Looking for a new way to reach customers? Some companies in the unified communications space are leveraging the affinity of outdoor sports to help build their brands and enhance their image.

 

For example, The Conference Group is doing just that. The Newark, Del-based a full-service , a full-service audio and Web conferencing company has partnered with Outdoor Affinity Telecom, a firm that provides savings on telecommunication services to supporters of the outdoor industry.

 

Through the program, outdoor organization members can donate to their favorite cause and take advantage of savings on everything from local and long-distance to internet, wireless, and data services.

 

As an authorized agent of The Conference Group (News - Alert), Outdoor Affinity Telecom, is promoting the company’s services on its Web site through its current outdoor partners. Outdoor Affinity Telecom’s partners include the National Rifle Association, National Shooting Sports Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Pheasants Forever and Whitetails Unlimited.

 

“People have passions,” Greg Plum (News - Alert), director of channel development for The Conference Group told TMCnet in an interview. “A large portion of the membership of the endorsing organizations are passionate about their group. This program is the only one that provides end-users with access to telecommunication and data services they need, while empowering them to generate revenue for their ‘cause.’”

 

 When a submission is received, pass codes are assigned, a confirmation page is generated and an e-mail is sent to within seconds. 

 

“I am very excited to offer The Conference Group’s tremendous suite of services to the members of our affinity partners,” James Curry, vice president of business development, Outdoor Affinity Telecom told TMCnet. “A few of our partners have specific subgroups that are comprised of hundreds of thousands of small to medium businesses—The Conference Group’s services are a wonderful fit for that area.

 

“It’s great to see this program up and running in the form it should be,” he said. “That’s in large part to vendors like The Conference Group—they went the extra mile by creating some co-branded online ordering tools that really make this an easy and efficient process for the end user.”

 

With the program, members have access to similar services with the added incentive of supporting their cause without any incremental out-of-pocket expense, Plum said. The partnership gives The Conference Group the potential to reach 4 million members of special interest groups who have agreed to participate in this member benefit program, he said.

 

The concept gives people to ability to support their causes, while they obtain the conferencing services they need in their daily work and personal lives, Plum said. 

 

“The immediate access to conferencing services sets the bar for others in the industry,” he said. “ It is impossible to be faster than immediate (without being telepathic).”