Featured Customer Success Story: Bridging the Gap Between Traditional and New Media

In an industry facing the challenge of declining readership along with the opportunity to grow audience online, Rodale's Men's Health magazine launched the "Belly Off! Club" in December 2007.

The online community enables Rodale not only to maintain its strong subscriber base, but also to grow readership to the tune of over three million online visitors in just six months. The campaign encourages readers to participate in an eight week program toward trimming their bellies, including daily meal plans, workout tips, and peer support to help them on their journey to getting fit and reclaiming a healthful body.

Neighborhood America's technology solution provides the platform to achieve these results, allowing members to post profiles, pictures, and gain valuable feedback through the ability to rank and comment.

Finding inspiration and encouragement from peers, the forum boasts 79,000 registered members. While Rodale has achieved a 10x return on investment and a continuous stream of new advertising revenue, community members have equally benefited. In true community spirit, members have collectively shed over 54,000 pounds of belly fat with 13,000 success stories to date.

The integrated campaign is featured regularly in the print magazine and other traditional marketing, along with a call-to-action to visit the online community, which is directly attributable to an increase in online participation.  

Within the first six months, the compelling content drew over six million page views. Although the summer months historically show a lull in Web traffic, the launch of the "Belly Off! Club" shifts that trend, proven not only by the increase in raw traffic numbers, but also the 200,000 monthly videos plays during the summer.

With its strategic approach to building readership and brand loyalty, Rodale's Men's Health is successfully bridging the gap between traditional media and new media while driving new revenues straight to the bottom line.

Click here to visit the Belly Off! Club.

Featured MOVO Customer: Remy Martin
Learn how you can go mobile by visiting MOVOmobile.com

Very Superior Old Pale, Meets Young Consumers

If the word Cognac makes you think of stern old men in ascots, get ready to think again. This fall Remy Martin, the premiere maker of fine cognac, will launch an all-new and fully integrated multi-media campaign to reintroduce their flagship VSOP brand to a new generation and a whole new audience. VSOP, which stands for Very Superior Old Pale, has been manufactured since 1724.

No longer content with an old image that offered little appeal to consumers in the 21-40 demographic, VSOP is about to hit the club scene. With over 300 tasting events, the campaign will include new ways to enjoy the traditional drink, scheduled in six major metropolitan areas across the U.S., including New York, Newark, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and the San Francisco Bay area.

To complete the mobile aspect of the effort, Remy's interactive marketing agency chose Neighborhood America's MOVO Mobile to tie all of the elements of the campaign together.

Attendees at the national tasting events can use their mobiles to text a keyword to receive a special invitation to a future event at an ultra-exclusive club in their city. Club-goers who text in, will provide some personal information, and then will be given a link to the Remy-branded WAP site which will collect their name, zip code, and email address for future communications. Those customers will receive full VIP status and placed on to the Remy Chill Zone VIP list for invitations to events at ultra-exclusive nightclubs.

"It's a terrific campaign," says Andrea Kostiuk, Neighborhood America's Customer Account Executive for the project. "It is sure to have a very strong appeal to members of the demographic and is a great example of how mobile strategies can be used effectively to pull together all of the elements of a smart campaign."

To follow up, broadcast RSVP reminders go out to the VIP's 3-4 days prior to the event, and allow them to make reservations for up to two people. The campaign runs through the end of September.

Introducing Inflection Blocks by Kim Patrick Kobza, President & CEO

Want to learn best practices in social media, but don't have the time to sit in front of the computer for hours on end doing research or visiting various industry blogs?

Following on the heels of the Inflection podcast and blog series, our President & CEO Kim Patrick Kobza introduces new three minute installments titled Inflection Blocks.

Similarly, Inflection Blocks is designed to provide insights into creating value from existing networks with your customers, partners, employees, and the public.

Here's a sneak peak at his latest entry, "The Right Question."

Many business organizations struggle to ask the right questions when implementing networking technologies. They often focus on technology and portal based networks rather than asking how to build and enable their own networks of customers, partners, and employees to drive net new revenue and business results...

Have three minutes or less? You'll want to hear what experience has shown Kim are some of the right and wrong questions to ask.

Visit Inflection Blocks, and tell us what YOU think.

Neighborhood America CTO David Bankston Recognized for Making a Difference in Florida and Beyond

As Florida has grown and prospered, so has Florida business. Since 1958, Florida Trend has been the source for business news, insights, forecasts, the latest on executive lifestyles, emerging industries, new players and everything that impacts business in the Sunshine State.

Magazines don't make it to 50 years unless they're continually new and relevant to readers and advertisers. Likewise, business leaders must remain current to stay on top of their game.

Florida Trend's Special 50th Anniversary Report, published this month, features "Trendsetters: Today and Beyond." These are high-impact leaders who are making a difference in Florida and beyond -- but whose biggest contributions may be yet to come.

Our own CTO David Bankston is recognized for what he's accomplished and the impact of Neighborhood America's technology on several historic projects. But as this trendsetter knows, the sky's the limit for both him and the company.

Read why David made the cut in the Florida Trend.

David, along with our President & CEO Kim Patrick Kobza, and the company, are also nominated for several 2008 Spirit of Endeavor Awards. The awards recognize outstanding individuals and companies in the Southeast region's high-tech community. The AeA will host its sixth AeA Southeastern "Spirit of Endeavor" Awards Banquet, September 18th, 2008 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia.

David is nominated in the categories of Technology Entrepreneur and Technology Innovation, Kim for Technology Entrepreneur and Outstanding Leadership, and Neighborhood America for Emerging Business.

