Mediaura

Mediaura has long been a proponent regarding the value that membership in the American Advertising Federation of Louisville brings to any business, especially a small one. The connection and networking opportunities are endless, in addition to the informative luncheons and speakers on best-practices that they bring to our community. As an organization there is truly something for everyone to find.

As a company we have sponsored previous events, helping to bring keynote speaker Paul Dery of R/GA to Louisville and our team has been working diligently at placing the final touches on the AdFed Mobile App (launching soon).

I have been a member of the Executive Board, Vice President of Communications, for the past year and I am so proud to have the opportunity to have helped put together the latest version of the print Communique' with my amazing team of committee volunteers.

This issue of the Communique' focuses on the future of advertising; highlighting best practices, sharing tips for what works & what doesn't, and looking forward to the changing climate of our industry as a whole. Featuring contributions from the leading professionals in our area, this issue of the Communique' has something for everyone; whether you're a sales professional, a charity, government official, or an interactive company, etc. Just like the AdFed itself, we've got you covered.

This issue of the Communique' has been a labor of love, and being able to see it materialize from a concept into a tangible magazine has been a wonderful adventure that I am so honored to have helped lead.

Make sure to check out the article entitled "Interactive Technology and Change" written by Mediaura's CEO Andrew Aebersold. As a company, thinking ahead to the future is what helps set us apart from other organizations; so Andrew has a few tips to share on what companies should keep an eye on.

Special thanks to Mary and Julie at the AdFed for helping make this become a reality, Doug Prater for giving me the opportunity to participate on the Executive Board this year, Mark Cable for his wonderful artwork and helping to realize the vision, and to all of whom helped to contribute to this project. It couldn't have been done without you.

Make sure to pick up your copy today or contact the American Advertising Federation of Louisville's office to find out how you can get your own. They make an eye-catching, and valuable read for any business lobby or waiting area as well!

-Dawn

Mediaura ProBuilder Print (formerly known as ADBuilder) is our proprietary, patent-pending web-based software that lets you create templates for your organization to easily and rapidly create customized print-ready content that meets brand standards.

Key Features:

• Patent-pending visual editor allows for real-time creation of content
• Full dynamic sizing capabilities
• Image library allows you to choose from approved content for image customization or upload your own
• Image placement tools allow you to scale and move images on the canvas in real time
• Business database allows you to store custom information specific to a business and auto-populate that on the template, including custom logos per business
• Create black & white or full color CMYK content
• Full control of font face, size and colors
• Choose from approved background images and colors to maximize template capabilities
• Capable of supporting high quality billboard-sized content
• Create single page content or multiple page brochures
• E-Commerce ready means you can send your created designs directly to a printer upon completion
• User-rights management built-in

The Mediaura team is proud to announce that we will soon be releasing an exclusive mobile app designed for the Louisville Advertising Federation (AAF Louisville). The mobile app will provide users with a calender of events (and the ability to sign up/register directly from your phone), access to the job listings page, information about AAF Louisville, and the latest in advertising news.

We have been honored to work with such a prestigious organization on this project. Keep checking our blog for further details and a release date.

If your company is looking for a mobile app, feel free to contact us to schedule a consultation. The Mediaura team are certified Apple & Android development specialists, with the ability to develop on all other platforms, so give us a call at 502-554-9649 today.

Long John Silvers Tablet Givewaway

Mediaura is proud to have worked closely with the Long John Silvers team to help develop a sweepstakes giveaway. Winners will receive a chance to win a free tablet of their choice (up to a $500 value) just by entering!

It is always a pleasure to work with the LJS team and we are always happy to help them realize their interactive vision for the company.

About LJS

At Long John Silver's, we serve high-quality seafood with a "come as you are" attitude at a "pay less than you expect" price. For more than 40 years, we've been building seafood expertise – how to catch it, cook it, serve it and enjoy it. Over the last 40 years, we've learned that to get great seafood, you don't need a lot of time, you don't need a lot of fuss, and you definitely don't need a lot of money. The only thing you really need is know-how. And at Long John Silver's, you get more because we know more. You could say that at Long John Silver's, we speak fish.

To view the website (or enter the sweepstakes), please visit: http://www.ljspromotions.com/

Business First's 2012 Book of Lists has been published today, and Mediaura is proud to have been ranked high on the "Information Technology Services II" list. As a company we provide a wide variety of services from website development, mobile application development, interactive advertising and marketing, SEO/SEM, and custom software development.

