July, 2018 | Fanisko

NAHL announces partnership with Fanisko

The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is pleased to announce a new partnership with Fanisko to be the official fan engagement partner of the NAHL, NA3HL, and NAPHL.

This marks Fanisko’s first foray into the sport of hockey. Fanisko will have the opportunity to collaborate with 120+ teams in all three leagues.

“Our platform combines augmented reality (AR) for gamification with AI for personalization, thus, allowing sports teams to connect with their fans wherever they are. With Fanisko, the fans don’t just support the team, they ARE the team. Through this partnership, we look forward to increasing mobile fan retention and creating new revenue opportunities for team,” said Sathish Chittibabu, Cofounder & CEO for Fanisko.

Fanisko’s technology powers sports teams & leagues mobile apps and digital platforms so fans can live the unforgettable moments right through their phones with Mixed Reality Experiences — That’s one-of-a-kind Gamification & Content using Augmented Reality (AR) + Virtual Reality (VR) + Artificial Intelligence (AI).

“This is an exciting new partnership for our leagues because even if some of our teams have their mobile apps, many fans prefer to keep themselves up to date by making use of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, or Snapchat. Fanisko can help our teams further engage with their fanbase by funneling all of this content on the platform,” said Alex Kyrias, Director of Communications, Sales & Marketing for the NAHL.

Additionally, the new partnership might witness Augmented Reality (AR) / Mixed Reality fan experiences for NAHL fans in collaboration with existing sponsors of NAHL and open up new revenue channel for the teams.

For more information on Fanisko visit http://www.fanisko.com. For media requests and partnership inquiries, email info@fanisko.com.

How Data Is Changing the Nature of Fan Engagement

Today’s mobile and social technologies have completely transformed the way fans consume their sports content and how they interact with their favorite clubs on a daily basis. It’s safe to say that it’s no longer enough for organizations to think they know what their fans want, and instead, they have to know what they want.

Today’s mobile and social technologies have completely transformed the way fans consume their sports content and how they interact with their favorite clubs on a daily basis. It’s safe to say that it’s no longer enough for organizations to think they know what their fans want, and instead, they have to know what they want.

As a direct consequence of this trend, sports teams and their stakeholders are on a constant lookout for new methods on getting their supporters connected by adding more value to their fan experience. But to do that, however, they need to understand better what drives their fans and what makes them look for more.

As GlobalSportsJobs CEO Will Lloyd states: “The answer, as so often these days, is data.”

From any given club’s perspective, fan data is a precious asset to have. And it’s only those teams that have figured out ways on how to gather, analyze, and utilize this data to their advantage, who have a chance to increase the value of their fan engagement in a consistent manner. In other words, the information allows sports teams to get inside their fans’ heads, and in a sense, anticipate their actions, their desires, and their dislikes. It is to provide them with everything that they will ever want or need from their team.

“It is more important than ever to understand who our fans are and how they want to engage with us,” said Ian Treseder, Marketing and Commercial Manager at the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR).

Fan Data Analytics Application

Analytics can be applied in a wide range of areas such as ticket pricing, customer relationship management; sales inventory, and, of course, fan engagement. But when it comes to the latter, in particular, it can be used to enhance the live game experience, as well as to increase both fan and sponsor participation.

With abundant data at their disposal, sports teams can find new and innovative ways to engage specific fan groups. Live engagement can, for instance, be used to enhance the in-game experience, like requesting a particular song or earning a reward for frequent concession purchases.

With past attendance data, teams can increase ticket purchases with targeted promotions and offer personalized discounts for similar games like those previously attended. Similarly, this sort of data can be used to target those who don’t attend games as much and could be motivated through some custom-tailored promotions. Sponsor ads can also be personalized based on the fans’ past behavior, both on and off the stadium, for increased effectiveness.

Fans Using Data

Sports fans are also keen on getting their hands on some data, and some teams are more than willing to provide it. The data offers a fan what they want to know. It can be about how fast a player is running, or the distance a player covered on the court, or other in-depth information about what’s going on. Many fans are also into fantasy sports, and by having this sort of data, it can influence their picks for their fantasy teams. In short, there is a multitude of ways that data can be used to enhance fan engagement.

