Derby County FC launch the RamsTV official club app with InCrowd

Derby County is launching its new RamsTV app in partnership with InCrowd and is available to download on the Apple Store or Google Play Store.

The new official Rams app represents a new two-way channel allowing fans to form a deeper connection with the club that they love. Supporters will be able to access official club content throughout the week as well as on matchday no matter where they are such as…

  • Latest News:Fans can stay up to date with all the latest breaking news
  • RamsTV:With the Derby’s official video channel continuing to develop, supporters will be able to get access to all the latest features, match highlights, pre and post-match analysis and Matchday Live productions all in one place, whilst subscribers will have access to live audio in the UK and video overseas more easily when on the move. Subscriptions for RamsTV are available to purchase here.
  • Fixtures & Results:All fixtures, results and league tables will be available to keep track of the progress made throughout the season.
  • Social Media:Integrated official club and player Twitter accounts are accessible as well as links to all the club’s social media channels; including Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

With the help of InCrowd’s push notification platform, fans will also be able to receive goal alerts and other key match events, the latest breaking news and offers from the club straight to their device. This hereby enables Derby with a new rich form of personal communications to their fanbase which opens new and rich commercial opportunities.

Derby County’s, Chief Revenue Officer, Brandon Furse has explained that ‘As a forward-thinking club, we are very proud to have extended our digital portfolio with the launch of the official Derby County FC app with InCrowd. By selecting InCrowd, we have recognised their industry leading development and commercial capabilities and we are looking forward to exploring the rich and new opportunities now available to us.’

Aidan Cooney, CEO of InCrowd stated that ‘It is an honour for InCrowd to be working with Derby County, a founding member of the EFL and one of the UK’s oldest and most important football clubs in the world. We are very proud to launch the official club app, which cements our position as the largest provider of official sports club apps in the UK today with more than 20 partnerships across football, rugby and cricket.’

Why rightsholders need to think like creative agencies AND media owners

Why sponsorship has the potential to be stronger than ever

I read a fascinating article recently by Michael Broughton titled ‘Sponsorship is burning’. It highlighted the recent growth in digital media, specifically programmatic advertising, and how this growth threatens the sponsorship share of advertiser’s budgets from which rightsholders have historically benefitted.

The question posed, is that given programmatic advertising can target the right person, at the right place, at the right time…why on earth would you do anything else? Why spend money on sponsorship which is often expensive and cannot accurately track the subsequent benefits, when you can run a programmatic campaign and track every penny of revenue?

It is a very real question, and one that is currently being posed to rightsholders from potential sponsors, and ultimately having a dramatic effect on the market.

However, through the doom and gloom, there are 2 key reasons why sponsorship has the potential to be a stronger proposition than ever before, in today’s ever evolving and complex world.  But as Misha Ser wrote recently in ‘Sport asleep at the wheel’, rightsholders need to ‘evolve’, and in this piece, I discuss why I feel rightsholders should begin to view themselves as both creative agencies, and media owners in the face of the rise of programmatic advertising.

  1. Brands need compelling content ideas now more than ever

‘Content is king’ is probably one of the most used statements in the last year or so in the marketing industry, but is obviously a relevant one. With consumers now seeing on average 5,000 adverts a day, brands need a way to stand out from the crowded market place, and communicate with their target audience. It is often the job of creative agencies to come up with ideas that create that emotional bond with the consumer, and media agencies to then to deliver the message to that audience in the right environment. However, given the sheer amount of content now available through social media, websites and elsewhere, delivering that compelling brand message is becoming increasingly difficult. Take the recent McDonalds ‘Fillet-o-Fish’ campaign disaster as an example, where, if nothing else, it highlighted the extent a creative agency went to create a story that would resonate with the audience. It failed, on a quite spectacular scale, and I imagine at quite a cost.

This is where sponsorship still has its unique position. At a cost, arguably comparable to the work of a creative agency, it helps provide brands an identity to align with, ideas for inspiring content, a platform to share their brand message, and a credibility that will attract consumers. In a world where data and research influences every penny of marketing spend, the fact that 64% of people would rather buy from a brand that sponsors their sport, than one that doesn’t, highlights sponsorships unique offering (PSG Sponsorship). Sport generates a passion in humans that is rarely matched, and brands can tap into that in a natural and meaningful way.

