Author Archives: Hall

Coming live to Las Vegas: www.impact16.com

The Internet Marketing Association is proud to present “The power of Instagram for the future of Digital Marketing” at ‪IMPACT16 Las Vegas by Jim Squires, Director of Market Operations, Instagram.

Coming live to Las Vegas: www.impact16.com

Brian Wong, CEO of Kiip, will be speaking at IMPACT16 Las Vegas on the topic of:

Mobile Marketing & How The Connected Generation Changed EVERYTHING!

Smart phones are the universal remote control of our lives. We now live in a world where consumers, at anytime, are able to tell brands what they want and when they want it just with a quick tap on a screen. Brian Wong, Founder and CEO of Kiip, will demonstrate how mobile has transformed advertising indefinitely and why brands need to pay more attention to mobile moments. Wong will discuss the best solutions for powerful advertising while still respecting the user experience, how to define and measure the success of your brand’s mobile user experience, and why personalized moments are the future.

Click here to learn more and register for the IMPACT16 conference »

The coveted IMPACT awards are a gateway into the Internet marketing spotlight. From Fortune 100 companies to start-up entrepreneurs, we recognize those who are truly making a difference. With less than a month to go until our award submission deadline, we are getting very excited to see the progressive marketing tactics that set your company above the rest.

Last year, some of our stand-out award winners included Christoph Trappe – Internet Marketer of the Year, Curalate – Progressive Company of the Year, Evite – Social Media Campaign Winner and Baker Street Advertising – YouTube Informational Video Winner. 2016 is already stacking up to be another big year!

Cost per award entry is $195.
Deadline for submissions is midnight (ET) on Aug. 25, 2016.

Click here for additional details and to submit an entry »

Click here to learn more and register for the IMPACT16 conference »

Winners of IMPACT16 Awards and the Recognition program will receive an etched trophy, be listed on the IMA global website, social media channels, and published in the official IMPACT16 press release and newswire. The IMA also permits winners to use their award recognition on social media, PR and other promotional outlets.

IMPACT16 is around the corner. The IMA team has made it a priority to provide attendees with the latest in digital marketing. With today’s competitive marketplace, it is imperative to continuously find ways to differentiate yourself. That is where IMPACT16 comes in. This one-of-a-kind Internet marketing conference will help you enhance the value-add that you bring to your organization.

This year, IMA and its Board of Directors are pleased to partner with premium companies like Cirque du Soleil and AAA Auto Club for the first time in IMA history. Additionally, top tech companies were carefully selected to participate in unique breakout sessions to bring attendees an unforgettable experience.

Celebrity Heather Dubrow from the Real Housewives of Orange County and her husband, Terry Dubrow, a prominent Newport Beach plastic surgeon, will be at IMPACT16. They will share their experience with their skin care product line CONSULT BEAUTE. It is an event you will not want to miss.

Lawren Ramos joins Internet Marketing Assoc. International Executive Council

Boys Town announced today the appointment of Lawren Ramos to the Internet Marketing Association’s (IMA) International Executive Council. Ramos serves as Executive Director at Boys Town California, a non-profit organization that provides assistance to at-risk children and families. 

The IMA, a professional organization and one of the fastest growing internet marketing groups in the world, is underwritten by corporate partners to provide members an opportunity to learn, engage and define Internet Marketing best practices. The International Executive Council is comprised of individuals who provide trend-forward vision and influence for the Internet marketing community around the world. 

“We are thrilled to have Lawren as part of our Executive Council,” said Sinan Kanatsiz. “We look forward to the expertise that he brings to our organization, and to the impact he will have on our various programs and with our members.”

As the Executive Director of Boys Town California, Ramos oversees the California site of the national child care organization that began in 1917, and has since grown to include statewide affiliate chapters across the U.S.  Nationally, the non-profit organization touches the lives of more than 2 million people each year through various youth and family-centered programs and services.  

About Boys Town California
Since opening in 1991, Boys Town California has continued to fulfill its mission by providing programs focused on saving children and healing families in Southern California.  The organization operates seven Family Homes for youth who are unable to return to their homes due to abuse or neglect. Intervention services are also provided through In-Home Family Services and Community Support Services in an effort to prevent out-of-home placement of children and keep families together. An affiliate of Boys Town, the national organization founded in 1917 in Omaha, Nebraska, Boys Town California touches the lives of 48,000 people in California each year.  For more information visit www.boystown.org/california.

ConnectedYard, an innovator in smart technology and the Internet of Things (IoT) dedicated to being the center of the connected backyard, has announced that Olympic and World Championship medal-winning swimmer Haley Anderson has teamed up with the company as athlete ambassador for pHin, its smart solution for pool and hot tub care.

Anderson won silver at the 2012 London Olympics in the 10k Marathon Swimming event, the first by an American athlete in the discipline. She has qualified for a spot in Marathon Swimming at the upcoming 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro via placing at the 2015 FINA World Championship in Kazan, Russia, and will be vying for a spot in pool events at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials set for June 26 to July 3, 2016, in Omaha.

