Mobile devices have gone through many upgrades, going from brick-sized cell phones, to sleek tablets with capabilities to watch and record video in high definition. With the advancements in mobile technology, the user experience is much more integrated than ever before and has made its way into college sports.
The University of Mississippi is the first college to implement beacon technology in order to create a more personalized game day experience for their fans. They combined beacon technology, from Gimbal Inc., and Spark Compass, a precision mobile marketing platform, from San Diego-based Total Communicator Solutions Inc.
The Experience
Imagine walking through the stadium of your alma mater. You see a picture on the wall and get an alert from your mobile device. As your camera recognizes the image of the picture, it comes to life. Instantly, you’re watching a video and reliving the moments surrounding the picture. You continue walking and receive another notification. This time, you have earned gameday attire through Rebel Rewards points. The big game has not even started and already you feel like you’ve won. What is this sorcery?
The Technology
This is all possible with bluetooth smart technology, also known as bluetooth low energy or BLE. Classic bluetooth is designed to continuously transfer large amounts of streaming data through paired devices. While BLE is ideal for applications that periodically transfer small amounts of information, it is cost effective, power efficient and can receive information from beacons without having to pair the devices as with classic bluetooth.
Using over 100 beacons throughout the 1,000 acre campus, Ole Miss can deliver the most relevant messages to their customers based on their location in the stadium. The beacons detect their location and notify the application of relevant content, promotions, and other special offers the athletic program wishes to deliver.
Ole Miss will use Spark Compass as the content delivery system. Fans will have access to the scoreboard information, team schedule, and personalized dashboard content. This also allows for faster check-ins at events, relevant notifications or alerts, and Rebel Rewards points.
In a Spark Compass press release, Michael Thompson, Senior Associate Athletic Director at the University of Mississippi, stated: “The beacon technology will not only enhance engagement among our existing fans, but continue to grow our loyal fan base.”
“The project is the first of its type in collegiate sports to link to a rewards program. We believe it will lead the way to transforming the game day experience.”
Weather watching the game from home or at the stadium, fans desire to be part of the game. The integration of beacon technology at sports venues will provide a more involved experience for those who attend the game. Fans have opportunities to earn team memorabilia and/or tickets through the interactive mobile app.
As this technology becomes more prevalent in sports, it will be interesting to see how interactive it becomes. They might add video intros for each player, such as we see on TV at the beginning of the sporting events. Or maybe a selfie cam that displays on a big screen.
Who knows? The possibilities are endless.
This is just the beginning of technology-driven stadiums. Other teams are sure to follow suit, especially after the first couple of years of trial and error. Eventually, the whole stadium from parking lot to their seats will be mediated by technology to create the most personalized experience possible (in order to compete with the at home experience).
It is important to keep in mind that this is not only a tool to increase fan support. The technology will also allow for marketers to gather valuable information on consumer behavior. Once the customers are better understood, companies can cater to their needs in a more personal fashion.