London Wasps have recently launched a supporter-driven, summer-long campaign to build up to the new season.  Match tickets, hospitality, signed shirts, playing kit, exclusive training with the Club and even Season Tickets are up for grabs in their #EveryFanCounts campaign, where they will be asking supporters across all of their online platforms to share their memories, highlights, views and reasons to look forward to the new season.

Throughout the summer there will be lots of ways for fans to take part in the campaign across wasps.co.uk, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. They will run a series of competitions on these platforms with no limit to how many of these you can enter as well as online chats with players and coaches at Wasps.

London Wasps have also teamed up with American-based company tagboard to collate the interactions around #EveryFanCounts, across all of the Club’s digital platforms into one place. The London Wasps #EveryFanCounts tagboard can be found at wasps.co.uk/EveryFanCounts.ink

Over the summer they will be collecting as many supporters’ messages, pictures and comments as they can and the best will be posted up in the Twickenham changing room for the London Double Header, before being transported back to the Wasps Nest at Adams Park in time for the first home game!

The campaign will provide a great outlet for fans to engage with the Club in the summer months, sharing images, messages and videos in time for the new season as well as offering a great way to engage with the team and the coaches.

To launch the campaign London Wasps players new and old combined to let fans know why they are so important to the club…

A couple of weeks ago we were lucky enough to be invited along to the UCL Champions League event being run by adidas at Vistoria House, London.  It was a great event where we have the opportunity to try out the latest boots, test our shooting and running and also sit in on an interesting panel session on the future of football (see previous write up)

On the panel were some big names from digital sport and was hosted by Marcus Speller (The Football Ramble). It included Richard Welsh (Creative Director, Copa90), Tom Ramsden (Global Brand Marketing Director – Football, adidas),  Steve Nuttall (Senior Director – Sports, YouTube), Nick Chiarelli (Account Director, Future Foundation) and BT Sport’s Leigh Moore.

You can check out more from the event and the panel session itself in this video that adidas have recently made available.  Thanks to the guys at We Are Social for putting together the event and making such a top day.

Here are some great quotes from the panel that I’m sure you’ll find fascinating…

On the future of broadcasting:

Steve Nuttall (Google):

“There’s a terminology issue that we have to deal with because I’m not really sure what ‘broadcaster’ means anymore. It’s now possible for so many more people to tell stories than it used to be.”

On the second screen:

Leigh Moore (BT Sport):

“Social media, first and foremost, is about connecting people with people, and the more we can do that and the more that we are allowing people to have better conversations with each other around a sports product, the better that’s got to be for fans.”

On data in football:

Tom Ramsden (adidas):

“I think people are crying out for a new level of insight and a kind of reinvention in many ways. miCoach and the Elite Team System is a perfect example of that, where we could potentially deliver real time physiological data to people, a completely new way to experience the game. I think football demands it, consumers demand it, and the rate of progression is really starting to pick up.”

“We all like football because it’s football, not because it’s maths, and the idea behind driving innovation is to make the game better and help athletes perform better. It’s not data or innovation for innovation’s sake.”

“Data’s nothing without context and insight and if you’re not delivering both of those around it, then it’s useless.”

“We’re still at the tip of the iceberg, we’re nowhere in comparison to what we have available, but actually who’s bringing value to the new insight and new levels? That will come through things like miCoach and through, in the future, saying that, ‘he’s just controlled the ball the greatest way anybody’s controlled a ball,’ and we can statistically prove that.”

On trends and consumer demand:

Nick Chiarelli (Future Foundation):

“One of the things is a sort of fragmentation of the content piece into constituent parts that people can dip into and dip out of. So you’ve got your picture, you’ve got your official commentary, you’ve got reams and reams of unofficial commentary supporters. It’s almost piecemeal and patchwork, pulling together their own ideal, putting together this jigsaw puzzle of content which is uniquely tailored to them, and potentially takes crowd noise from a particular part of the ground that they may sit in when they go.”

