At Peritus, we’re always cooking up fresh ways to move our clients’ message. On behalf of Hotel Preston, we’ve just launched an online media promotion designed to raise awareness of this unique Nashville boutique hotel. We partnered with Conde Nast’s HotelChatter.com, one of the leading travel blogs, to design a contest that solicits feedback from target audiences to select the Hotel Preston’s next big amenity. The contest launched less than two hours ago and we’ve already gotten some great suggestions. My personal favorite is the in-room fondue set for s’mores! Check it out at http://tinyurl.com/amenitycontest and let us know what you’d like to see in your hotel room. The winner receives round trip airfare for two from Southwest Airlines and a weekend at the Hotel Preston.

-Lauren Reed

This past weekend about 700 cyclists ‘clicked’ into specialty shoes and peeled down the Brickyard’s narrow motorless straightaway, climbed the track’s steep embankment and exited to the Indianapolis farmscape in support of a noble cause.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA, there are 23.6 million children and adults in the U.S. who have diabetes. To support the ADA, more than 38,000 cyclists in 78 tour events raised nearly $16 million in 2008. This year efforts are on track to double initial goals.

In fact, the Indianapolis Tour de Cure ‘09 had a record turnout, hosting the most participants in the 35-year history of the event.

Hoosiers Work for Health, a pro-health awareness group, was a proud sponsor of the momentous occasion. Cyclists had the option of choosing a 50 or 75 kilometer loop that began in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and wound through the beautiful Indiana countryside.

Way to go Peritus staff!

- Matthew Henderson

This past weekend was a busy one for Peritus client Hoosiers Work for Health (HW4H). The health organization sponsored two major events in Indianapolis on Saturday – American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure bicycle ride and the National Kidney Foundation’s Kidney Walk.

Tour de Cure riders hit the road bright and early Saturday morning beginning their ride at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. An impressive 700 riders came out to support the cause. Peritus employees Matthew Henderson and Taylor Turkot participated in the ride cycling the 75K and the 50K course respectively. HW4H was a silver spoke sponsor for the event. The ADA has been hosting the Tour de Cure since 1991 and ever since, thousands of riders participate at locations all over the country to help raise money to improve the lives of the more than 23 million Americans with diabetes.

The Kidney Walk took place at Eagle Creek Park. Walkers of all ages, including Peritus colleagues Teresa Buckley and Hannah Whiteman, supported the cause. HW4H was a Combat Sponsor helping to raise awareness of the benefits of organ donation and general kidney education. Chronic kidney disease affects 26 million Americans and approximately 92,000 people are currently waiting for an organ transplant.

Events like the Kidney Walk and the Tour de Cure strive to enhance the lives of those who are living with these chronic illnesses and HW4H was happy to support them just as Peritus staffers were happy to participate in the name of a good cause.

Congrats Hoosiers Work for Health and participating Peritus staffers!

To learn more about the Tour de Cure visit: http://tour.diabetes.org/site/PageServer?pagename=TC_about

To learn more about the Kidney Walk visit: http://walk.kidney.org/site/TR/Walk/IndianaInc?pg=entry&fr_id=1600

-Taylor Turkot

Thanks to the Nashville Business Journal, you can get to know the Managing Director of our Nashville office a little better. Check out her profile here: http://tinyurl.com/alexianbj.

Pictured above: Louisville Metro Mayor Jerry Abramson and Police Chief Robert White speak with Ford spokesman Megan MaCrae

Ford Motor Company brought a Mercury Mariner to Lexington and Louisville this week, fully equipped with its new MyKey technology. Seven television stations and two newspapers across the two markets covered the press conferences. The word is out - Ford Motor Company is working hard to make teens safer on the roadways.

City officials and law enforcement personnel - including Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson and Police Chief Robert White - attended the press events in both cities. MyKey helps parents encourage their teen-agers to drive safer and more fuel efficiently, and increase safety-belt usage.

Ford’s MyKey feature – which debuts as standard equipment on the 2010 Ford Focus and will quickly become standard on many other Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models – allows owners to program a key that can limit the vehicle’s top speed and audio volume. MyKey also encourages safety-belt usage, provides earlier low-fuel warnings and can be programmed to sound chimes at 45, 55 and 65 miles per hour. More information can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/pz6c3x.