It's also worth noting, that while rankings are based on number of employees, Mediaura has added twelve new employees since the List was put together, with no signs of slowing down! We are so proud to be able to continue providing high-quality services to companies, and helping them develop strategies to improve their business.

Here is a look at the Book of Lists:

And here is a close up of our "Your Search Is Over" full-page ad.

2011 has been a banner year here at Mediaura. Aside from all of the wonderful recognition we've received from both the community and business organizations, we have been fortunate enough to continue to grow our team. As anyone who has had a chance to stop by our office can attest, while we play hard, we work even harder to achieve our goals. Our clients know, their satisfaction is our number one priority!

Our dedication and commitment to excellence has allowed us to recently welcome 10 new individuals to the Mediaura Team. As a company, we have pledged to source local talent whenever possible in order to reinvest in our community. It has most certainly paid off. This team of motivated individuals have hit the ground running, exceeding everyone's expectations and achieving quite a few milestones in just their first week.

Welcome to the team and keep up the great work!

Wow.

That has been our response so many times these past few weeks. The Mediaura team has recently been overwhelmed by a great deal of recognition for our work. While it has never been a secret how dedicated our team is to success, it is wonderful when people outside of your organization honor and praise your efforts. It pushes us to continue surpassing expectations and raising the bar for what is possible in our industry.

Mediaura's Better Business Bureau Torch Award Application

On Friday November 18, 2011 we were honored by the Better Business Bureau as winners of the Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics. With over 100+ companies nominated (and an application that took about 2 months to complete), we were thrilled when we were announced as a finalist. When we heard that we won, we were ecstatic!

BBB Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics

Wow. This is one of the greatest honors any business could ever receive. Integrity is one of the strongest driving forces behind the work we do, so this award means a great deal to the Mediaura Team.

As we were preparing to attend the Better Business Bureau award ceremony, the team was still riding high from the day before. You see, on Thursday (November 17, 2011) Mediaura won Business First's "Healthiest Employer" award.

Recognizing employers who have made conscious-efforts to focus on health initiatives and a positive work environment, the Healthiest Employer Award nomination much like the Alfred B. Sloan award, brought attention to Mediaura's foward-thinking employee programs.

Business First Healthiest Employers Issue

Healthiest Employers LLC, an Indianapolis-based research company, judged the companies that entered this year's contest. The research company developed a 75-question survey and a proprietary scoring system for measuring six core areas of wellness.

We were also interviewed by the fabulous Business First staff about our practices, and the various initiatives that employees have responded to and what has worked.

Healthiest Employer Winner "Mediaura"

Healthiest Employer Finalist Recognition

Healthiest Employer Winner: Mediaura

Wow.

Lead 411 also ranked Mediaura #39 on their Top 200 tech companies. To see the full list, click here. We were humbled to have been nominated, grateful to have made the list, and when we realized that we were the only Kentucky business listed – proud.

Mediaura: Lead 411 Hot Company

Wow.

But it hasn't been all "Winning Awards" at Mediaura, the team has been working very hard on quite a few new game-changing projects that we are anxious to announce. So be on the lookout for that in the near future.

Another project that we were happy to be involved in was Dress For Success Louisville's annual Suit & Salad luncheon. Dress for Success is a non-profit organization that we are always willing to support, because of the empowering work they do in our community (and as an organization, the world).

We were asked to design and layout collateral materials (such as a brochure) and their powerpoint presentation that would display before, during, and after the luncheon. The theme for this year was "Turning Over A New Leaf" and we had a great time at the event!

Dress for Success Louisville & Mediaura

Our headquarters has been a hive of non-stop activity. Even with the holidays approaching we show no signs of slowing down, but it's in this environment that we thrive and do our best work.

Make sure to keep checking back!

One of Mediaura’s most utilized pieces of software is ProBuilder Print. This revolutionary product has been changing the way that companies are able to do business.

While there are a multitude of uses for its implementation, it has had major success in the advertising and marketing arenas. One of the major areas to have embraced this forward-thinking technology has been the restaurant industry; mainly due to its efficiency at streamlining the approvals process and making it affordable for companies to target local marketing initiatives.

There are many advertising benefits to local marketing; an advantage that has traditionally be held by smaller businesses, but has recently drawn the attention of larger companies. Organizations that want to convey to their markets a more personal approach need to take a look at what has worked for small businesses in the past. While it is clear that small businesses are in a naturally more favorable position, Mediaura’s ProBuilder software allows larger companies to compete on a more targeted level and still maintain their brand standards.