“Longer term there are concepts we’ve developed for zonal TVing, where you’ve got your main piece which is the game, and then all of these discretionary areas in the screen where you’ve got your Twitter feed, you’ve got your local pizza delivery place, for example, you’ve got your fantasy football team being constantly updated with whoever just scored a goal and the impact on your team, and there’s a lot of fun you can have with that.”

On the value of storytelling:

Steve Nuttall (Google):

“I think the power is in the hands of the consumer because of the advances in technology and the fact is it is now possible for five teenagers in a bedroom in Queensland to create a 30-second video, stick a house music track on it, upload it to YouTube, and a couple of weeks later there were 14,000 videos a day being posted to YouTube that emulated the video that they created. It was something called the Harlem Shake. Anyone can tell stories.”

“Technological advances in the internet make it possible to tell stories that were never known before.”

On football-related content and the importance of context:

Tom Ramsden (adidas):
“The challenge for us as an authentic football brand, whether it’s talking about all of the exact details of Leo Messi’s boots or saying ‘Well, here’s what he did last weekend, here’s what he had for breakfast this morning,” is how do we become part of a seamless experience in serving up the right level of football content?”

Richard Welsh (Copa90):
“Google Glass is an amazing piece of technology but ultimately it will be validated by what it gets used for. Imagine Lionel Messi has a pair and you could see him in training or on the pitch and it’s that intimacy…I think everyone would want to see what it’s like to be Lionel Messi scoring that goal in that match. It’s how these amazing industries will knit together to create new stories and new experiences.”

“We’re working with stuff at the moment where content is triggered from the TV series through audio triggers and sound waves, so it’s not something that’s interrupting the experience, it’s just making content fluid across different platforms.”

Sports Social Media agency We Play are currently on the look out for a couple of amazing people to joint their team.  There are two posts being advertised, details of which are shown below.  To apply then send your CV and why you think you would be a great fit to hello@weplay.co

• Position: Community Manager
• Work Basis: Full time
• Location: Angel, London
• Duration: Permanent

The role: 

The Community Manager handles social media platform management for our clients, including management of the brand voice, analysis of the audience, competitors and be active in the creative ideas process to generate more traction for the clients.

Your experience:

• First and foremost, you are a sports fan and have excellent knowledge of the sports industry
• Community management experience and knowledge of how to manage a brand online
• Confident user of digital platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and WordPress
• Strong English grammar skills
• An understanding of strategic development, analytics and campaign execution
• A passion for understanding sports fans, their motivations, desires and habits
• Minimum 2 years experience in social media/digital marketing
• Degree standard qualification

To apply for this position, please send us your CV and a short description of why you think you’ll be perfect for this position to hello@weplay.co

Role 2 is a 3-month paid full time internship opportunity:

• Position: Social Media Intern
• Work Basis: Full time
• Location: Angel, London
• Duration: Temporary/Permanent

The role: 

The Social Media intern will spend time researching the sports sector, analysing brands and clients, assisting with strategic planning and campaign execution. You will also assist in content creation and content management for both clients and the We Play brand.

Your experience:

• First and foremost, you are a sports fan
• Confident user of social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and WordPress)
• An understanding of strategic development, analytics and campaign execution
• A passion for understanding sports fans, their motivations, desires and habits

What we can offer in return:

We will dedicate as much time as possible into helping support and mentor the intern. We believe that “an internship should provide on-the-job mentorship as well as the opportunity to take on responsibility and learn new skills to better the chance of securing a great job, either at We Play or elsewhere.”

• Travel expenses included
• Fun, fast-paced working environment
• Work with an ambitious and forward thinking team
• Learn and develop your skills to a high standard

To apply for this position, please email your CV and a short description of why you think you’ll be perfect for this position to hello@weplay.co

Guest Post:  James Hunt is Client Services Director at GMR Marketing, an innovative sponsorship and brand experience specialist.

As sports leagues expand into growing markets, fantasy sports go with them. In the past few years, global fantasy sports participation has skyrocketed, including 10% of the US and UK populations as of 2010, and emerging markets growing strong.

