Social Media Contest Combines Racing & Jewelry
Writer: Lynda Hedberg Thies
Photographer: Brian Brosmer
Michael Neylon recently celebrated 20 years in the jewelry business and combined his love of jewelry with his life-long passion of racing by creating a unique partnership with Pippa Mann. Mann, the British race car driver who competes in the Verizon IndyCar Series, is an entrepreneur dedicated to her vision. Neylon, the founder and owner of Master Jewelers, formed a partnership that supports Mann’s dream of being the first female winner of the Indy 500, by offering a beautiful piece of jewelry through a unique social media contest.
The unique partnership came about because Neylon, a lifelong Hoosier, has been involved with racing since the late 1980s when he began racing Formula Fords. The open-wheel racing enthusiast knows just how much work and dedication it takes to put a team together for the IndyCar Race, and he also knows what it takes to start a business from the ground up. When Neylon was introduced to Mann, he recognized as an entrepreneur that her vision, dedication and hard work would lead to success.
Neylon started in the jewelry business on a wholesale level as a contractor for jewelers. But his start was anything but easy. Knocking on doors trying to get anyone to take a chance on his business took a while, but once he did, he was able to build one of only a few jewelers that had a full-time staff dedicated to creating custom jewelry, working on repairs and creating custom molds. Once his wholesale business was developed, he took the next step of opening up a retail store in 1998. Achieving his dream of creating a successful jewelry business over a 20-year period is what gave him the ability to recognize the hard work, vision and effort that Mann was doing to fulfill her dream.
The partnership was formed and along with it an opportunity for the public to know more about Pippa and her commitment to not just the IndyCar racing series but Indianapolis. The social media contest will result in one lucky winner receiving a $500 shopping spree at Master Jewelers.
The contest was announced on Facebook and is also on Instagram and Twitter. Mann has selected seven different pieces of jewelry that she will be wearing throughout May. All that the public needs to do is “catch” Pippa wearing jewelry in the month of May and snap a photo. These pictures or videos can come from any media outlet, including news, websites and Pippa’s social media networks. The only catch is that the picture or video must have been posted or published in the month of May. Most important, the entries must include the hashtag #SpottingPippasPicks to be eligible.
In addition to providing beautiful jewelry to one of the most widely recognized female race car drivers in the world, Master Jewelers is also dedicated to offering beautiful jewelry, custom and designer, along with modifying any custom jewelry that you already own. So when you are racing around looking for a beautiful piece of jewelry to wear, need help repairing a special piece or to create custom jewelry, give Michael Neylon a call at Master Jewelers at 317-623-8692.
To learn more about Master Jewelers visit them online at masterjewelersindiana.com. For a complete list of rules for the social media contest, visit masterjewelersindiana.com/contest-rules/.