Here is a very brief example:

Imagine for a moment that you are a company with multiple locations nationwide. Generic advertising for all of these markets will not be as effective as a tailored message to a specific audience. The imagery, copy and pricing for an urban location may need to be radically different than that of a smaller, more rural setting.

Traditionally, in order to do this a company would need to create several separate ads, all of which require approval by a multitude of corporate entitles (legal, marketing, brand standards, etc). This is a time-consuming process, often necessitating several revisions (all of which monopolize further resources and expense). The window of opportunity for a specialized event could be lost and an exciting revenue opportunity along with it.

Another problem that corporations with satellite locations run across, is that while they allow local marketing by individual owners/managers – they often risk compromising the standards of their brand. One location may choose to use a certain graphic designer or photographer and another uses someone whose talents may not be as strong, vice versa. The quality of one may be superior to the other. Font type could vary, pixelated imagery, colors that aren’t what is specified in the company style guide, etc. Inconsistencies such as these can damage the reputation of your brand.

ProBuilder Print recognizes this is a common issue with many companies, and our software eliminates the need for corporate worry.

Our patent-pending software allows an entity located anywhere in the world to develop dynamic ads that appeal to the local market, but also strictly adhere to the style guide and branding of the entire corporate mission. Therefore, an ad like the one above would be transformed into an advertisement that appears more like this:

The benefit to Probuilder? Every facet of this ad can be dynamic – everything from the product, the price, the background, and the copy. Our web-based software allows franchise owners, for example, to run a special on chicken sandwiches in Seattle while simultaneously another location in Boise promotes cheeseburgers. The quality of the ad remains the same, the logo will still be high res; but the content can be tailored to a specific market.

What makes Mediaura ProBuilder so unique, is that it is done completely on the web.

Once you have created your ad online through our unique system, you may preview it digitally (saving paper and resources), and the file is then saved as a .pdf which can then be sent to the printer of your choice. So if a franchise owner is able to get a cheaper rate through a local printer, they are able to send this already corporate approved file to press, saving costs even further. If your company does have a designated printer, they can rest assured knowing that the advertisements the printer receives from multiple locations are all ready-for-print without the need of additional design changes. There is opportunity for saving costs on shipping, it eliminates the need for redesign, and corporate can rest assured the ad meets their standards.

There are countless ways that Mediaura ProBuilder is revolutionizing the way companies are able to do business, and our ProBuilder Print software is currently being used in a variety of industries – food, education, manufacturing, healthcare, etc. However, what is consistent with all of our clients is the cost-savings to their business.

Key Features:

• Patent-pending visual editor allows for real-time creation of content
• Full dynamic sizing capabilities (create the same ad for a 1/4 page magazine as you would a billboard)
• Image library allows you to choose from approved content for image customization or upload your own
• Image placement tools allow you to scale and move images on the canvas in real time
• Business database allows you to store custom information specific to a business and auto-populate that on the template, including custom logos per business
• Create black and white or full color CMYK content
• Full control of font face, size and colors
• Choose from approved background images and colors to maximize template capabilities
• Capable of supporting high-quality billboard-sized content
• Create single page content or multiple page brochures
• E-commerce ready means you can send your created designs directly to a printer upon completion
• User-rights management built-in

Here is an example how one of our clients Kentucky Community & Technical College System is using our software in their direct marketing campaigns:

As you can see, these two posters have been modified in several ways yet the branding on both remains consistent. Additionally, both of these ads – from design to completed print-ready .pdf took less than 10 minutes to create. Imagine the time and money your business could save from implementing such a user-friendly process.

The benefit to printers, is that they know the ads they are receiving are of top-quality and all of the legwork has been done for them. We find that they are often very appreciative that the .pdf files they receive from our software are of superior quality and can go straight to print. This streamlines the process even further and makes creating your ad more efficient.

Contact Mediaura today to learn more about how our unique ProBuilder Print software can help your organization, no matter how big or small.

Hospital waiting rooms have traditionally not be the most exciting place for individuals to find themselves. Whether they are waiting for an appointment or accompanying a loved-one, the waiting room is their first introduction to a hospital’s service. If you think of a hospital in terms of a business or service provider, satisfied patients will be more likely to recommend a doctor or a hospital to friends and family, as well as return for future service or services offered.