As athlete ambassador Anderson prepares for her own upcoming trials bid, she is teaming up with ConnectedYard to prepare for the upcoming launch of the pHin smart pool solution by supporting ConnectedYard with media interviews, video messages, social media and other activities. She will also directly experience and interact with pHin through use of the smart pool solution in the family pool at her parents’ home in Northern California.

“This is a perfect match between an amazing athlete who strives for perfection in the water and pHin’s smart pool solution. It’s a relationship with a tremendous future and one that we are very proud of,” said Mark Janes, COO and Co-Founder of ConnectedYard. “We see a perfect alignment between Haley and her family’s personification of health, fitness and performance and our commitment to helping people maintain a clean, healthy and chemically balanced environment in their pools and hot tubs.”

Anderson began swimming at age 5 and showed strong early potential. Between her junior and senior years in high school, she was invited to participate in the 2008 Olympic Trials in four disciplines. Since then, Anderson has won multiple medals at FINA Worlds, NCAA, Pan Pacific, U.S. National and USA Swimming Championships. A native of Granite Bay, Calif., she graduated from the University of Southern California and trains at the Trojan Swim Club in Los Angeles.

pHin combines a bluetooth and WiFi enabled water monitor, a smartphone app and unique chemical pods to take the guesswork out of pool and hot tub care. The monitor senses water quality 24/7. Notifications are sent to the smartphone when water chemistry needs rebalancing, including how many of the pre-measured, single-dose, color-coded pods to add. An algorithm is used to track and forecast chemical needs over time so the optimum combination of replenishment pods is shipped right to the owner’s door about every 4-6 weeks. In addition, the pHin app provides one-touch access to Pool Service on Demand, a network of pre-qualified pool service technicians.

 

For complete information on pHin, visit www.phin.co.

 

 

About ConnectedYard

Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., ConnectedYard is dedicated to bringing intelligence, predictability and efficiency as the center of the connected backyard. pHin, the company’s first product, is reinventing pool and hot tub care with smart technology designed to help people have more time to enjoy an outdoor lifestyle. Learn more at www.phin.co, @getpHin and on Facebook. Its Pool Service On Demand network connects professional technicians with pool and hot tub owners across America for their maintenance and repair needs. Learn more at www.poolservice.co.

The Halal Guys franchisee, FOMO THG LLC, has announced the location for the famed restaurant chain’s first site in the state of Nevada. Expected to open in mid-August, the celebrated offerings of The Halal Guys will be available at 3755 Spring Mountain Rd., just off the busy Las Vegas Strip, home to some of the world’s top hospitality and entertainment venues.

 

The legendary Manhattan food cart operator has grown from humble beginnings as a New York City hot dog cart to a world-renowned international restaurant chain defining a new, thriving segment for the industry with its distinctive fare of gyros, chicken and falafel over rice.

As in New York, another world-class city that never sleeps, The Halal Guys will cater to the teeming crowds in the town that bills itself as the Entertainment Capital of the World.

The Halal Guys is the pioneer of American halal food, with a taste profile that cannot be replicated in any other cuisine format featuring flawlessly cooked, premium quality halal meats that are seasoned to perfection and a melting pot of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors.

“We are thrilled to share this concept, that has generated incredible loyalty everywhere it has opened, with the thousands of people who live in and visit Las Vegas,” said Rene Hjorth, Director of Operations for FOMO THG. “It’s a perfect match for the non-stop, international environment that has made New York such a successful environment for The Halal Guys as well.”

 To learn more about The Halal Guys, visit www.thehalalguys.com.

 

About The Halal Guys

The Halal Guys story is the quintessential American dream. Its legend began in 1990, when the three founding partners opened a hot dog cart on West 53rd & 6th Avenue in New York City. As business grew, they recognized a huge demand from Muslim cab drivers looking for a halal food meal and created their famous platter of chicken and gyro over rice. Fast-forward 25 years, five carts, two New York City restaurants and millions of diverse customers served, and The Halal Guys is expanding nationwide. www.thehalalguys.com

Written by Hilary Cahill, VP of Marketing, Cayman Enterprise City

In its fourth year “Summer in the City” is a successful educational initiative that helps young Caymanians experience opportunities in the zone.

Enterprise Cayman, which is an initiative by the Cayman Enterprise City Special Economic Zone, is inviting young Caymanians aged 17 – 25 to apply for internships. These are internships that will be available in the special economic zone during the summer and where students can get a taste of exciting new types of technology-focused careers opening up to them at home in the zone.

“We want Cayman’s next generation to understand that there are career options becoming available beyond the traditional options in financial services and tourism,” said Charlie Kirkconnell, CEO of CEC. “Being an intern in the zone allows young people to gain an insight into the tech world where they’ll meet international entrepreneurs and other working technology professionals. Zone companies undertake global business, and one simply can’t underestimate the impact this type of international exposure can have on a young mind.”

