NBA's Phoenix Suns Launch New Interactive Blog Powered by Marqui Software
December 11, 2006
VANCOUVER, BC – December 11, 2006 – Marqui, Inc, a leading provider of on-demand marketing software, today announced that the Phoenix Suns, a Western Conference team in the National Basketball Association (NBA), has selected the Marqui Blog Management software to streamline the management and deployment of the team’s new interactive blog site. The Phoenix Suns’ new blog features courtside and personal commentary from a cross-section of team personalities, including players, trainers, commentators and dancers, making it the first team-run blog in professional sports to capture every aspect of a sports franchise. Marqui’s blog software – which is available via their Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) delivery model – allows the Suns to quickly and easily post and manage blog content, enabling members of the organization to instantly connect with fans around the world.
“Blogging provides a unique forum for the NBA and the Phoenix Suns to reach out to its fans around the world and make following the team and players more interactive,” said Jeramie McPeek, Vice President, Interactive Services, Phoenix Suns. “In order to accomplish that, not only did we feel it necessary to involve different elements of the organization – players, commentators, etc. – but we needed a product that would allow us to easily interact with the blog site and push out content.Marqui was chosen as it not only provided us with robust functionality, it also allowed us to quickly deploy the product so that our site was up and running before the start of the 2006-2007 season. As we get more comfortable with this new marketing vehicle, we plan to make the blog a key element in many of our multimedia marketing initiatives.”
Marqui Blog Management software, a subset of the Marqui On-demand Marketing Software Suite, allows businesses to easily post content, images and rich media files, such as video or podcasts, to the Web.It features approval-based workflow so companies can control who is allowed to write or approve blog content. In addition to Blog Management, Marqui offers a comprehensive suite of SaaS marketing applications that simplify a broad range of marketing activities, including e-mail campaigns, Web content management, search engine optimization, analytics and program measurement. By combining all of these capabilities into one Web-based suite, Marqui enables customers to streamline marketing initiatives and improve program effectiveness without the issues or costs associated with installing multiple single-purpose products.
The Suns blog is frequently populated with player opinions on everything from games and player performance to life in the off-season. For example, a recent posting by Marcus Banks, point guard for the Phoenix Suns states, “Well, I want to start off by saying thank you Phoenix! I have recently moved to your wonderful town and I’m just now getting settled. As far as the team, coaches and staff, I love everyone… the guys on the team are very fun to be around… day one they all welcomed me to the team as if I was there last year and that was a great feeling.” The Suns are the first professional sports organization to also illuminate the perspectives of non-players and support staff across several facets of the organization.
“The Phoenix Suns’ blog is demonstrative of the impact interactive Web-based communications can have on sports team audiences,” said Dale Borland, CEO of Marqui. “The Suns’ multi-dimensional approach to blogging provides fans with stories from inside and outside the locker room that may not otherwise be told and allows for two-way communication. We’re glad we’ve been able to work with the Suns organization and help them leverage what we feel is the industry’s premier platform for easily deploying and managing a corporate blogging site. We look forward to working with more NBA teams and other sports franchises in the near future.”
Further details about Marqui and the company’s Blog Management software can be found at: http://www.marqui.com.
About Marqui
Marqui packages vision, design, and technology to help forward-thinking organizations transform their businesses online. The company’s on-demand Web marketing solution has helped more than 200 organizations derive more value out of their content and brand through more effective management and measurement of their online content and communications. Marqui’s growing customer list includes BC Ferries, The David Suzuki Foundation, Cruise West, the American Marketing Association, BCIT, MDS, Nexen, Simon Fraser University, Sybase, the BC TIA, Shriners Children’s Hospitals, and Tillamook Cheese. Marqui is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and can be found at www.marqui.com.
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