FanDriveMedia
Mobile Sports Marketing
October 2007
Spend just a few minutes at some of the leading sports arenas in North America and you will quickly realize that text messaging is no longer just for teenagers.
That reality isn't lost on the founders of FanDriveMedia (www.FanDriveMedia.com), an Atlanta-based company that is helping top organizations in sports use the mobile channel to turn their game into an interactive experience.
"We keep the team and the game connected to the fan using the mobile device" says J.B.Vick, FanDriveMedia President. "And every time we do, a new piece of media is created that can be branded or sponsored." And if that weren't enough, Vick adds, "When a fan sends a text message the teams gains a new fan to do opt-in marketing."
The FanDriveMedia technology allows text messages, photos and videos sent from fans' wire less devices to be shown on arena scoreboards, fascia boards and in-venue plasma screens located throughout the venue. This opens up multiple opportunities to engage the fan by making them part of the event. While using mobile in-venue isn't entirely new, Vick says the FanDriveMedia system is the most sophisticated and latest generation product on the market that gets smarter with each passing game and allows the wireless communication to become a revenue source for the team.
Teams realize they are media companies and they are in the entertainment business," Vick says. "In the past the content was "the game." Now, the content is the entire experience. Ninety percent of a team's fans are watching the game with an amazing piece of mobile technology in their pockets. It's only logical the teams would want to connect using mobile. "We supply the technology that makes these experiences truly interactive," he adds. Current clients include teams from the NBA , NHL , NFL , Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer.
"We give teams the interactive hook to get the mobile relationship started." At the same time, we also generate revenue for our clients. That's a powerful combination for sports entities looking to cement fan relationships and build the bottom line.
