Haneke Design Named a Finalist in the Inaugural BizTech Innovation Awards

Haneke Design, a leading national interactive design and development firm, has been chosen as a finalist together with client St. Petersburg Times/TampaBay.com for Best Collaboration in the inaugural BizTech Innovation Awards. The judges for the new awards program, presented by the Tampa Bay Business Journal and the Tampa Bay Technology Forum, have selected Haneke Design and the Times as outstanding exemplars of business collaboration for the development and launch of the TampaBay.com/things-to-do iPhone application. Winners will be announced March 17 at the Tampa Convention Center.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Tampa Bay business community for this collaboration with the St. Petersburg Times/TampaBay.com,” said Jody Haneke, president of Haneke Design. “Together, we created something truly special for TampaBay.com’s users and advertisers, and developed a business model that is unique in the newspaper industry. The early success of this project is exceeding our expectations and attracting national attention.”

The things-to-do app delivers consumers deals, mobile coupons, event listings and other offers from local businesses straight to their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch devices. The Times wanted a mobile strategy that not only merged all existing content from online, but also integrated an advertising component. They turned to Haneke Design not only for technical expertise, but also to help create and execute the strategy behind the app. Haneke Design proposed a new business model where advertisers could purchase credits to send mobile offers through the application managed by the St. Petersburg Times/TampaBay.com.

“The app is a win for both consumers and advertisers,” said Haneke. “Consumers set preferences for offers from businesses that interest them and TampaBay.com advertisers have a great tool to more precisely target customers.”

The BizTech Innovation Awards honor Tampa Bay area businesses for their true innovation in key tech sectors, in social media, in collaboration with non-tech clients and for chief executive leadership. The awards will follow the BizTech Innovation Expo, which will showcase technology products and services from Tampa Bay businesses. The expo will run from 9 to 11:45 a.m., and the luncheon and awards presentation will take place from 11:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.