There are many ways that hospitals are enhancing their brand and raising awareness for their facilities, but one of the most currently talked about it is the use of intelligent digital signage.  Dynamic digital signage allows healthcare providers to communicate directly with a captive audience (as well as their own staff). The benefit to digital signage over traditional signs or posters, is the ability for a hospital to not only share information but to also generate revenue.

Digital Signage in a waiting room can serve a multitude of uses, such as:

• Instructional content that helps facilitate their visit (sign-in information, insurance guidance, etc).
• Information can be provided to the patient regarding how to communicate with their physician during their visit.(What questions to ask, preparing the patient for information to provide to their doctors (i.e. medications they may be taking, allergies, etc).
• Physician information – a brief introduction to the hospital staff, which helps to alleviate patient anxiety – especially for children.
• Displays can carry a mix of news, wellness information, and health tips.
• List public health advisories and items such as flu shot reminders.
• Promote value-added services and procedures
• Provide patients advice for procedures such as, “What to expect after surgery”
• For hospitals, digital signage is a wonderful avenue to promote upcoming events such as Health Fairs and Wellness Expos.

There are many additional uses for digital signage in hospitals, some of which can even be utilized to open up new revenue opportunities.

Also, for larger facilities digital signage can be tailored for the individual departments, addressing the specific needs of patients and physicians. For example, digital signage in a pediatric wing can provide valuable information regarding immunization or safety tips. An obstetrics office may have advice for expectant mothers or reminders about when to schedule check-ups. The dermatology department may provide its patients with UV-safety tips, etc. There are a great deal of possibilities, specifically adapted to the needs of the patients.

An extra benefit of digital signage is using it as a way-finding. Way-finding kiosks allow patients or visitors to navigate the facility without having to ask for directions. They can also provide visiting hours or other instructions that will be pertinent during their hospital stay.

For Your Staff

The benefits of adding digital signage to your hospital also extend to the hospital staff. It can be quite time consuming to have meetings with the entire staff or members of different departments, but with digital signage you can make sure your message is being communicated and reaching everyone.

Some of the innovative uses Mediaura has implemented for digital signage in regards to staff are:

• Placing digital signage in common areas (such as break rooms), hospitals are able to raise awareness about new policies, updated safety procedures, new treatments, etc.
• Hospitals are able to illustrate organization information and hospital policy.
• Information about disease such as H1n1, AIDS, Cancer, or other items governed by law.
• Employee recognition allows hospitals to highlight outstanding members of staff or bring attention to key team members.
• Emergency messaging – an important way to let physicians know when an emergency arises
• Deliver on-demand employee training.
• Digital signage can be configured as a touch-screen interface, allowing different departments to enhance training, provide skill reminders or operate as a teaching tool.

Digital signage helps to keep hospital staff up-to-date not only on their facility’s guidelines, but also on important medical practices.

Why Is Digital Signage Important?

Digital Signage allows healthcare providers to enhance their brand by improving the patient experience. Hospitals can enhance sales or services through targeted, localized, and relevant offers and information. Through digital signage, hospitals are able to inform and educate their patients on products or services without pressure.

Digital signage saves money. By reducing costs associated with producing printed materials and static signs, hospitals are able to redirect those funds where needed. Additionally, digital signage is better for the environment and reduces waste.

Since Mediaura’s digital signage solution is web-based, hospitals can also broadcast live content and communications from their headquarters. This means that a several locations, anywhere in the world, are able to receive uniform branding and communications. And unlike other digital signage solutions, our turn-key software can be used on any digital screen. The unique benefit to cost-savings that the Mediaura Digital Signage solution provides, is that hospitals are able to purchase inexpensive screens or re-purpose existing screens to utilize for digital signage.

Hospitals are able to benefit from what has been found successful in other industries. Digital Signage has a proven track record of enhancing brand recognition, providing valuable content, reducing costs, and increasing revenue.

Contact Mediaura today to learn more about our services and how our Digital Signage solutions can help take your facility to the next-level.

The team at Mediaura were happy to host the Louisville Zoo and their film crew at our offices earlier this summer. Everyone at our office was thrilled to invite them in, to shoot some commercials in our space, and a couple team members even made cameos in the ads!

But if you’d like to check out the commercials themselves, here they are:

Elevator -- Louisville Zoo Polar Bear Commercial