I remember everything from the first ever Southampton FC game I attended at the Dell as a 6-year-old. I remember the soundtrack the players ran out too. I remember the smell. I remember the chants. And yes, I remember the Sanderson shirt logo, the Carling Premiership branding and the Draper Tools signage around the scoreboard. Why? Those brands stuck into my mind because of the sheer passion I had for Matt Le Tissier et al. Content therefore, ranging from fans unique experiences, to the epic, emotional battles on the pitch, provide brands with ammo to align their overarching message with.

This is something programmatic simply cannot do.

Programmatic is not a magic wand that can magically generate results, which is often the perception. The hard graft (and cost) of creating a brand identity remains.

However, back then, the 6-year-old me was clearly not in any need of power tools for example, and therefore you could argue that the Draper Tools sponsorship was wasted on me. And of course, it was, back then at least. But a prime target for power tools would have been my Dad, who as well as being a devout Southampton fan, also regularly did DIY work in the garden and around the house. Therefore, if there was a way back in 1996, for Draper Tools to subsequently translate his passion for Southampton FC and need for power tools into direct, trackable revenue, in a targeted and efficient way…then I’m sure they would have jumped at the opportunity.

This is what programmatic can do.

Surely then, rightsholders should be thrilled that their partners, have a way of further translating the benefits of sponsorship into trackable revenue, in the same way a creative agency would be thrilled if a media agency translated their work into a successful, profitable campaign. And in that sense, rightsholders should begin to view themselves as creative agencies, providing brands with ideas, stories, and an identity, which can then be amplified through programmatic and other channels. The fact that the activation-to-fee ratio has passed two to one for the first time ever, and that 98% of brands use social media to further activate their sponsorship, highlight this is happening, which was not the case back in 1996. (IEG)

This philosophy alone, however, assumes that money grows on trees, and that brands can afford to not only spend a chunk on sponsorship, but also spend a further amount activating through other channels to ensure revenue from that sponsorship is driven. Michael Broughton in his article is actually a big advocate of sponsorship, but questions how rightsholders will fare when brands are allocating budgets.

And that is why, it is crucial, that rightsholders also begin to see themselves as media owners.

  1. Brands demand a ROI

Put simply, the days of impressions are dead.

It’s a worthless metric.

Not only in sponsorship, but in the advertising industry as a whole. Brands are now under incredible pressure from board room level to deliver results from every penny of marketing spend. As a result, post campaign presentations no longer focus on impressions, reach, or even clicks. It’s all about that headline number. Test drives. Hotel bookings. Bets placed…Revenue.

This of course, is where programmatic has thrived, and forced the channels of print, TV, and even social media to think hard about how they service this requirement.

Sponsorship, and specifically rightsholders are now very much now in the same situation. IEG research highlights this, by showing that assistance measuring ROI was the most desired service expected from a rightsholder. Thus, in the same way that traditional print media owners have had to evolve from print to digital, to then working with data management platforms (DMP), simply to survive…rightsholders also need to act. They need to think like media owners.

A logo on the front of a team’s shirt, in isolation, is no longer enough. Don’t let the short termism of Chinese betting brands or Premier League sleeve sponsorships this summer cloud that statement…rightsholders need to prove to brands that they can drive trackable ROI from the partnership, otherwise, as Phil Stephan from Two Circles suggested in his blog, “they risk being left behind”. In today’s world, that means being digital first. The 2017 report ‘What sponsors want and where the dollars will go’ summed up these challenges well when explaining that sponsorship spend may have dipped due to “a lingering gap between sponsor expectations and properties’ ability to deliver when it comes to both personalised marketing opportunities based on data, and valuable digital content and platforms”.

Rightsholders have the huge advantage, that they have substantial, passionate fanbases waiting to be unlocked. Listening to Gareth Balch, CEO of Two Circles, recently was fascinating. He explained that his message to their clients, is that there is a treasure chest of fan data, just waiting to be opened to the rightsholders benefit. As Two Circles are proving, this is true, and they are helping rightsholders drive revenue using data through ticketing, retail and sponsorship. In a similar vein, rightsholders should also be confident that they have another valuable treasure chest, which they can offer to their sponsors.

