World Wrestling Entertainment

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• Bring the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) brand to mobile users around the world
• Deepen the daily relationship with their millions of fans
• Take the internet experience on the PC and bring it to the more widely available mobile internet
• Develop a totally new revenue stream outside of the operator portals
• Drive fans from the high traffic website to their mobile site
• Experiment with ‘made for mobile’ content and use detailed analysis tools to see what appeals most
• Get a full understanding of users coming to the mobile site so WWE can develop the business to match users’ interests

The Solution

World Wresting Entertainment (WWE), a global sports entertainment brand with millions of fans around the world, launched an off-portal mobile site of original ‘made for mobile’ content in June 2006 to complement its television and consumer product offerings.  In its push to sell content direct-to-consumer, WWE partnered with Bango so fans anywhere in the world, on any network, can access and pay for content on their mobile phone.

WWE signed up to the Bango Target package to gain all the advanced features of the Bango Service, including the Bango Web Trigger (a tool that provides users with an easy way of getting from the PC web site to the mobile web site) and the ability to identify and understand consumer requirements.

WWE has more than 15 million unique visitors to its website –  www.wwe.com – so the company wanted to use this to drive traffic to their mobile site.  It is important that they provide an easy way for people to access and download content they see on the website, directly to their mobile phone.  The Bango Web Trigger does just that.  Users browse through the ringtones, wallpapers, voicetones and videos they can buy on the website and click the “BUY” link when they find something they want to buy.

A pop window appears and the user enters their mobile number and clicks “Submit”.  Bango then sends the user two messages – a text message and a WAP Push message (also known as a Service message).  Clicking on the link takes the user to the mobile site. 

When the mobile site loads into their browser, users are taken straight to a page where they can buy and download their chosen content.  They simply click the “BUY” link and choose to pay on their bill (the option to pay by credit/debit card/PayPal appears if on-bill payment is not an option). In a matter of seconds, payment is processed and they can download the content there and then.

Bango provides WWE real-time data tracking the number of users coming to their site as well as which country and their mobile operator network.  When this data is combined with information about the specific interests each user has, WWE can develop a service that meets users’ interests and provides the best user experience.  The company also tracks user spending patterns and has the flexibility to adjust the site to generate revenue from the most appealing content.

In addition to a number of mobile downloads (ringtones and wallpapers), the WWE mobile site has post-event commentary for its popular television programs: Monday Night RAW and Friday Night SmackDown, news on WWE champions and divas plus a live events schedule.  The site, built by Volantis, is designed to work for any user from any mobile operator in the world.   

The results:

Within 4 months of launching the service, WWE has consumers from more than 40 countries purchasing an array of content through more than 110 operators around the world.  In the US alone, the WWE mobile storefront is available to more than 100 million mobile phone users with Cingular and Sprint customers able to pay for WWE product directly through their phone bill.

“The reception from WWE fans so far has been fantastic,” said David Knise, WWE’s Vice President, Interactive Development.  “We knew that our storefront would have great appeal, but the results so far have been exceptional.” 

It's clear that WWE fans are drawn to the WAP site because it is really like a mini-web experience.  The WWE storefront uses Bango BillRank technology to allow customers from around the world to pay using their credit card, debit card or Payal account where operator billing is not available.  "It doesn't matter where they are, or what operator they use, they're able to shop around for their favorite WWE ringtones, wallpapers and other items, and, with one easy click, to make a purchase," said Bango Vice President of Marketing, Anil Malhotra.

The WWE branded mobile site builds brand loyalty and extends the brand onto the phone for millions of fans around the world. One-time integration with Bango enables WWE to engage directly with their fans on mobile world-wide and build a totally new and valuable revenue stream from content download sales.

Next step…

To learn more about how Bango can help your business, call or contact us at the following:

www.bango.com   E: [email protected]    T: +1 866 528 6897