Mobile Initiaves/Strategy - Seahawks/ Sounders FC

Editor's Notes

1. KC:Today we will cover the following topics during our presentation: First provide a quick company overviewSecond, provide background information about the professional we interviewedThen we’ll move into talking about the organizations’ initial mobile offeringsShare the lessons learned by these excercisesThen we’ll cofront the challenges the organization facesAnd then finish taking a quick glance at future mobile offerings
2. Matthew: The organization is essentially two separate sport teams. -The Seahawks are a National Football League franchise that was established in 1976. The current majority owner is local Microsoft founder and billionaire, Paul Allen. -The Sounders are a Major League Soccer franchise that was started in 2009 (historically it originated 1974 with the North American Soccer League) . The current majority owner is Hollywood film producer, Joe Roth.-Both organization share headquarters at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center (better known as the VMAC), based in Renton, WA-Both team share administrative and operations staff equally at 50% each. The only exception is each franchise has separate dedicated sports writers for each respective team. -They are essentially two brands under one roof, which makes for a great symbiotic relationship increased efficiencies
3. KC: -The contact we interviewed was Kenton Olson, who is the Director of Digital Media. He is responsible for all aspects of digital media, which would include websites, online, social media, mobile channels and fan interaction.-Kenton has been with the organization for five years/6 seasons. We he started, his responsibility was for just for what he described as ‘traditional’ digital media. Shortly after joining the group, the launch of the iPhone altered the digital landscape and his level of responsibilities.-Prior to joining the organization he served as the Assistant Director of Marketing & Website Management for the University of Oregon’s athletics program. -And Kenton’s formal education was at the Univeristy of Oregon, where he majored in Sports Marketing.
4. Matthew:-The organizations’ journey with mobile began a few years ago when they noticed an increased level of visitors to the website via mobile devices. -So the digital team started with Sounders site to formulate a ‘graceful degradation’ from the full online site to mobile optimized version. -They began with the users – the Sounders FC fans – using them as guinea pigs for the initial attempt towards a mobile emphasis. A year was dedicated to gauging consumer usage and ‘wants’ patterns, including conducting six months of focus groups. - What they found from all the research was that they needed to develop technologies that would serve fan’’s wants and needs for the other 340 days of the year.
5. KC:-The first venture was the Sounders FC AppIt was a totally custom built app that allowed for what Kenton described as a very ‘pseudo’ responsive design, that encouraged loyal fan engagement. The app was generated by POP Interactive, a local Seattle design firm whose owner happened to be a huge Sounders fan.
6. KC:-Arriving shortly behind the app was the Sounders mobile website. -It was described as basically a ‘dumbed down’ version of the desktop version of the website, allowing for easy and quick navigation from a mobile device. -The mobile website was another custom built offering, and was generated by Mobify, a design firm based in Vancouver, BC.
7. Matthew:-Kenton’s team took the experiences learned from the Sounders project to apply when developing offerings for the Seahawks. -And while the needs for the fans were similar, the National Football League has a more rigid structure and set of requirements for digital assets, which mandated a more standardized structure for an app. -This app offers very expansive features ,including the ability to shift between varous ‘modes’ throughout the calendar year. What you see in these screenshots is the ‘in-season’ mode. This app also has social sharing elements, with links to both Facebook and Twitter. The vendor for this app was Yinzcam, which is a provider to a number of other NFL franchises.
8. Matthew:-NFL requirements had a similar influence on the creation of the mobile site, creating a more standardized structure. -Still, features are more expansive than the Sounders mobile offering, including photo galleries, as well as updates on the all important SeaGals cheerleaders. -The mobile site also has a social sharing element with a Twitter feed. -The site was generated by July Systems, which is also a provider to a number of other NFL franchises.
9. Matthew:-The area of other mobile offerings at this time is very limited. -The organization has used Microsoft Tag and QR codes a few times to tie in with sales of their branded merchandise.-And there is an SMS service for phones, but it only to alert stadium security for ‘report a drunk’ emergency services.
10. KC:-There were a number of lessons learned by Kenton and his digital team: -Customer apps and websites are very expensive to create and update, so standardized approaches are much more cost effective. User engagement is key in the development of mobile assets. Mobile users demand a quick experience, and in order to have fans feel like they are getting value by attending games, it is important to offer fans services they can’t get anywhere else in order – like offering electronic tickets online, or online ordering, utilizing locatioin-based services.Another lesson is that future asset development cycles will be reversed. For future refreshes, the digital team will start building mobile assets first, and then work up to a desktop version. The last lesson is that while key drivers continue to be monetization via ticket sales, sponsorships and merchandise saless, these will be better accomplished by the continual drive to enhance the game day experience for fans. Why you ask?
11. Matthew:-The reason is that the number one competitor is ‘The Couch’. Some fans now prefer to stay at home for reasons of convenience. -TV providers are continually offering better multi-game experience, which is hard to compete with.-And with the growth of mobile device usage, users can access multiple points of media from the couch.
12. KC: -The challenges the organization faces are very real. -No stadium in North America is able to currently provide online access to all its fans. As the use of data intensive technologies grow, Kenton’s team must strive tocurrently provide acceptable online access to at least 20% of the fans.-A huge task before them is the ability to balance the ‘real estate’ – the media displays within the stadium between the fans entertainment versus advertisers and corporate partners promotional and branding needs. -Another huge obstacle is the need to integrate mobile with traditional marketing efforts. Movement on this front continues to be conservative, and integration to move beyond billboards continues to be slow and gradual. -Finally, in the area of app development, there is a serious need to control the user experience. Because, If a user downloads the app and has a negative experience, it is highly likely that they will never use it again, or uninstall it.
13. Matthew:-There are a number of mobile offerings that are on the horizon. -First, in-game experience is about to be enhanced; suite and club level venues will have access to live feeds from three different angles – exclusively from Wifi.-The team is preparing to install a caterpillar rope Wif-Fi system that would be routed under stadium seating and would provide about 15,000 access points.-Passbook functionality will soon be adopted for mcommerce service for iOS users.
14. KC:-Tablets optimized for apps will soon be available, starting with Windows 8 versions that are awaiting approval. -Android and iPad versions are currently in development.-And finally, from a human resource perspective, qualification requirements are evolving. Previously, skills sets for the digital team used to be centered on editorial skills; the required skills are shifting towards social media and marketing backgrounds.