The digital-first, insights-based marketing company, Stagwell, unveiled an augmented reality experience in partnership with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and SoFi Stadium as part of the team’s ongoing efforts to entice fans back and keep them connected throughout games.
The in-stadium app will be used during games at the location to entertain spectators, particularly younger ones, while they are present in person. Stagwell is now expanding it to include an augmented reality (AR) experience that viewers can enjoy at home. The NFL game has real-time augmented reality effects, interactive content timed to touchdowns, player animations, and other game-related giveaways and competitions.
“Football [is a] choreographed production,” said Josh Beatty, founder and CEO of ARound, Stagwell’s unit, developing AR experiences for clients. “It is something happening all the time. So we first wanted to understand how we could fit into that experience because what we don’t want to be is a distraction.”
ARound, which launched the AR platform with the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis in August, is the organization driving the initiative. Like the Rams, the goal is to allow fans to interact with others in the stadium while watching games and experience other engaging content in a live setting.
Considering how much downtime there is in baseball games, ARound discovered that the Twins’ results were encouraging. According to Beatty, the app did incredibly well in attracting younger users. In contrast to the typical 18 minutes of action in a baseball game, he continued, the average fan engagement time on the app was over 25 minutes.
The Stagwell Marketing Cloud component ARound uses 3D spatial computing to localize content for users at the location. Fans can interact with various aspects of the stadium by pointing their devices at the field while using the ARound Stadium app. Additionally, those watching at home can participate in the games and live content because the AR experience on gameday mirrors the activities at SoFi Stadium.
In addition, gameplay content from the Rams, such as a touchdown or the moment the team enters the stadium, will be shown in real-time on the 70,000 square-foot Infinity Screen with those AR effects. There will also be unique animations for a few of the team’s key players, such as Aaron Donald and Bobby Wagner.
ARound intends to eventually expand beyond sporting events to include other live occasions, like music concerts, and link them with more in-home experiences.
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