PRESS RELEASE: “Beat me on my turf and I’ll quintuple the prize pot” from Wanaka elite Triathlete Tony Dodds

New Zealand Elite Triathlete Tony Dodds wants to attract more world class international triathletes to Wanaka for the elite leg of the Contact Tri Series on Friday 20th January 2012 and he is putting up to ten grand of money where his mouth is.

Nicknamed the ‘Doddsy International’, Dodds is hoping to raise enough funds to quintuple the prize pot, so far he has more than tripled the $2,000 1st place prize money to $7,000, an athlete inspired move believed to be unique in the world of triathlon and just as rare in any professional sport – the athlete finding the money and putting it all on the line for all-comers to take away.

“On the international triathlon circuit prize money is the biggest draw-card for a professional athlete. I’m gambling that a few of my international rivals will take the bait, $7k will guarantee a few, but $10k would dig up a whole lot!” says Dodds.

Most recently Nelson berry company Sujon have very generously approached Dodds and offered $1,000 towards the pot.

Several local businesses, a very generous anonymous fan, Lake Wanaka Tourism and Tony’s sponsors have all helped to contribute towards the prize. Plus local tourism operators have donated some adventurous extra-curricular activities including helicopter sight-seeing, hunting and water-sports.

And his hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed, with over half a dozen extra elites registered as a result of Tony’s efforts, including:

•    Kris Gemmell – Olympian, winner of multiple world cups and fellow NZ elite squad member. Winner of the recent Barfoot & Thompson ITU World Cup in Auckland.
•    Laurent Vidal – French Olympian, winner of last year’s race, and number 7 in the world.
•    Ryan Sissons – fellow NZ elite squad member from Auckland, ranked 18 in the world in 2011.
•    Simon Whitfield - Canada, gold medal Sydney Olympics, Bronze medal Athens Olympics
Adding further incentive for sponsors to part with their money, should Tony win, he has advised that all the additional prize money will be donated to Cystic Fibrosis research.

About Contact Tri Series Wanaka
All events take place on Friday 20th January, preceding Challenge Wanaka which follows on Saturday 21st January. There are events for everyone from children to beginners to elites in a festival atmosphere with large crowds on a flat and easy course.    

Registration & Late Entries        Challange Wanaka Marque    12:00pm - 2:00pm   
Contact 1:2:1                                Boys & Girls  2:15pm
Contact 3:9:3                                Men 2:40pm            
                                                       Women & Teams  2:41pm
Contact Trophy                             Women & Womens/Mixed Teams 3:40pm
                                                       Men & Men’s Teams 5:20pm
Contact Cup Elite                         Women  7:00pm   
                                                       Men  8:10pm
Prize-Giving                                  Finish Line upon completion of elite men’s event 


About Tony Dodds
Tony Dodds is one to watch. Since becoming a competitive triathlete in 2005 he has quickly made his way to the top, securing the title of New Zealand Under 23 Champion three times and winning the New Zealand Sprint Championships in both 2010 and 2011, as well as achieving a number of top placings on the world stage. With the ultimate goal of competing in future Olympic Games, at only 23 he is no small player and most definitely has the potential to achieve this.


Photo opportunities and interviews with Tony Dodds onsite at the Wanaka Snow Farm, along with fellow national and international elite triathletes, can be arranged via Sarah Girvan 021 552 240 or through Tony Dodds directly 027 810 4440.

Please find free for use images attached, higher resolution shots are available on request. Also a newly released profile of Tony Dodds filmed by Cinematographer Tim Pierce is available here.

END

Going a bit Square in Wellington - Lambton Square Shopping Centre Redevelopment

Immersion pitched for and won the branding and signage contract for the multi-million dollar re-development of Lambton Square Shopping Centre. The new site will become the flagship for the retailing landscape around Lambton Quay. Competition was fierce, and a few eyebrows were raised when a Dunedin based company beat out the ‘Capital City’ marketing teams.

Sarah Girvan will now be out of the office every Wednesday and putting her knowledge of international shopping centre marketing to good use. As part of the project Development Team she will be working with representatives from AMP Capital, Jasmax Architects (the same architects that designed Forsyth Barr Stadium), and Demografik Design. Another, ‘watch this space’ project, that is going to be BIG!

View the redevelopment photos here...