Enthusiasm for fantasy sports helps leagues augment existing fan loyalty and prime the pump in new markets. And because fantasy leagues are changing the way people watch and consume sports, brands have a big opportunity to tap into this new form of fan engagement.

The Changing Fan Experience

Almost 85% of NFL supporters we surveyed would rather watch a game at home than in a stadium, with 37% admitting to regularly checking the progress of their fantasy team on a second screen while watching on TV (Source: GMR proprietary research).

This trend has led many fantasy players to lose some interest in their favourite teams, instead focusing on the individual athletes on their fantasy team. And it’s not just a distraction: the emotion runs deep. A recent survey from Turnkey Sports found that 28% of participants “feel worse when their fantasy team loses than when their favourite NFL team loses.”

“I cannot watch football the way it was meant to be watched,” wrote fantasy football advocate C.D. Carter for the New York Times’ football blog, The Fifth Down. Since first starting a fantasy team in 2006, Carter wrote, “I watch for stats. I fret about fantasy points, not game outcomes. The game, in short, is meaningless.”

Is Fantasy Helping Drive the Game?

It’s not just individual fans: fantasy’s impact on the game is replicated on a larger scale. Typically, the popularity of a fantasy game within a particular market has depended on that market’s underlying interest in the sport: the real world leads, and fantasy follows. But the rise of fantasy platforms (and digital obsession in general) is helping these sports introduce themselves and their stars to new fan bases all around the world: it’s becoming a reciprocal relationship.

For example, Fantasy League, a market leader of English Premier League fantasy football, now boasts users from more than 99 countries. And as more players from around the globe are signed by British clubs to play in the Premier League, those home markets then become potential new markets for the league’s fantasy game.

“The Premier League now sees developing countries as a major growth market — and that will benefit fantasy games,” said the company’s commercial director Richard King, singling out sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia as important areas for growth.

Brands: This Is an Opportunity

As consumers continue to adopt fantasy sports – and the live sports that inspire them – brands have a big opportunity to integrate themselves into the evolving fan experience. But surprisingly, they’ve been slow to tap into it.

One exception is Microsoft, who’s begun a strategic partnership with the NFL to tie fans’ TV experience to their fantasy league teams. Xbox One users can watch live games on one side of the screen and access their fantasy league data on the other.

This is a great example of a brand getting in on the ground floor. And as entities like the Premier League use fantasy to expand into growing markets, we expect to see many more strategic successes. The fan experience is not static – neither should be brands’ and sports marketers’ approach to reaching those fans.

Guest post: Duane Roft is the founder of teamtrackr, who make fan engagement apps for sports teams, organisations and sponsors.

On Wednesday the 8^th May the football world rocked at news of the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson – one of it’s longest-standing and most recognizable and successful characters.

On the same day the blue half of Manchester released their own news that could have an even greater impact on the game; that they were installing high density Wi-Fi at the Etihad, effectively turning it into the “Premier League’s most technologically fan-friendly stadium.”

While other clubs (most notably Liverpool) have begun trialing solutions of their own connected stadia, Man City are unleashing the big guns with Cisco’s Connected Stadium Wifi and StadiumVision Mobile.  Capable of delivering live video and other event information direct to mobiles, Man City are promising one of the most “immersive, video rich experiences in sports” and will effectively turn fans’ mobiles into a second screen for live games.

The potential for this type of technology is huge, and it’s clearly a direction that a lot of clubs are heading in and many more will head in.  With ticket prices continuing to rise, the pressure is always on to improve the fan experience and open up opportunities to drive further revenue, and mobile presents huge opportunities in both of these areas.

But mobile also changes our behavior, which could potentially lead to a negative impact on the atmosphere at games.  When was the last time you sat through a TV programme without checking your phone 57 times to see what film that actor was in or if anything was happening on Twitter, just because you could?

It’s no different socially either, with measures like “phone stacking” having to be employed so that we can actually focus on real-life communication rather than the mystery and potential of a new email, Tweet or text.

