Fast food restaurant chain Wendy’s has partnered with Fox Sport’s college football coverage’s virtual reality social live-stream app to help fans get closer to the action.
Developed as an two-screen football fan experience – the idea is that supporters can explore the virtual environment on a second whilst simultaneously watching the game on linear TV – the VR strand offers an enhanced on-field action experience via a set of hi-res camera angles and user-controlled instant replays.
The initiative kicked-off during the high profile 23 September NCAA college match-up between Notre Dame and Michigan State at the latter’s Spartan Stadium where the VR offering included ‘pregame’,
‘halftime’,
and ‘postgame’ analysis.
Plus, a 360-degree Skycam provides a blimp’s-eye-view stadium livestream during Fox’s pre-game, halftime and post-game coverage.
The branded, in-game 360-degree footage, which is accessible through Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, as well as headsets (such as Oculus Rift, Google Cardboard and Gear VR), also enables football fans to watch the game with their Facebook friends in a Wendy’s-branded virtual suite.
As the on-field action unfolds, viewers the interactive/chat feature within the Wendy’s VR social suite can chat with up to four virtual Facebook friends (or strangers).
The network’s technical partner for Fox’s enhanced VR game experience is LiveLike: the pair also teamed up on a similar project earlier in the summer for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
According to Fox Sports senior VP of sports brand activation Sarah Tourville, Wendy’s sponsorship of the Fox virtual suite coincides with the broadcaster’s assumption of “greater linear equity in our college football broadcasts and in the afternoon pre-game shows on Fox and FS1.”
According to media reports, Wendy’s, the official hamburger of NCAA Football, has invested around 50% of its college football activation across Fox’s platforms.
The burger brand is also activating its college football rights through a TV and social spot running with the tagline ‘Our Fresh Beef Is Always Winning. Wendy’s: The Official Hamburger of NCAA Football’,
plus a college football #RivalryBeef weekly competition tie-up with rival broadcaster ESPN,
It's time for the @Wendys #RivalryBeef matchup. This week is all Tigers! Who ya got? Auburn or Clemson? Vote below: https://t.co/NvPNwLc5O2
— ESPN (@espn) September 5, 2017
as well as an on-the-ground campus ‘College Tailgate Tour’.
Come celebrate the value and culture of sports,
Fresh @Wendys beef and the College Tailgate Tour,
Burgers and Bruins
Here we go !!! pic.twitter.com/cFb7xolIyg
— Bill Walton (@BillWalton) September 3, 2017
Comment:
The 79th meeting between Notre Dame and Michigan State seems like a sensible match to start the VR initiative: after all, last season’s clash of the Fighting Irish and Spartans averaged 4.99m viewers and a commanded a 2.9 household rating when it was shown on NBC.
This season sees Fox Sports add the Big Ten to its line-up of NCAA broadcasts – which also includes Pac-12 and Big 12 – as it aims to become a more formidable media force in college football and this campaign aims to consolidate and encapsulate its new approach to the game.
Fox Sports began promoting its college football coverage with a campaign breaking back in August called ‘Don’t Look Ahead’ that focused on the week-to-week fierce rivalries and deep passions of college football fans for whom ‘Every Game Is Everything’ (see case study).
Links:
Wendys
https://www.youtube.com/user/wendys
https://www.facebook.com/wendys
https://www.instagram.com/wendys/
Fox Sports
https://www.youtube.com/user/FoxSports
