NEWS

IF Development and Big Shot Promotions Help Make Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Project a Success

Austin area marketing company helps Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes promote nationally televised build

Last week, Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes and the cast of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition woke one North Austin family with a life-changing surprise. This week, the O'Donnell family begins life in their new, custom-built home. Of Patrick and Jeanette O'Donnell's six children, five have varying forms of autism-requiring specialized care and support. From that first wake-up call until the grand unveiling event this past Sunday, Jacobs Homes, the show's cast, and an army of volunteers worked around the clock to finish this family's new home in just a matter of days.

And through it all, IF Development and Big Shot Promotions were there, providing marketing and promotional support to ensure the Georgetown custom homebuilder's success. IF Development developed a strategic marketing plan for Jimmy Jacobs to promote and share this great project, including the creation of www.jacobshomes.com/extreme, a website designed specifically to help get the word out on Jacobs' Extreme Makeover project. Through daily updates, photographs, and e-mail announcements, the site provided up-to-date information for local media, fans and volunteers. It also played a major role in generating interest in Jacobs' fundraising drive-which helped to raise more than $200,000 to pay off the family's original mortgage and to cover household expenses.

IF Development also wrote daily press releases, optimized for distribution and web publication, that played a major role in generating the local media frenzy over the project. Daily e-campaigns informed the media, volunteers and interested fans of new developments in the home's construction and on special events throughout the area. A series of invitation e-mails also helped promote a benefit concert at La Zona Rosa, hosted by the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition cast and Jimmy Jacobs. The event kicked off the successful fundraising drive and boosted interest for the project throughout the Austin area.

In partnership with IF Development, Big Shot Promotions (the company's promotional items division) produced over 5000 shirts, hats and jackets for the event staff and volunteers. The Jacobs Homes crew and the "blue army" of volunteers wore shirts throughout the weeklong construction process designed by IF Development and produced by Big Shot Promotions. The shirts feature Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes, the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition logo and the project's special tagline: "Building a family's dream together."

Jimmy Jacobs' account manager at IF Development, Myssie Vanderberg volunteered many hours of her own time throughout the weeklong project, manning the VIP tent on-site, and providing guidance to local media and volunteers.

"This is truly a special project for IF Development and Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes," said Vanderberg. "In addition to the television appearance and national coverage, the makeover project also gave our companies a chance to work with many people from the Austin area and across the country. We're thrilled to be a part of this extraordinary event, and we're very thankful for all the generous volunteers and donations."

In the end, more than 300 companies and thousands of individuals donated materials, money, time and services to the project, helping Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes, IF Development and Big Shot Promotions ensure the success of this special event.

"IF Development did an outstanding job meeting all of our needs on the Extreme Makeover project," said Stephen McClain, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes. "Their rapid execution within the short time constraints of this build was crucial to our success. We were really impressed with their ability to produce and execute such high quality work on the marketing communications as well as all of the promotional items."

About Jimmy Jacobs
Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes is a unique collection of skilled professionals with diverse expertise who are committed to maximizing your homebuilding experience. Jacobs founded the company in 1988 with a simple "builder for life" philosophy and with a strong desire to return to his hometown of Georgetown, TX. The operations began with building high quality custom designed homes on individual sites located around the Georgetown area. Today Jimmy Jacobs Custom Homes specializes in community land development, single-family construction, and age-restricted retirement home communities for Active Adults throughout Georgetown and the surrounding areas.

About IF Development
IF Development is a full-service marketing company that integrates art and technology to deliver traditional and Internet marketing solutions. Leveraging marketing expertise and trend setting creativity, IF Development helps its clients build brand strategy and market presence that generate qualified demand and quantifiable results. IF Development provides innovative as well as traditional marketing solutions to businesses ranging in size from start-up to Fortune 500.