As the latest Nielsen report points, “the smartest rightsholders are already using their in-depth knowledge of their fan base to ensure brand partners are activating in the most effective way. The smartest brands are already demanding such information from their sponsorship property”. It’s only a matter of time before the majority wake up, and if rightsholders begin to show to brands, that through a fan focused, owned digital platform, they can clearly drive a trackable ROI from sponsorship spend…then I feel rightsholders will have gone some way towards protecting themselves from programmatic cannibalising brands budgets.

Obviously, this is where I begin to talk about InCrowd’s work in this area. For another time…

In summary, yes, it might sound weird to describe rightsholders as both creative agencies and media owners, because of course they are not. Rightsholders are unique and powerful in their own way. However, by thinking, and learning from how those organisations work with brands in today’s complex world, then rightsholders will ensure that sponsorship has never been a stronger proposition for brands.

InCrowd pairs with ICC again for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2017

After the success of the ICC FanScore Champions Trophy app, InCrowd and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are delighted to announce the launch of the new Official ICC FanScore Women’s World Cup app.

The app, which is available to download on both iOS and Android will follow the same format as the ICC Champions Trophy version, allowing fans to play for their favourite nation through a series of cricket predictors and will run throughout the ICC Women’s World Cup, held in England and Wales from the 24th June to 23rd July.

ICC FanScore Women’s World Cup 2017 utilises a series of easy-to-play predictor games and polls, giving cricket fans the chance to add some extra spice to the tournament by challenging their friends, competing against other fans, representing their nation and winning some fantastic money-can’t-buy prizes. These include a bat, signed by all the captains, a signed Sachin Tendulkar cap plus plenty more.   

The app also allows users to vote for their Fans’ Player of the Match as well being able to predict on multiple events within a match such as: 

  •  Match Winner
  •  Number of Runs in 1st Innings
  •  Highest Run Scorer
  •  Best Bowler

Prizes will be awarded to the best performing fans on multiple occasions throughout the tournament.

FanScore’s integrated push notification system will continue to give the ICC a new data-driven and highly targeted channel to communicate to their fans on a regular basis throughout the competition.

Aidan Cooney, CEO of InCrowd said: “After the success of the FanScore app for the ICC Champions Trophy we’re delighted to once again be working with the ICC, this time on the Women’s World Cup. With the growth of the women’s game in recent times it is a great opportunity for us to help raise visibility and engagement within women’s sport as well as providing fans with an enhanced experience of what should be a hugely competitive tournament.”

ICC & InCrowd launch Official ICC FanScore Champions Trophy 2017 app

InCrowd and the International Cricket Council (ICC) are delighted to announce the launch of the new Official ICC FanScore Champions Trophy app.

The app, which is available to download on both iOS and Android allows fans to play for their country through a series of cricket predictors and will run throughout the ICC Champions Trophy, held in England and Wales from 1-18 June.

ICC FanScore Champions Trophy utilises a series of easy-to-play predictor games and polls, giving cricket fans the chance to add some extra spice to the tournament by challenging their friends, competing against other fans, representing their nation and winning some fantastic money-can’t-buy prizes.

ICC FanScore Champions Trophy allows users to vote for their MRF Tyres Fans’ Player of the Match as well being able to predict on multiple events within a match such as:

  • Match Winner
  • Number of Runs in 1st Innings
  • Highest Run Scorer
  • Best Bowler

Prizes will be awarded to the best performing fans on multiple occasions throughout the tournament.

FanScore’s integrated push notification system will give the ICC a new data-driven and highly targeted channel to communicate to their fans on a regular basis during the competition.

Aarti Singh Dabas, Head of Media Rights, Broadcast & Digital at International Cricket Council said:

“On behalf of the ICC, I welcome InCrowd to the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. The Official ICC FanScore Champions Trophy app is a fantastic way to enable cricket fans across the globe to engage with the action on the pitch by predicting the outcomes of each match. It will be fascinating to see which nation’s fans emerge victorious come June 18th and which fan will be the overall ICC FanScore Champions Trophy winner.”

“The decision to work with InCrowd is testament to the innovative work they are doing in mobile fan engagement. The app provides a perfect companion for both the casual fan and the partisan supporter alike. May the best fans win!”