Conclusion

As an SDK integration platform, Fanisko Engage can provide both you and your fans with the necessary data for a more engaging and pleasurable fan experience overall. From front-end interaction like Mixed Reality for fan experiences, Augmented Reality for gamification, and Artificial Intelligence for personalization, to back-end analytics, Fanisko brings teams into the modern era of data-driven fan engagement. For more information, please feel free to check out our website.

The Importance of an Integrated Fan Engagement Platform

Enhancing the fan experience at the stadium has always been on the mind of sports clubs, ever since sports became an industry. But as technology is progressing and we are finding ourselves in the midst of yet another technological revolution, the focus has been slowly shifting away from the ‘match day’ and more into the ‘every other day.’

Some, more forward-thinking sports teams have realized that fan engagement plays a crucial role in their growth strategy and that there is much more to it than what’s happening during match day. There are four other fan engagement strategies, all tied together by a fully integrated fan engagement platform.

Hosting Fans

Non-match days provide an excellent opportunity to entertain fans at your venue to make them feel more like part of the team. A tremendous and intimate experience is stadium tours. The Minnesota Vikings, on the other hand, use virtual reality to bring the club’s history to life for their fans. The club’s stadium has a 10,000 sq. foot interactive experience, known as the “Vikings Voyage.”

Connecting Fans

Sports fans are tribal, and they want to communicate with their fellow fans almost as much as they do with the team, itself. Facilitating those connections is a sound fan engagement strategy. Behind-the-scenes experiences with the help of virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR,) as well as 360-degree video are a great example of fan-team connectivity. It is how the New England Patriots do it with their “Travel Inside the Game” initiative. Fantasy football and other such eSports are a great way to connect fans.

Bringing Fans Closer to the Live Action

As sports clubs grow, so does the fan base. But as it so happens, not everyone can attend the matches, mostly because of geographical distances. But as VR technologies continue to develop, it is possible to make these fans feel like they’re on the pitch, from the comfort of their own homes.

Enhancing the Live Experience

Empty stands can and will result in a flat atmosphere, even for those watching at home. Improving the live experience and drawing in the crowds, is and will continue to remain an essential factor. AR/VR technologies like MLB At Bat app is one example of bringing people back to the stadium. On-location free Wi-Fi is a given.

The Integrated Fan Engagement Platform

More sports teams recognize the importance of having a fully-integrated digital platform where they can stay connected with their fans and have fun and interactive activities happening 24/7, 365 days per year. The best such platforms, like Fanisko Engage, will integrate operations from all the four fan engagement strategies mentioned above.

Conclusion

With the staggering amount of sports content available, as well as the overwhelming number of channels where fans can interact with their teams, it’s next to impossible to keep track of and provide any cohesive fan experience. But with an SDK integrated platform like Fanisko Engage, every sports team can. If your team doesn’t have its mobile app, Fanisko creates it. You can check out our website for more information about what it means to have an integrated fan engagement platform.

Fan Engagement as a Culture

Sports, unlike most other industries, has the luxury of starting out from the point of loyalty with their customers/stakeholders/fans. Not even the entertainment industry has this advantage, let alone other, more mundane businesses, like manufacturing, banking, fashion, or whatever.

It is the same reason why sports fans aren’t called customers, in the first place, since they are not buying a commodity or a service. They are, instead, investing their time, energy, mindset, and sometimes, even their entire personality in their favorite team. What’s more, they’ll continue to do so even when the team’s ‘product’ is not rising to their expectations. Again, not many businesses have the luxury of continued customer loyalty when they are underperforming on the market.

The particularity in the business world should not be taken for granted, however, even if the emotional ties between fans and their respective sports teams can be generations old. Instead, it should be respected and nurtured for what it is – a culture.

This attitude and perspective towards fan engagement are where clubs can set themselves apart from the competition. Most successful sports teams understand this relationship for what it indeed is and make sure to maximize the opportunities that it provides.

The Golden State Warriors

There’s probably a no better example of a team that has understood fan engagement for what it is, than the Golden State Warriors. Not that it’s the only one, mind you, but it’s a team that managed to ‘rise from its own ashes’ because of it.