Going a bit Square in Wellington - Lambton Square Shopping Centre Redevelopment

 Foodhall

 Foodhall

 Upstairs

Downstairs

Redevelopment designs by Jasmax Architects. 

How Hot Are You? Ethos Woodfires

Ethos Woodfires are based in Christchurch and their patented wood fires are sold nation-wide. Ethos approached Immersion Marketing wanting assistance to develop a marketing strategy and refreshed brand that would help them to increase sales and distribution nationwide.

Immersion’s first task was to determine Ethos’s value proposition and appropriate positioning strategy. The team became engrossed in the Ethos brand, statistics were analysed, retailers interviewed, customers surveyed and a focus groups held. As a company, Ethos Woodfires began the process of reflecting on what they have achieved so far and rejuvenating their brand for the future.

We partnered with Christchurch based Demografik Design to create a new logo and simplified colour palette that presents a consumer facing brand.

We identified that Ethos has the hottest lowest emission fireplace on the market, and Demografik created a brand identity that focused on people rather than fires, and the emotional decisions tied to a wood fire purchase. With the black and white photographs, a strong logo and an emotive play on words, Ethos Woodfires has claimed their market position as an expert in clean heat. ‘What’s your Ethos?’

The importance of supporting retailers was also identified during the brand positioning phase. Co-branded marketing packages have been developed, along with in-store information packs, technical specifications and digital displays. To enable effective consumer decisions, this information is also available online and backed up by the Ethos sales support team.

Client feedback: – “Love it, Immersion Marketing nailed it!”

Pacific Edge Limited - Saving Lives Worldwide from Dunedin

Cancer is a pandemic disease; as a Dunedin based company that is developing cancer diagnostic technologies, Pacific Edge is saving lives on a world scale. By combining exacting scientific research and analytical software, Pacific Edge has created easy to use early cancer detection tests that allows for better cancer management.

Sarah Girvan says, “It’s easy to admire what Pacific Edge has achieved, and they back their own creations. They haven’t sold their technologies to a manufacturer, they have patented their products, and are overseeing their delivery to markets around the world. They are producing exceptionally innovative products and it has been a priviledge to work with such a forward thinking company.”

Spot Bob! - How do you market a bladder cancer detection test?

Cxbladder® is a non-invasive, simple-to-use urine test that detects bladder cancer.

The Challenge: To develop a marketing campaign that would connect with two distinct audiences: medical professionals and their patients. Finding the balance between medical ‘tech speak’ and ‘do this because it could save your life’ was a challenge in itself.

The Creation: Immersion partnered with Strategy Design & Advertising, from Christchurch, to reposition the brand and develop an innovative information pack for medical professionals (predominately urologists) and patients.

Read more and check out the collateral...

Spot Bob! - How do you market a bladder cancer detection test?

Cxbladder® is a non-invasive, simple-to-use urine test that detects bladder cancer.  

The Challenge: To develop a marketing campaign that would connect with two distinct audiences: medical professionals and their patients. Finding the balance between medical ‘tech speak’ and ‘do this because it could save your life’ was a challenge in itself.

The Creation: Immersion partnered with Strategy Design & Advertising, from Christchurch, to reposition the brand and develop an innovative information pack for medical professionals (predominately urologists) and patients.

Whilst Immersion was instrumental in identifying the appropriate positioning strategy and translating technical content into plain language, Strategy Design & Advertising introduced a fresh new professional look, with a fun twist - a challenge to ‘Spot the bladder cancer patient’, on the front cover!

Thanks to Dunedin based Taieri Print, the design became a reality, a challenging print job, it's finished to the highest possible quality (Sarah spent 3.5 hours press checking the job onsite, thanks for your patience Taieri Print!).

The health professional information packs feature a high quality, custom three panel folder that reveals an information guide, supporting research papers, and sample wire bound patient case studies in a clean, uncluttered format. A leaflet with its own free-standing display will also be displayed in waiting rooms as an educational aid for patients.

The Result: Feedback from the Pacific Edge team, stakeholders and prospects in New Zealand and internationally has been excellent. The direct mail launch to urologists and GPs will will be happening early in 2012, whilst the re-branded design has also appeared in KiaOra magazine advertising, on the Cxbladder® website, trade displays in North America and Australia, and will soon feature in a nationwide advertising campaign.