Early March saw the Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Crows, launch a new augmented reality offering for its Crows Women’s Team members.
The ‘Crows AR App’, developed for the Australian Football League (AFL) team by Brisbane’s line26, is promoted as an exclusive benefit for those who’ve signed up as Crows Women’s Team members in 2018.
The app, which brings membership cards to life in front of fan’s own eyes, was promoted across the team’s digital (http://www.afc.com.au/news/2018-03-03/aflw-crows-launch-ar-app) and social platforms.
Crows launch augmented reality #AR App to thank AFC Women's Team members https://t.co/zNLyfU5w2X #weflyasone pic.twitter.com/7DutHAy5wY
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) March 3, 2018
It is available for download from the iTunes store at https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/crowsar/id1353593801?ls=1&mt=8.
Co-captain Chelsea Randall recorded a special video message to express the team’s gratitude for the support received so far this season.
backed up by a parallel video from Randall on the club’s YouTube channel.
The Crows AR App, currently only available on iOS, is the second major incentive to sign-up as a Crows Women’s Team member this year and follows on from the club’s limited edition bobblehead release back in January.
Which bobblehead would you get? Secure one today by becoming a member of our #AFLW team https://t.co/Elsw3j1gLp #weflyasone @Crowsmembership pic.twitter.com/ZUZRj9oEOR
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) January 29, 2018
Adelaide Crows chief executive officer Andrew Fagan explained that the thining behind the move was that the CrowsAR App would offer a unique way for some of the most passionate fans to receive communication and gain a different perspective.
“We want to continue to be a leader in this country with the integration and trialling of new technologies,” explained Fagan
“Our CrowsAR App is another huge step forward after testing live virtual reality and artificial intelligence through Facebook Messenger last year. We have been active in this space since 2014 when we rolled out one of the first virtual reality experiences in Australian sport and our 600,000 plus fans can look forward to much more in the months and years ahead.”
Comment:
This app launch sees Adelaide become the first AFL team to activate in the AR space and it follows hot on the heels of a number of Big Bash cricket teams who invested in AR in recent months.
The AR launch came ahead of the 3 March season opener
Gates are open at Norwood Oval!Get to the ground, grab your flags and cheer on the girls for their last game in Adelaide this season #weflyasone #AFLW pic.twitter.com/9WEtn8H9hX
— Adelaide Crows (@Adelaide_FC) March 3, 2018
The AR app activation trend continues to expand from team initiatives like the Crows to crowd cause messaging from Mastercard at the MLB World Series (see case study), and unboxing like the Snapchat/Gatorade/Jordan Brand Christmas campaign (see case study), to gaming like the NBA’s ‘basketball Anywhere’ (see case study) and fan face painting like the Baltimore Ravens (see case study).
Is this still largely leading-edge work that experiments with the technology and aims to generate positive, early adopter PR, or is it starting to go mainstream?
The Crows are establishing a solid reputation as being one of the AFL’s most innovative teams.
As well as this AR work and its activation across Facebook Messenger, it also became the first Australian professional sporting organisation to acquire an eSports team in May 2017 when it invested in Oceanic Pro League team Legacy.
See http://www.afc.com.au/news/2017-05-17/crows-strike-esports-agreement.
Links:
Adelaide Football Club
https://www.youtube.com/user/adelaidefootballclub
https://twitter.com/Adelaide_FC
https://www.instagram.com/adelaide_fc/
https://www.facebook.com/adelaidecrows
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