Philadelphia Flyers: National Hockey League Team )mBlox and txtstation)
Background
Formed in 1967, the Philadelphia Flyers professional hockey team has the second best winning percentage in the NHL behind the Montreal Canadiens. The team won the coveted Stanley Cup in 1974 and 1975, and has only missed the playoffs once since 1994. Nearly 20,000 dedicated Flyers fans pack the Wachovia Center in South Philadelphia each time the team is on home ice.
Challenge
The Flyers organization works tirelessly to create an exciting environment for fans. To help increase the viewing experience at home games, the team wanted to introduce a compelling interactive entertainment experience. To be successful, the Flyers decided they need to take the promotion to a new level via mobile and real-time interactivity.
Solution
The team turned to a proven winner. Since 2004, Txtstation has been at the forefront of mobile interactivity, creating integrated campaigns that combine the passion of live broadcasts and events with the ubiquity of mobile messaging. The company has participated in international events such as Live Earth and has worked with professional sports teams from the NBA, NFL, and NHL. Txtstation’s state-of-the-art technology can output broadcast-quality graphics in a variety of formats, and deliver it over television or in-venue, or both, as was the case with Live Earth.
Txtstation’s team partnered with the Flyers on a customized campaign for the duration of the 2007/2008 season. When it debuted during the season opener, fans were able to participate in two unique promotions for the first time, literally playing a role in the live game entertainment and receiving instant gratification.
During the pre-game and intermissions, Flyers fans can send free-form text messages such as “Go Flyers” or “Mike Richards is the best!” to ‘55333’. Each approved message appears live on a moving scroll across the lower third of the stadium screen. Participants are thrilled to see their messages displayed in front of 20,000 fans. “Text messages literally appear on-screen within two to three seconds of pressing send,” says Brad Dolian, Director of Client Services for Txtstation. “That instant gratification encourages participation.”
In the second mobile promotion, the ‘XM Music Break’ sponsored by XM satellite radio, fans are asked which band they would most like to hear during the next break. They are presented with two original bands each night and the voting results appear in real time on the screen. Fans cheer on their favorite band as the vote totals continuously update on the screen.
The promotional opportunities don’t stop there. Fans who participate in the Music Break are asked to visit xmradio.com/nhl for exclusive offers on XM radios and service for Flyers fans. Those who send their messages to the screen are given the opportunity to opt-in to the Philadelphia Flyers SMS alerts program sponsored by Verizon Wireless. These alerts offer timely information about Flyers players, injuries, scores, and other facts. “It helps strengthen that relationship between the Flyers and its fans,” says Dolian. “It also offers Verizon an ongoing opportunity to promote new products and mobile content.”
Benefits
The voting and the text-to-screen applications have been a huge success for the Flyers. Broadcast quality graphics and the heightened level of interactivity have positively impacted fan loyalty, as evidenced by a participation rate reaching as high as 15 percent of the audience on some nights. With the regular season coming to a close, more than 70,000 messages have been sent from 30,000 + unique mobile users. Of these, several thousand have opted-in to the ongoing alerts program.
The promotions have also been beneficial to XM and Verizon, as they gain the traditional brand exposure as well as personal access to thousands of potential consumers.
The level of interactivity would not be possible without the rapid and reliable delivery of messages through the system by mBlox. “Throughput has been exceptional,” says Dolian. “And getting campaigns approved and provisioned by mBlox for the 55333 short code has been very easy.”
Copyright mBlox 2008
Brand: Adidas
