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Click the image above to learn about the Dallas Mavericks Slap Bands!
Dear Faithful Readers,
One of the things I enjoy most about reading up on the latest technology-driven products evolving in our industry today – are those that enable marketers to better engage and involve our customers (fans) into our products, games and programs.
A great example of a ball club doing an outstanding job of using technology to enhance on-going fan engagement (both those at the game … and those NOT at the game), are the Dallas Mavericks. In this week’s story, reporter Lucas Dillow, writes about how the Mavs took a relatively “older” promotional item, added a technological “spin” to it – and launched a really effective communications (and sales) instrument.
I don’t know about you – but the participation numbers in the Results section (below) were truly eye-opening to me. Great job Mavs and BigPlayAR – here’s hoping we’ll see and hear more about this come February when we bring the 2014 NSF to Dallas!
Enjoy the feature,
Ron Seaver
[email protected]
P.S. - Want even more revenue generating ideas? Follow @NatlSportsForum on Twitter to get more helpful insights on #sportsbiz, #sponsorship and more!
PROGRAM TITLE
Dallas Mavericks: Augmented Reality Slap Bands
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OBJECTIVES
The iPhone and Android app market has exploded over the past few years, giving teams and companies a huge opportunity to tap into the developing technologies we have at our finger tips. Mobile devices have become the best platform and the number one way to reach out to sports fans and consumers. With developing technologies constantly going in and out of style, teams must adapt, and adapt quickly. When done right, the possibilities unlocked by the mobile platform are endless. That is why the Dallas Mavericks have decided to jump head first into the market by reviving the childhood toy we all remember, the Slap Band, and tying it in with their augmented reality “Tip-Off” app.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
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It started with an idea; to be “different from with inside the sports marketing box”, said Paul Monroe, Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Mavs. That’s when he brought the idea of Augmented Reality to Mark Cuban and got the go ahead back in 2011.
The idea at first was to create a game around the Mavs ticket stock, where fans could take a picture of their ticket through the app, and play a simple game. When it debuted, the Augmented Reality “Pop-a-Shot” game on their app was a “flick and shoot” contest with no other complexities. But as the program progressed, the goal shifted from a simplistic game to an explicit information and a content driven app. The Mavs wanted to give the fans a tangible way to interact with the team on multiple levels, all on their mobile device.
Enter Slap Bands. The Slap Band is a genius incorporation into the Augmented Reality series. Over the course of the year, the Mavs gave out 5,000 slap bands per game, for eight games, to those entering the American Airlines Center. This was not only a fun gift, but also the key to unlock the possibilities inside the “Tip-Off” app. Each fan was encouraged to take a picture of the slap band on their wrist, and enter the app to create a jersey, view videos, find team and player statistics, and view other promotions. This served as a platform for the Mavs to educate fans and send push notifications with promotional information like contests or unique player videos. The Slap Band program was the perfect way for the Mavs to showcase their content to the fans and provide value to those not at the game, while extending the Mavs brand. You can download the app here to check it out and see additional ways the Mavs can communicate with their fans.
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In order to get this new idea out to the fans, the Mavs needed to use a new advertising strategy. Paul Monroe and his team capitalized on both social media and outdoor advertising, teaming up with Clear Channel Communications in Dallas. The Mavs advertised their new Slap Bands and Augmented Reality on 80 digital billboards, driving fans to either the Mavs homepage or the Slap Band splash page. The outdoor campaign made “huge impressions with the fans”, according to Monroe, and the Mavs were really impressed with the way it drove traffic to the Slap Bands website.
Click above to visit the Mavs Slap Bands Splash Page!
PARTNERSHIP
One of the keys to the strength of this campaign was the partnership with BigPlayAR, the leader in Augmented Reality. The Mavericks and BigPlayAR worked seamlessly together, as shown by their success. “[The Mavs] were willing to work through the obstacles and were very quick to react”, said John Robison, CEO of BigPlayAR, "which allowed us to get in there and get it done.” Both companies were pleased with the partnership and will continue working together on future campaigns.
RESULTS
BigPlayAR provided very thorough statistics at the end of the season for the Mavs. In total, over 42,000 Slap Bands were given away over the course of eight games. Of those 42,000, 22% were used in accordance with the “Tip-Off” app and 13% signed up as “eligible players”, creating a profile on the app. This served as a means to capture information for potential sales in the Mavs database. Commenting on the information capture aspect, Robison stated that they "have created a program that is far stickier and the conversion rate far higher than traditional advertising.”
Over the course of the campaign, the Mavs sent out over 112,000 messages, including 47,000 push notifications and 21,000 unique player videos. For a program like the Slap Bands in its first year, these numbers are quite impressive. The potential for growth over the next few years if they continue with Augmented Reality is huge. But, this first year was like a controlled environment test for the Mavericks and next year is where the program will truly bear fruition.
LOOKING AHEAD
Looking into next season, the Mavs see no end in sight with the Slap Bands or Augmented Reality. Monroe said, “the possibilities are limitless with this technology.” The ability for mobile devices to read existing logos or images without the need for unsightly QR codes is expanding to platforms such as t-shirts, posters, cups and any promotional item you can think of. “What we can do is turn any static image into an actionable portal”, said Robison. This gives the Mavs the opportunity to send those push notifications or messages whenever someone scrolls their phone over a poster of Dirk Nowitzki or a Mavs digital billboard, for example. There is also the potential to bring in a sponsor on the entire program, giving the team ROI and the sponsor a chance to get its name out there without directly advertising. The future of the program isn’t set in stone yet, but Robison said “Trust me, there is more cool stuff coming.”
CONTACT
For more Information, contact:
Paul Monroe, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Dallas Mavericks, [email protected]
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