Aidan Cooney, CEO of InCrowd said: “It is a huge honour to be working with the ICC on such a prestigious tournament as the ICC Champions Trophy. We are excited at the prospect of giving cricket fans the world over the chance to participate in the action using the FanScore engagement platform. With so many people watching the tournament worldwide it is a great platform for FanScore to give the supporters something extra to look forward to during the competition.”

InCrowd receives double nomination in the 2017 Sport Business Awards

To follow on from our recent Sport Industry and Sport Technology Award nominations, InCrowd have received two separate nominations at the 2017 Sports Business Awards.

InCrowd’s in-stadia digital display software, TribeCast, has been shortlisted within the ‘Sports Innovation Award’ category and faces strong competition from British Rowing – Go Row Indoor, InCrowd – TribeCast, Jockey Club Services, Levy Restaurants UK, Runbritain Click Your Click, Table Tennis England and TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme).

Additionally, the InCrowd official club app platform, represented through the official Aston Villa FC app, has been shortlisted in the ‘Best in Sports Media’ and faces competition from Dunsar Media, Football Whispers, iSportconnect, Liverpool Football Club, Olympic Channel and Sky Sports.

The full list of finalists can be found here.

We would also like to congratulate InCrowd clients and associates Cardiff City FC, Premiership Rugby, Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Onside Law.

InCrowd have their fingers firmly crossed for the Friday 2nd June when the winners will be announced during a lunchtime ceremony at the Brewery in London.

InCrowd shortlisted for Outstanding Start Up at the 2017 Sports Technology Awards

InCrowd are very pleased to announce that we have been shortlisted for the Outstanding Start Up at this year’s Sport Technology Awards. The full official shortlist for the awards can be found here http://www.sportstechnologyawards.com/the-shortlist/

Over 70 sports were represented and submissions were received from 30 countries and we are humbled to be placed in a category in which we face strong competition from Cogran Systems, Cryoaction Cryotherapy, Football Whispers, ForceDecks and Sports Performance Tracking.

This short listing marks a fantastic year for InCrowd in which we grew our football client roster to 12 clubs across the Premier League, the Championship and League 1. We also began working with major governing bodies including ECB, Premiership Rugby and RFL, hereby allowing us to work within a total of four separate sports.

We are crossing our fingers and we are looking forward to the awards on the 4th May.

 

InCrowd shortlisted for the BT Sport Industry 2017 Young Agency of the Year Award

The Official Shortlist for the 2017 BT Sport Industry Awards has been announced with InCrowd shortlisted for Young Agency of the Year in amongst 14 other categories recognising the very best activations, agencies, campaigns, events, governing bodies, innovations, platforms, programmes, rights holders, sponsorships and more.

InCrowd are facing some stiff competition in the form of Ball Street, Goat, MATTA, Red Lantern Digital Media and WeAreFearless. The full Official Shortlist can be seen here www.sportindustry.biz/Shortlist.

This short listing marks a fantastic year for InCrowd in which we grew our football client roster to 12 clubs across the Premier League, the Championship and League 1. We also began working with major governing bodies including ECB, Premiership Rugby and RFL, hereby allowing us to work within a total of four separate sports.

Nick Keller, chairman, Sport Industry Group, commented: “The tech revolution continues to march on and sport is benefiting from a proliferation of diverse new start ups, brands and organisations joining the business landscape, bringing with it a swathe of new businesses and talent who recognise that sport has a big part to play.

“This is represented across a number of categories in this year’s Shortlist, no more so than in our newest category, Young Agency of the Year. These young agencies prove there is depth and breadth to the industry, as they enter the landscape with bold new ideas and refreshing innovations.”

The Official Shortlist was selected through an extensive Steering Process -involving more than 60 key industry figures across two weeks of intensive judging, and will now go forward for consideration by the main Judging Panel, who will decide the winners in each category.

The industry’s most anticipated night of the year – taking place on 27th April – will see over 1,750 major players from the world of sport, business and entertainment come together for an unforgettable night celebrating the standout work from across the sporting world.

BT is the Headline Partner of the BT Sport Industry Awards, with Coutts, ESPN and EY as Official Partners.