Live Events

Using technology at live events could be great, but there is a fine line between engagement and distraction and complimenting the matchday experience and fragmenting it.  The Brooklyn Nets basketball team (cited in the press release as currently utilizing this technology) play a sport known for its stop/start nature; there are regular time-outs and breaks in play that a fan could take advantage of to maximize the impact of the technology.

One of the great things about football is that there’s a collective of people with their attention on the game, willing their team to victory.  It’s like being part of an organic mass that reacts to the action, encouraging and motivating the players; feeling like their support makes a difference.

By providing opportunities that distract from being part of this collective, is there a danger of creating a fragmented fanbase, leading to a loss of atmosphere for all in attendance?  If people are Tweeting during the game or looking for other fans to chat to does that mean they are fully invested in the match day experience and want to share it or does it mean that they are looking for a distraction?

It’s a concern that Mark Bradley of the Fan Experience Company also has.  “It’s a sign of the changing times.  The nature of fans is changing – especially younger generations who have a bigger need to interact – and there’s a danger that if we go too far down the line it could finish off the traditional atmosphere of a game.”

Bradley believes that Barcelona illustrate the perfect example of a club who’ve gone from a hardcore “tribe” of fans to everyone holding up their smartphones during games.  “Our research always pinpoints ‘atmosphere’ as a big driver of fan engagement, so clubs would need to get the balance right. Otherwise we may damage one of the core elements of the UK football experience.”

It’s unclear exactly what Man City will do with the technology, but as a club who have such a strong and authentic relationship online with their fans you can bet that they’ll be looking to be as interactive as possible.  Even a cynic like me can see the value of goal replays from multiple angles in the dead time after someone scores, but a “live” video stream of alternative angles during the game feels like a step too far.

Datatainment

The biggest opportunities to engage will be through the “dynamic data channel”, with “stats, trivia contests and multi-player games” cited as potential possibilities.  Stats – or “datatainment” as termed by City’s digital savant Richard Ayers – is already something that the club have been focusing on, opening up player stats data publicly at the start of last season, so it seems reasonable to assume that there will be an emphasis on that.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of stats, but this raises an interesting point about their relevance in real-time at live events.  At what point are we expected to stop watching the game to check them?

The key to success is through simplified processes and genuine engagement, and it’s exciting to see what other features will emerge.  The opportunities to add to the pre-game experience both in the stadium and at City Square, the club’s fanzone area, and at half-time are huge, without infringing on the distraction debate.

Giving the fans more of a voice by allowing them to rate player performances or vote for their man of the match in real time will be an exciting evolution to the experience, as will curating user-generated content for use on the web and beyond, potentially creating a virtual stadium for fans not at the game and the huge international audience.

Commercially, the US currently leads the way in at-event opportunities, with apps allowing seat upgrades and the ability to order food from your seat widely available already.  Keeping all of this functionality in one place and providing a seamless customer experience is key, but it still feels like a fragmented landscape that nobody has really cracked yet.

Whatever City come up with one thing is for sure; the engagement/distraction line will move significantly in the next few years as technology improves and the cost to implement it reduces.  The key, Bradley notes, is to listen to what your fans want.  “If you can understand what motivates different fan groups you can find ways to satisfy them all.”

City are a club that get digital and if anyone will come out with an offering with the genuine intent of improving their fans’ experience then it is them.  But even they can’t predict what impact this technology will have on the overall matchday atmosphere, and it will be interesting to see on which side of the line this lands and how it evolves.

One of the biggest problems that Facebook has had for users, especially brands, is making sure fans go to your account and not that of a lookalike fake one.  Twitter, Google+ and PInterest dealt with this problem at a very early stage with the verification ‘tick’ that celebrities and brands can get their hands on.

The launch now on Facebook is a major step forward and one that will see many breath a big sigh or relief and ask “why did it take so long?”.  It is also refreshing to see the platform take the initiative with some of the larger pages.