It all started back in 2010 when the team sold for a whopping $450 million. Given that they hadn’t won a championship since 1975 and it had a severe lack of facilities, that was a lot of money. But Joe Lacob was able to look beyond all that and began building the team’s culture both on and off the field.

With their campaigns like “We Believe” and “Strength in Numbers,” the Warriors have taken fan engagement to a whole new level, seeing a constant increase in attendance and a strong developing bond between the team and its fans. These are only set to increase with the team’s move to their new, state-of-the-art, and self-financed arena in 2019.

None of this would have been possible if it weren’t for the Warriors’ ability to recognize and then build their fan engagement culture around the supporters, themselves. It’s the fans that represent the foundation for any successful sports team, and the Warriors know it.

The Solution

Taking a leaf out of the Warriors’ playbook, we come to realize that a club has to build itself around its fans and the community. It can only be achieved if it is through every touch-point and direct communication.

Fanisko Engage is an online platform which creates unforgettable moments for the 21st-century fan. As supporters clamor for more connection, Fanisko’s tech platform brings them to the center of attention by offering the first ever Mixed Reality fan experience. It is combined with Augmented Reality for gamification, as well as Artificial Intelligence for personalization, thus, bringing the team and its fans together, wherever they may be.

Conclusion

In the end, it’s the fans that are the real experts of your club, and it’s only through them that a sports team can succeed. By giving them the means to stay connected and interact with your squad 24/7, you will be sure to develop a bond that can withstand anything. Fanisko Engage can get you there!

The Importance of Offline Fan Engagement

Even if fan engagement is now shifting towards the digital environment, offline fan engagement remains a powerful tool in its own right. And while fans want to stay connected with their teams over the internet, actual physical events are fun memory generators that will last a lifetime.

Over the past several years, the digital world has taken the sports industry by storm. It should not come as a surprise to anyone, as this trend is happening in every sector, not just sports. In any case, online fan engagement is becoming increasingly more widespread among sports leagues, each trying to adapt to the new trends and technologies as they appear, otherwise risking to become obsolete.

In the end, every sports club or event is looking to have sold-out stadiums, and fan engagement is the key to achieving that goal. And even if online fan engagement is on the rise, offline engagement is equally as important. In fact, both have to be used together to generate the best results possible.

Making the Fan Part of the Team

What avid sports fans want most of all is to be part of the team in one form or another. Offering them this chance is a sure way of turning a casual fan into a lifetime loyal devotee. To achieve this, however, you will need to know your audience, what are their wants and needs, and what they want from their favorite team.

Nevertheless, marketing campaigns that are generalistic and which try to ‘speak’ to everyone, may end up speaking to no one. It is why it’s important to personalize your messages and campaigns. One easy-to-do example comes from Go Ahead Eagles, a soccer team in the Dutch Eredivisie, which took its photo with the 12th man on the team, as it were.

Another example comes from Manchester United which decided to involve its fans when unveiling it’s 2016 jersey. The promo video shows actual Manchester United fans marching down the streets of the city and singing ‘Glory Glory Man United,’ all the while, showing how the club’s jersey had evolved through the years.

In-Stadium Fan Engagement

The focal point of every sport is the actual event itself. And being there in person is on every sports fan’s wish list. Making this experience even more pleasurable and memorable should, thus, be on every sports team’s mind.

Wembley Stadium in London, for instance, is known for its overhead arch. But what some don’t know about it is its interactive LED lighting system. Back in 2014, Wembley signed a six-year-long deal with EE, the country’s largest mobile network operator. Besides bringing state of the art internet connectivity, EE has also installed this LED lighting system.

With over 228 high-tech floodlights mounted on the arch, the system can produce almost limitless color combinations that react to the event’s noise, crowd reactions, and points scored.

Pre and Post Event Involvement

Sports leagues also need to engage with their fans before and after a game to keep themselves relevant and to build hype about what it’s to come. Consider FIFA’s Trophy Tours where the trophy goes all over the world to the countries that will take part in the future event.

Something similar can be observed in Champions League with its fan zone called UEFA Champions Festival. Leading up to significant events, such as the league’s final game, this is a fan-dedicated area full of events, autograph sessions, and other soccer-related activities.

Conclusion

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