quarterly or semi-annual meetings and to foster collaboration between the firm and clients. By going digital, GMWM has seen cost savings from the elimination of printing, binding, and physical storage of paperwork.

“It has been a pleasant experience to work with FUSION OF IDEAS,” said Nickole Garrison, GMWM Vice President and Chief Client Officer. “Until we connected with them, we were unable to find a company who could do the custom etching on our clients’ iPads. FUSION OF IDEAS was not only able to do the etching, but they also helped us find a solution for the custom packaging we were in search of for the iPad boxes.”

GMWM, we are honored to be a part of your digital transformation.

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The Beauty is in the Details at Viceroy Los Cabos

Photo credit: Viceroy Los Cabos
Photo credit: Viceroy Los Cabos

One of the newest resorts in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Viceroy Los Cabos is an architectural masterpiece, wrapped by ocean water in Mexico’s Baja California peninsula. A modernist dreamscape with futuristic designs, every detail of the luxury resort is considered, from the eye-catching, bold facade to the rich textures and unique art pieces throughout the property.

As one of the first experiences at the resort, guests are greeted at the hotel lobby by receptionists using HP laptops custom-branded by FUSION OF IDEAS. The back of each laptop is wrapped with StealthArmor, our proprietary protective film, showcasing the location’s signature gold sundial design.

StealthArmor is a precisely fitted film that maintains the thin lines of the laptop while offering style and protection. Because it is heat-bonded, the film is not permanent and used as a protective cover for nearly any mobile device without adding the unnecessary bulk of traditional cases.

A growing number of brands, particularly those in the hospitality and other consumer-facing industries, are using logos or other branding elements on their business devices as a way to elevate their brand equity.

In the case of Viceroy Los Cabos, the customized laptops with the resort’s sundial design complete the look of the striking hotel lobby, where every facet is part of the experience.

Customized HP laptops that are used at the Viceroy Los Cabos guest lobby
Customized HP laptops that are used at the Viceroy Los Cabos guest lobby