A post on the website said: “We’re launching verified pages to help people find the authentic accounts of celebrities and other high-profile people and businesses on Facebook.  Verified pages have a small, blue check mark beside their name on timelines, in search results, and elsewhere on Facebook.”

When I clicked on to the ICC (International Cricket Council) page this morning I was greeted that nice blue tick (Ed – ICC are a client of Pulse Innovations).  It is not only the ICC but many of the other large sports pages that now have this verification.  You can add Manchester United, their neighbours Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, the IPL, Premier League, NBA, David Beckham, Messi…. basically every big sports team, governing body and athlete on the platform.

One feature that I do like is that the blue tick also appears next to names in the search bar.  This means that official pages can find the right page simply, without having to go through a dozen others to find the right one.

Many other teams and brands will have to wait to find out how and when they can also get hold of the newest, must-have tick.  Below you can see how they look both on the page and in search.

Hopefully this will see the start of Facebook starting to catch up again…. yes, catch up….. to the likes of Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr.  It has become less relevant to the others and needs to win people back.  If it doesn’t, well we all know what happened to My Space! (yes it could happen)

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED!

This weekend is going to be a special one here in London.  With the UEFA Champions League Final being hosted in our capital for the second time in three years it going to be party time once again.  Now we don’t run competitions very often on here but for this we thought we’d make an exception.

We’ve teamed up with adidas to offer something very special indeed for anyone in London this weekend.  adidas will be showcasing and looking ahead at the ‘Future of Football’ with their adidas lab (#adidaslab).  The lab will give a sneaky look at adidas products of the past, present & future.  It will give consumers a glimpse into how football might look in the next  six months, year and beyond.  You’ll be able to test unseen products first-hand in a series of high-tech football experiences featuring real-time data visualisation – all at this behind-closed-doors event in London this weekend.

We’ve got 12 pairs of tickets for the adidas Labs on Saturday 25th May between 11.30am and 1.00pm and we want you guys to come along.  To enter, post a comment at the bottom of this post to say why you want to go and you’ll be in with a chance of winning this money-can’t-buy prize.  We’ll be in touch to let you know if you are going!

You have to be 18 or over and resident here in the UK and must be able to make it to the event on Saturday.  There is no travel as part of the prize, only entry to the event.

So what are you waiting for??  Get writing now….

One match to go. Two teams left and one of them 80 minutes from glory. Now it’s your chance to get involved and make a difference to the two Aviva Premiership Rugby finalists.  This is the message being driven by Premiership Rugby ahead of the big day between Leicester and Northampton at Twickenham next week (25th May).

It’s a game I was looking forward to going to but its going to be all about football for me instead (more details to follow soon).  My better half will be there cheering them on, my rugbyt will have to wait for the next day when its England v Barbarians. Should be a cracking weekend!

Aviva and Premiership Rugby have joined together to give the fans a chance to have their messages of support actually seen by the finalists. All you have to do is send in your messages of support via Twitter using the hashtag #LittleThingsMatter and the best messages will be selected to appear at Twickenham on the day. These messages will be displayed on the LED boards in the stadium, in the tunnel for the players to see, or even on boards that will placed in both dressing rooms.

Aviva’s Senior Sponsorship Manager, Louisa Cheetham explains the thinking behind the campaign;

“Players and coaches love to hear messages of support from their fans. The connection between rugby fans and their club sides is so strong they appreciate every word of encouragement from their supporters.  So this year we are going to make it as easy as possible for the players and coaches to find out what their fans think and how much they want them to bring the Aviva Premiership Rugby trophy home.  Think about the little thing you could say that could help your team on the day and use that thought.”

The best messages will be mounted on boards in the Northampton Saints and Leicester Tigers dressing rooms, displayed on LED screens around Twickenham and written on the tunnel. So your message might be the last thing the players see before they run out onto the pitch at Twickenham.

It’s a nice touch by the league and stadium as they look to maximise the use of the screens on match day.  We have seen a trend for their to be more fan engagement around big matches in different sports over recent times.  The technology is getting better, stadiums are starting to ramp up their wifi and 3G capabilities and its all about the fan experience.

