Internet Marketing Tool Addresses Corporate Need on Social Web?

The open and uncontrolled discussions occurring on the social web scare most brand marketers. Unfiltered dialogue on a brand’s site can wreak a lot of damage. Look back a several months to a homepage test run by Skittles. Within hours of putting a live Twitter feed on their homepage, users were watching inappropriate language fly across the web site of a major candy brand.

Despite the risks, companies continue to advance their presence in an effort to join the dialogue with their consumers. This is the future of Internet marketing, but risk does not have to be a part of the program. Creating the open communication channel without the downsides is one of many reasons Brand Thunder’s interactive browser themes have become so popular in the U.S. A client list that boasts names like the Huffington Post, NASCAR, NFL and Universal Music Group is testament to that.

The ability to create a browser experience that appeals to the emotional and functional desires of its fans is a goal of most company’s web initiatives. With the focus on the fan, adoption of the Brand Thunder themes is running high across industries. From television stations to web comics, from sports teams to news sites, avid users of many sites are actively downloading and using the themes.

The product itself is a browser add-on; a small downloaded file that once installed enhances the user’s Firefox or Internet Explorer browser. The small file has a big impact. Gone is the drab gray predominant in software design replaced, instead, by a graphically rich skin that wraps the browser in the colors, logos, images and more. The browser skin offers a large amount of real estate, by application standards, and is a marketers dream.

The visual design makes an immediate impact. The ongoing reward for marketer and consumer alike is the ability to pull in content and functionality from a company’s web site. The content can be text feeds, videos, photos, streaming music or any source that works well in the slender confines of the toolbar or the wider HTML space of the sidebar. The ability for the brand to message, in real-time, to their consumer is a huge advantage. Knowing the message will reach their audience, regardless of what web page the user may be on further solidifies the power of the marketing tool.

The real-time messaging capability is equally important to the end user. Any time a relationship is being developed, even one between business and consumer, there is an exchange of information and a building of trust. Providing open and frequent communication is a part of that. A brand that keeps its fans among the circle of those who get news first is forging a stronger relationship with those fans.

For a product performing so well in North American markets, it is now looking to India to accelerate its growth. “Several indicators converged to make India a focus of our attention,” said Patrick Murphy, CEO and founder of Brand Thunder. “We’ve had inbound inquiries about bringing our interactive browser themes to India and traffic to our site from India is high. More compelling, however, are the similarities between India and the U.S. in terms rapidly growing Internet brands, vibrant entertainment and sports industries and an active online community. It’s a natural market to extend our business.”

With staff and strategic partners in place, Brand Thunder seems poised to capitalize on the opportunity India presents. One partner, Sportingmindz, is confident. “Brand Thunder’s is one of the most important new media tools in the market today,” said Sanjay Rao, CEO. “It’s a great complementary product to the software we deliver to the sporting industry and something that’s generating a lot of interest from our clients.”

Indeed the market conditions seem ripe in India based on the past success of Brand Thunder. “We’ve seen the strongest adoption and use in the categories of entertainment, news and sports,” Murphy said. “Each of these categories has strong brands and visual identities, an active community of followers and regular information the companies want to get in the hands of that community.”

According to Murphy, the India market is similar, and in certain cases, better than where Brand Thunder has built its existing business. Bollywood offers a pool of movies and stars that outperforms Hollywood. The sports field in India also offers a great opportunity with the popularity of cricket, field hockey, football and other sports easily on par with the popular sports leagues in North America. “We’ve seen an 800% increase in visits to our client’s sites through our interactive browser themes, we feel that kind of engagement will only get better with the brand affinity consumers in India have shown,” said Kevin Jacobs, Regional Director for Brand Thunder.

Brand Thunder makes its case with a history of success and continued growth. Given the marketing strength of its themes, the question that remains is which companies in India will take the leadership role in this interactive marketing arena and which will follow?

Tags: , Addresses, Corporate, Internet, Marketing, Need, Social, Tool