September 19, 2006, Five of the hottest contenders for the Ford
Ironman World Championship will be text-messaging fans all the way to Kona! ES
Interactive has teamed up with WiggleWireless to offer fans personal access to
their favorite pros with the Kona Secret Cell Phone Diaries. In an exclusive
partnership with Team Tri-Dubai, fans can sign up to get text messages from
-
2004 Ironman World Champion, Normann Stadler
-
Ten-time Ironman Champion, Lisa Bentley
-
Five-time Ironman New Zealand Champion, Cameron Brown
-
Four-time Ironman New Zealand Champion, Joanna Lawn
-
Team Tri-Dubai's up-and-coming rookie, Desiree Ficker
The athletes' diaries include training tips, insider secrets,
personal stories and some spicy gossip. The concept of the Kona Secret Cell
Phone Diaries came from ES Interactive's CEO, Carri Bennet's desire to make
professional athletes more accessible to their fans and to increase the
spectator-friendliness of endurance sports like triathlon. "These are the most
elite athletes in the world, but they're also really interesting people." said
Bennet, "Fans are getting a glimpse of their personalities as they prepare both
mentally and physically for the biggest, most prestigious race of the year."
Tri-Dubai is the preeminent international triathlon team formed by
a partnership between The Human Interest Group and the City of Dubai. Their
mission is to bring the worldview of the sport of triathlon and the City of
Dubai to new levels of awareness and appreciation, while giving back to local
and international communities through various charities. "This is a great
opportunity for Tri-Dubai," stated Franko Vatterott, President of the Human
Interest Group, "The Kona Secret Cell Phone Diaries showcases Tri-Dubai's team
members' unique personalities. Mobile marketing is certainly one of the hottest
new ways to reach targeted, 'technology hungry' consumers. Our athletes are
well followed around the world; now they can communicate directly with their
fans on a more personal level."
Starting today, fans can go to www.esinteractive.net or
www.tridubai.com to sign up for their favorite pro triathletes. Text messages
are delivered to the fans through October 23 through WiggleWireless' Mobile
Media Portal. The service is free to fans, but standard text messaging wireless
carrier fees may apply. "The Kona Secret Cell Phone Diaries are an example of a
cutting edge form of mobile marketing," noted Jeff Pokonosky, CEO of
WiggleWireless, "the unobtrusive advertorial content allows the brands that
sponsor these athletes to connect on an intimate level with consumers."
This interactive experience is a production of ES Interactive. ES
Interactive brings together athletes and the brands they endorse so that
"access gets personal" for the fans.
Carri Bennet, founder and CEO of ESI, is an Ironman finisher and an
avid fan of endurance sports. This passion led her to the concept of making the
pros more accessible to the fans via the Internet and other interactive media
technology. Webcasts, text messaging and video podcasts are ESI's primary media
for bringing fans and athletes together to allow each participant the
opportunity to personally interact with their favorite athletes. For more
information, go to http://www.esinteractive.net.
Tri-Dubai is managed by the Human Interest Group, Inc. Thanks to
the support of Dubai, UAE, the Human Interest Group has been able to harness
some of the world's greatest talent in the sport of Triathlon. The athletes of
Tri-Dubai have come together in an effort to bring awareness and support to
various charities across the globe while introducing the world to the
incredible opportunities that abound in Dubai through both business and
leisure. For more information, go to http://www.tridubai.com.
WiggleWireless delivers relevant, self selected information directly to mobile
phone users, wherever they are. Utilizing the most convenient and ubiquitous
device known to man, WiggleWireless gives users the freedom to step away from
the traditional information sources that tie them down. Users select the
information they want to receive and WiggleWireless delivers it as soon as it's
available, conveniently to their mobile phones. Based in San Diego,
WiggleWireless was founded in 2002 by Jeff Pokonosky. For more information on
the program, or to sign up to receive updates, visit WiggleWireless at
www.wigglewireless.com. All of WiggleWireless' mobile campaigns are
free to participants.