As interns they’ll have a chance to work in a creative and innovative environment with tech and media companies where exciting things are happening. The students could also be placed as researchers for commodities companies where they’ll witness global trends in the world’s commodities markets. This “hands-on” experience is valuable to young people trying to make career choices as they finish their education.

This is the 4th year for CEC’s “Summer in the City” programme and CEC, working with companies in the special economic zone, keeps growing and improving opportunities for the interns. Some of the types of positions available will be in general marketing, social media, search engine optimization, office administration, commodities trading, client services, business development and testing new software. As an added bonus, the students will be invited to participate a free entrepreneurship seminar delivered by visionary leaders at CEC, where they will learn about different aspects of becoming an entrepreneur, creating an idea, and bringing it to fruition. The seminar will include the latest marketing and business trends, and give tips and advice on how to avoid pitfalls as a start-up venture. Interns will enjoy a social event where they can meet and network with the others interning in the City.

Students interested in applying for a ‘Summer in the City’ internship, are asked to email a cover letter and resume to internships@caymanenterprisecity.com or visit www.enterprisecayman.ky and click on the Internship Button to fill out an application.

As brands increasingly realize the value of marketing on Instagram, many remain in the dark on how to translate that engagement into direct traffic, digital engagement and e-commerce revenue.

Join the IMA & Curalate for a webinar on Thursday, June 2nd at 1 p.m. ET to shed light on this topic. We’ll be joined by Christoph Trappe – IMA Internet Marketer of the Year and globally renowned “Authentic Storyteller” – to explore how you can harness the power of strong Instagram content to expand your content marketing strategy to share your brand story, increase awareness, and reach your revenue goals.

 

To register, click here.

Written by Jeff Marcoux, IMA, Board Member, CMO Lead, Microsoft

 

When I saw how real virtual reality can be, and that we can replace human vision with virtual vision, this can be the ultimate platform.
– Brendan Iribe, Co-Founder Oculus VR

 

 

Since Mobile World Congress in February, this question has been bouncing around my head. With Samsung and Oculus delivering some of the most exciting demo experiences, VR was all anyone was talking about at MWC, but some legitimate questions still linger as to whether or not VR will ever be adopted by the mass market. Is VR going to be limited to niche markets, such as gaming and movies, or will companies and consumers truly adopt the platform to create and consume the amazing new experiences made possible by VR? After months of deliberation, I’ve concluded that three things will ultimately decide the fate of virtual reality:

1. Will there be content? In 2013, 3D televisions were poised to be the next big thing; however, a lack of 3D content ultimately lead to their demise. So can VR avoid the same pitfall? It’s looking that way. Samsung recently announced the release of a new camera, the Gear 360, to address this content challenge. With the Gear 360, they’ve actually created what I will call the “GoPro of the VR world.” As illustrated on their website (scroll down to the skiing video and you can move the view around), Samsung is wisely tapping into an established GoPro market that is already highly engaged in content development, recording videos, and sharing their adventures with the world. With the content development challenge clearly on the radar of VR manufacturers, I suspect we’ll see new VR cameras and software tools before too long.
2. Will people buy and wear headsets? Once you have the content developed, the next challenge is ensuring there is an audience with the ability to consume it, and the shift away from VR headset with built in computers may be the game changer that VR needed. The concept of a VR headset that can accept a phone is not new, Google Cardboard was the first to truly pioneer this at scale; however, creating a high-end VR headset that is powered by hardware that most consumers already have – a smartphone – will ultimately lead to smaller, less expensive VR devices. Improved experience and comfort of VR headsets – along with a lower price point – is key to mass adoption; Samsung is already setting a high bar with a quality VR headset for just $99.  As the market matures, we’ll surely see less expensive off-brand headsets that can accept any cellphone, by any maker, and with any OS. (Dare I say iPhone? More on that later.)
3. Will it be standardized? Unlike the heated battle between HD DVD and Bluray, it doesn’t appear that VR standards will be burdened by competition. The partnership between Oculus and Samsung is helping to create industry standards for consumer VR across all mobile providers, apps, and hardware. While Oculus made a smart move coming out with their own hardware and 4D headset (Rift), perhaps their true brilliance was in developing a strategic partnership with their main competition to secure the market?

Given the VR industries current strategies to address these core adoption issues, I believe that VR will not only grow in popularity but that it is here to stay. Yet despite this prediction, I must call out an obvious hole in the market that leads us to one final question: where is Apple? Apple could ultimately be the last piece of the puzzle leading to mass adoption of VR. With their loyal contingency of developers, the scale of their gaming community, and (reports of) Apple’s plans to create original TV content, it is not difficult to see how Apple could tip the scale in turning VR from a niche gadget to a consumer must-have. So will we see the iVirtual Headset in the near future? Only time will tell.

What are your thoughts?