The exciting rugby season is set to begin, teams and sponsors want to enhance fan experience to increase fan engagement and mitigate the risks in place posed by COVID-19. While social distancing and travel restrictions limit brands to host live events and promotional programs, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR) seems a promising technology to explore limitless engagement with the fan base.
AR can bring any merchandise, fan mail, tickets, match day programs, and 3D Avatars to digital life in viewers’ smartphones.
AR takes brands through an innovation journey, to discover, and build digital technologies that will enable rugby fans to interact, and engage. AR can raise interest and drive user interaction through gamification and fun experience.
AR Rugby Mobile Game
Brands can make fans play the location-based AR game for collecting their products through the camera scan. Brands can initiate these game using own/third party applications and make fans collect their products from different parts of the city using a camera and get bonus points for collecting each product. They can also play rugby game by scanning the membership card from clubs.
The card scanning can trigger an intro video of the star followed by a swipe-to-kick mini-game. Fans are encouraged to save the score as bonus points in their account and share it on social media. These bonus points can be redeemed later during the purchase of the product in retail/online stores. By this approach, brands can market their new products, make customers aware of their products, and know their features.
Street corner VR studio
In-stadium games and promotional events have restrictions in place due to the COVID-19 crisis. Host VR experience in a kiosk at every street corner and allow fans to try out rugby game using VR gears. For participants, winners offer gift hampers with the brand logo, discount coupons, or team merchandise.
Such events can bring more visibility for the team and hosting brands. Street corner VR studio for rugby can help fans engage with the brand in an immersive way. Playing rugby with their favorite stars or to have a training session with them can increase fans association with promotional events. Such events can be posted on social media for hashtag promotion and attract more fans.
A virtual visit to the stadium
Starting from the locker room till the playground, AR/VR tour enables fans to explore the facility. Fans can have a 360-degree view of their surroundings and interact with various items virtually. Fans can go, stand near their favorite stars to take a selfie, and can even try out their accessories. Fans can purchase the accessory immediately by moving it to their shopping cart.
Fans can virtually play with their favorite team during the training session or can dance or cheers with them. Simulations of players about sponsor products and player promoting fan for a virtual try-on can bring more brand confidence/promotion of the product. This can be also converted into an effective sale.
AR Booklets
Brands can offer digital booklet to fans, which takes fans through the team’s journey with advertisements promoting the sponsors. Viewers can scan the QR code in the advertisements to experience the product in 3D. For example, Puma with a shoe advertisement can make the viewer try shoes virtually. Thus, an augmented booklet can make customers engage with brand products. Over to this with QR code scanning, brands can offer exciting gifts and a special discount on the purchase of products.
Augmented e-Postcards
Brands/clubs can organize an email campaign using postcards with a brand logo, which can have information about the team, player stats, video content, and images. Using the QR code in the postcard, viewers can unlock AR content to take selfies with team members. Also, more engaging and interactive content can be offered. Brand logos projected with every content can bring more visibility to brands. Additionally, offering tailored AR filters/virtual try-on for selfies with the brand name on the bottom and a hashtag promotion can enhance brand marketing.
Digital Match Day Programs
Using augmented 3D avatars- keynotes, thoughts and exciting statements from players can be visualized in a webpage or smartphone application. Key highlights from the previous face-off can be visualized here with stats and other information. Brands can host different activities engaging players so that viewers can experience the brand advertisements in real-time.
Augray’s Takeaway
Brands and teams have identified that traditional ways of engagement are losing their power and are no longer relevant in the COVID-19 era. They are looking out ways to improve their experiences with fans and form a long-lasting bond with them. AR/VR is bringing significant changes in the way fans interact and enjoy sporting events. Teams can use AR/VR to build deeper connections with fans and encourage club loyalty.
Augray believes AR can be a potential game-changer in sports marketing that can offer a unique experience to fans alongside promoting brands.
Augray aims to transform this space with its XR products, which can bring constructive changes in sports marketing. As the adoption of AR in marketing continues to grow, brands need to add AR into their marketing media mix.
Thinking about ways to connect with your fans? Augray will get you connected, Contact us
