Could Promotion-Relegation work in College Football?
Leaning heavily on partners at FISH Technologies and Mandt Media, the CFP is rolling out a redesigned app that is sure to please fans and partners alike.
In an increasingly digital world, sports fans not only crave information at the push of a button, but also the convenience of having that information in one place.
The College Football Playoff has answered the call by delivering a redesigned mobile app that will give fans an end-to-end experience not seen anywhere else.
“At CFP, we strive to be first-in-class in everything we do — particularly when it comes to our digital platforms,” said Michael Kelly, COO of the College Football Playoff. “We are thrilled with all of the convenient and exciting elements we can bring to our fans with our app this year. It truly is your “one-stop-shop” for the ultimate CFP experience.”
Working with partners such as Mandt Media and FISH Technologies, the College Football Playoff wanted to make sure the fan experience was the driving force behind any initiatives they implemented inside the CFBPlayoff app.
“At the end of the day, this is content that the College Football Playoff could use to continue to grow its brand, show creativity in the marketplace, and demonstrate value for their sponsorship partners — both existing and ones to come.” — Crowley Sullivan, Sports & Entertainment EVP & GM at Mandt Media.
By integrating augmented reality (AR) capabilities, 360-degree content, as well as a personalized event experience, they did just that.
With the adoption of AR continuing to increase by the day, and the number of brand partners looking to take advantage of the technology, having AR capabilities inside the CFBPlayoff app was paramount to the CFP.
“What we have done with the College Football Playoff leadership team is identify logos and marks that people, through the use of their smartphone, will be able to engage in content, messaging, news and information, as well as the ability to purchase merchandise,” said Crowley Sullivan, Sports & Entertainment EVP & GM at Mandt Media.
It’s this technology that Sullivan believes will bring a whole new level of fan engagement and excitement to one of the most-talked about sporting events of the year.
“What we are bringing to life through all of this is the extraordinary content that makes the College Football Playoff so exciting and so unique.”
Not only is the technology a factor in the overall impact of a fan’s experience, but something that is expected to be present in today’s mega-event climate.
“The college football fan these days, in many regards, is not only looking for these kinds of activations, but expecting this type of technology and fan experience at something like the national championship game.” — Crowley Sullivan, Sports & Entertainment EVP & GM at Mandt Media.
Beyond AR, the CFBPlayoff app will serve as the go-to resource for fans in and around championship week events.
The driving force behind this process is Dallas-based FISH Technologies, who will roll out CFBPlayoff: All Access to allow fans to capture their favorite moments, engage with sponsors and win prizes for doing so.
“As a fan, you are going to go in and register as you normally would with your name, phone number, and your favorite team,” said Stephen Person, VP of Sports & Entertainment for FISH Technologies. “After you are done, FISH will deliver a personalized QR code within the app, very similar to that of an airline boarding pass.”
It is this “boarding pass” that will become the backbone to a fan’s entire championship week experience in Atlanta.
“That pass then becomes the gateway to engage everything across Championship Campus in Atlanta. Each fan will have their own unique microsite that becomes a digital archive of their experience and houses every engagement they take part in,” said Person.
“We want to create an environment where fans will go and organically engage with sponsor partners.” — Stephen Person, VP of Sports & Entertainment for FISH Technologies.
While keeping fans happy is key, providing analytics for current and future sponsors is just as paramount for FISH.
“Since the CFP and their partners at ESPN will be the ones who manage the platform with sponsor partners, they will be able to see how many people are activating and where they are activating inside each sponsors’ footprint in real-time,” explained Person.
Now, the CFP will no longer have to guess whether one activation got less traffic than another or where the most valuable spot in the tailgate party is, as the data will do all the talking.
Whether it is making sure fans make the most of their time during championship week or that sponsors are connecting with fans in engaging ways, the ability for the CFP to innovate and deliver a comprehensive end-to-end experience hasn’t gone unnoticed, especially by Crowley Sullivan.
“The CFP really deserve a lot of credit for recognizing the need to be progressive, innovative and for constantly finding new ways to stretch the brand without compromising the integrity of what is truly a college football experience.”
You can download the CFBPlayoff app on the App Store and on Google Play.
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