Here’s a great video to help promote the initiative.  They gained the help of players from both teams, fans and some other notables.

Part-time – (approximately 19 hours week)
Salary – Up to £25,000 pro rata (dependent on experience)

Closing Date – Friday 21st June at 17:00

Performance Nutrition are looking for a Digital Content Manager who has a passion for social media and producing engaging nutrition content. As part of the Sport & Exercise Nutrition consultancy, the role will involve ongoing contact with leading organisations worldwide. The successful candidate will be given the opportunity to lead and drive online strategy, within their growing team.

Responsibilities

• Producing and managing online & social media content for the Harley St clinic, and around the new online platform & app, launching later this year.
• Writing engaging applied articles and media comment, specialising in sports & exercise nutrition and weight management.

Skills

• Excellent writing skills – web content/social media content
• Experience of writing SEO optimised copy
• The ability to identify the best social media channels and how best to use them
• Quick to learn new systems and processes
• A genuine passion for social media & nutrition

Qualifications/experience

• Postgraduate or equivalent qualification in nutrition/dietetics or sport & exercise science
• Content management systems/blogging platforms

The position is part time, though flexibility will be required. This would suit a candidate currently working in the field, or undertaking postgraduate research.

To Apply

Please send an email to: info@performancenutritionltd.com explaining why you’re the right person, including links to online work or online community management.

Every year, the great British institution of Gumball3000 turns 3,000 miles of public roads into an international rally course.  The event pits around 120 of the most eye-catching and/or head-turning cars against one another in the ultimate road trip adventure.  This year, Berkshire-based digital agency, Rawnet, have unleashed their passion in designing and developing the official website to the point where you can almost catch the whiff of petrol in the air.

As the Official Digital Partner, they were keen to apply their digital savvy to create a compelling online meeting place for all the participating Gumballers, as well as the hundreds of thousands of fans worldwide.  Among the more high-profile entrants in this special 15^th anniversary rally are David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff, musician and actress, Eve, skateboarding legend, Tony Hawk, bands Cypress Hill and Nero, rapper, actor and TV host, Xzibit and Formula One Driver, Kimi Raikkonen, to name but a handful.

Rawnet are helping everyone to track the Gumballers’ progress en route from Copenhagen to Monaco with their Interactive Live Map.   Gumballers simply capture a picture on their phone, then tweet the photo adding the hashtag #rawnet.  By enabling Location Services on their mobile devices, they can share moments and memories from the rally on the Live Tweet map in mere seconds.  It’s a great way for Gumballers to update all of their followers, fans and fellow drivers on their position while effortlessly creating their own photo blog throughout the event.  Whoever takes the picture that best captures the ‘Spirit of Gumball’ will win a Nikon D5100 along with a signed copy of the winning picture from founder, Maximillion Cooper.

As part of the new website, Rawnet have also built Gumball an interactive Entry Grid for 2013 that allows fans and Gumballers alike to get their favourite team on pole position for the starting grid in Copenhagen by raising money for the Gumball3000 Foundation.  The team that raises the highest amount as of Sunday 19^th May will be leaving Copenhagen first under the chequered flag.

The Gumball3000 Foundation is a non-profit charitable trust that has been established to benefit underprivileged youth through Education, Infrastructure and Environmental projects.

Show your support by donating today as all monies raised will go to this fantastic cause. Just choose your favourite team and click the donate button.  The total raised so far is £49,789 with Team 86 from Italy in the lead www.gumball3000.com/rally/entry_grid

So, get involved and experience a taste of the action at www.rawnet.com/gumball3000 from Sunday 19^th May 2013 where the adventure begins in Copenhagen.  Accompany us on a journey that winds through Stockholm, Helsinki, St.Petersburg, Riga, Warsaw and Vienna before rocking up in Monaco just in time for the Formula 1 Grand Prix on Sunday 26^th May.