September 7, 2011 | Volume 10, Issue 8

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Dear Faithful Readers,

In this business, we are all aiming for one thing...to put people in the seats. But here's an interesting question, what do you do with them once they walk through your turnstiles? None of us want a fan to simply blend in with the crowd. Our business is realizing that fan engagement is becoming vital to the success of an organization. The reason is simple... an engaged fan not only returns to the ballpark, but also tells a friend. With technology continuing to push the limits on how and where we can interact with our patrons, the opportunity for fan engagement is on an upward trend. This is a reason why I wanted to highlight the Dallas Mavericks in-arena use of interactive technology. Not only is the technology exciting, but it also had some pretty positive results. Take a look at the article and see if "Augmented Reality" is a fit for your organization.

Enjoy the Feature,

Joe Shapero
[email protected]

P.S. Love the feature? Hate it? Wish we covered a great idea or program your organization is doing? Email me with your idea or any and all of your comments from this week's issue and we will include them anonymously on our NSF LinkedIn Discussion Board!

Dallas Mavericks Enhance Fan Engagement With Interactive Playoff Tickets

Augmented Reality captivates Maverick's fans with Android smart phones.

CONTACT

Advertisement

Gina Calvert
Corporate Communications/Community Relations Manager
Dallas Mavericks
Phone: (214) 658-7177
Email: [email protected]

ORGANIZATION

Dallas Mavericks

PROGRAM TITLE

Mavs AR

OBJECTIVES

Recently, there has been a significant amount of enthusiasm surrounding augmented reality technology. Becoming increasingly more mainstream, augmented reality has found its way into the sales and customer engagement tactics of major brands across the globe. However, a question always seems to arise when an exciting new technology that has what appears to have limitless applications enters the marketplace. How can I apply augmented reality into my fan engagement strategy? Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban asked that same question after encountering the technology. After partnering with Qualcomm and Big PlayAR, Cuban and the Mavericks decided to move forward with an augmented reality playoff ticket promotion with the intent of driving fan interaction to a whole new level. The project created a Mavericks augmented reality application entitled "Mavs AR".

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

On April 2, tickets for the first two playoff games at the American Airlines Center became available for purchase. Embedded in these unique tickets was augmented reality technology that, when coupled with the Mavs AR app, brought the ticket to life. Essentially, the technology allowed fans to turn their tickets into a virtual basketball court which was displayed on the screen of their Android phones. Rather than the seeing a standard ticket, fans were capable of creating a rich, three-dimensional environment which included an interactive game. Once the Mavs AR app was started, fans simply needed to aim their cell phone camera at the image of the Mavericks player on the ticket to begin their experience. Participants were given a set of instructions featured on the back of the team's ticket, which asked for fans to download the Mavs AR app in the Android marketplace.

Mavericks fans attending the game that did not have Android phones were still able to take part in the experience at "AR Phone Zones" that were positioned throughout American Airlines Center. The "AR Phone Zones" were staffed by augmented reality experts in order to demonstrate the potential of the Mavs AR application as well as assist fans with scanning their own ticket.

As for the iPhone users who were unable to use the Mavs AR app during the playoff run, have no fear. Big PlayAR CEO John Robison confirms that they are, "about to introduce it on the iPhone in a matter of days."

Mavs AR is designed for Android-based smartphones and tablets, but is expected to be released on the iPhone shortly.

MEDIA

The augmented reality tickets and Mavs AR app were advertised on the teams official website, while purchasing tickets, as well through a press release and press conference.

PARTNERS

The Dallas Mavericks, Big PlayAR, and Qualcomm all teamed up to create this new and exciting in-game experience. "Big PlayAR is thrilled to be launching this Qualcomm-enabled technology with great names in entertainment like the Mavericks and Mark Cuban," stated Robison, "This is only the beginning of a fun way to interact with fans." Qualcomm CEO, Dr. Paul E. Jacobs, was complimentary of the partnership, "We [were] pleased to work with Big PlayAR and the Dallas Mavericks to bring the first Qualcomm vision-based AR application to market and enrich the NBA Playoff experience for Mavs fans."

RESULTS

The Mavs AR app saw remarkable success once hitting the marketplace. "We saw a huge increase in downloads for not just the MavsAR app, but for our mobile Dallas Mavs app as well," expresses Cuban. "The MavsAR results were phenomenal in that virtually everyone in the arena with a ticket and the Android device apparently got the app," shares Robison, "Even more amazing was how they shared it," due to the fact that people without Mavs tickets were getting the Mavs AR, "even thought they couldn't play." Additionally, Big PlayAR released a similar game to the Android marketplace that experienced positive results. To date, it is approaching one million downloads, making it the most successful augmented reality game in the history of the Android market.

Mavs AR allows you to star as your favorite Dallas Mavericks players at the game or from your couch.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Mavericks have conveyed a definite interest in pursuing future augmented reality projects. "We are looking for ways to integrate it into our broadcasts," explains Cuban, "Point at the TV and see what happens. This is just the beginning. The best is yet to come for AR and the Mavs."

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