Check out who we are up against, by visiting the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Autism Speaks and N.A.M.E.S. Listens

If anyone understands the challenges of raising a child with autism, it's Kathy Meyer, Neighborhood America's Executive Assistant. Her daughter Jessica, now 36, was diagnosed with autism when she was eight years old. Today Kathy is determined to use her knowledge and experience to ease the burden of other parents who are struggling with the diagnosis that she and Jessica faced.

"If I can help parents of kids with autism - even in some small way, then I am grateful," says Kathy. She became involved with Autism Speaks six months ago, an international organization dedicated to fighting autism but has been helping families cope with disease management and treatment for some time now.

"More people are struggling with autism, than with diabetes, cancer and AIDS combined," says Kathy of the epidemic that Autism Speaks is fighting to confront. "But we are making progress."

Kathy adds that she is thankful for the help that Neighborhood America has provided. The company recently made a donation to Autism Speaks through N.A.M.E.S. (Neighborhood America Making Everybody Smile), a group begun by Neighborhood America employees dedicated to fulfilling the company's commitment to community service.

"Neighborhood America is wonderful that way," says Kathy, who adds that serving the community is an important part of the company's culture.

Neighborhood America Sales Executive, Wes Harper, agrees. He has a nephew who is battling autism, and to lend support, he and three co-workers, Jason Breed, Sr. Director of Sales, Michael Zeto, Director of Business Development, and Software Engineer, Justin Lee, have put together a golf team to participate in Autism Speaks' First Annual Golf Tournament on September 13th, at the Old Corkscrew Golf Course, in Estero, Florida. Both Wes and Kathy will participate in Walk Now for Autism 2008, a November 8th fundraiser at the Estero Community Park in Estero, Florida.

"If we continue to work together, we will find a cure," says Wes. "Meanwhile, we here at Neighborhood America will continue to do all that we can to help."

Click here to get involved with Walk Now for Autism 2008, or visit Autism Speaks to learn more about the disease.

So what's next for N.A.M.E.S.? Well, if you have a favorite chili recipe, get ready to mix-up your best concoction for a Chili Cook-off, Friday, September 28th. All proceeds will benefit the Guadalupe Center of Immokalee Soup Kitchen. Selling soup for soup! A tasty cause you can be a part of.

For more information, email Gwen Nugent at gnugent@neighborhoodamerica.com, or call (239) 552-3115.

Coffee, Clarity and a Double Shot of Good Advice in Atlanta

Marketers today recognize the critical importance of social media as a fundamental tool for developing genuine customer relationships and for building a conversation around their brands. Still, many aren't sure exactly how to go about constructing a successful online community – or how to monetize it if they do. And since marketing budgets are fairly tight these days, and competition is tougher than ever, no one can afford to make a costly mistake.

But not to worry. In response to overwhelming demand from customers for assistance and advice, Neighborhood America developed the Coffee and Clarity series of breakfast seminars designed to help organizations navigate the complexities of the social media landscape and to develop hardworking programs that earn results.

The enthusiastically received series, which kicked off in Boston in July, hit Atlanta last month. Michael Thomas, Neighborhood America's Director of CRM and Social Media Strategy led the discussion, describing the event as highly productive, with plenty of critical takeaways for marketing and other business executives.

"The real key to the value of Coffee and Clarity lectures, are the case studies that we review," says Michael. "These provide marketers with very detailed advice on what they should and should not try."

Michael remarked that one of the most important concepts reviewed at the breakfast seminars is the Community Blueprint.

"This is something that we complete for every one of our own customers as the first step in creating an effective working strategy," says Michael. "It serves as a method for helping the brand to define the needs of their audience and helps them to set a specific goal for the site – all of which leads to the creation of a more successful online community in the end."

The seminars' seating is limited, in order to allow attendees time to ask detailed questions and to leave with specific answers that they can use in the development of their online communities.

Return2Customer







When it comes to developing CRM and social media strategies designed to turn one-time buyers into loyal, long-term customers, it's tough to beat the expertise, or the industry experience offered by Neighborhood America's Director of CRM and Social Media Strategy, Michael Thomas.

Currently the national president, and a national board member of the CRMA (Customer Relationship Management Association), Michael views the social media related changes that have taken place in the marketing landscape as revolutionary, and ultimately as an opportunity that will benefit both brands and consumers, when orchestrated to allow for a meaningful and ongoing product and service dialogue.

On August 26th, Michael passed on his social media and CRM expertise to a group of national and international marketing and other business leaders, as one of several highly sought after panelists at the annual CRMA Return2Customer Conference in Atlanta.

Michael serves on the advisory board of the CRM and DW Experts, on the Editorial Advisory Panel of Touch Briefings and is the recipient of CRM magazine's Most Influential CRM Leaders award. Michael has also served as a 2005-2008 Peppers and Rogers Group 1to1 Impact Awards Judge and is a recipient of the 2007 1to1 Magazine's Customer Champion.

As part of his talk, he shared several strategies that have led to success for Neighborhood America customers, along with a how-to presentation on the best practices for launching online customer communities, on tying mobile to social media activities and on how to realize profits from hard-working social media strategies.

"At one time, the sales process was a company-centered endeavor that was fundamentally based on presenting consumers with a constructed brand image and specific product information, but which provided very little opportunity for customer feedback," says Michael. "However, the social media phenomenon has altered that familiar terrain and prompted an evolution in the way that marketing is conducted, making an authentic dialogue between the brand and its customers an essential element of the marketing and sales equation. The good news is that the new matrix offers a greater-than-ever potential for cultivating more genuine customer relationships and for increasing brand loyalty."