Brief:
- ShotTracker, a sensor-based system that delivers live basketball player stats to coaches and fans, boosted installs of its fan app tenfold and spurred 30,000 page impressions in two days after running a video campaign, according to an announcement shared with Mobile Marketer.
- ShotTracker surged in popularity to No. 68 from unranked in the sports app category after its TV spot aired. Digital agency DEG Linked by Isobar developed the app's first 30-second TV ad, which aired on ESPN in the winter, and two digital commercials.
- The news comes as basketball fans and advertisers prepare for March Madness, the NCAA college men's basketball tournament that tipped off this week and ends on April 8.
Insight:
ShotTracker's campaign demonstrates how mobile technology is quickly changing the fan experience of live sporting events like basketball. Every player wears a ShotTracker sensor that tracks their movements along with the basketball, which also has a sensor. The fan app lets mobile viewers see a digitized rendition of live play, including a tally of player stats, adding a more immersive dimension to viewing basketball games. This type of app-based experience may help to broaden the appeal of basketball among a younger generation of tech-savvy consumers, who are known for frequently tuning in to social media or other mobile content while viewing sports live or at home.
For March Madness, CBS Sports Network is providing more data for viewers of the quarterfinals, semis and championship games with a SensorTracker installation at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. The success of the ad campaign in driving app installs demonstrates that viewers are eager to have this kind of experience and additional sports details at their fingertips.
"With ShotTracker in the [broadcast], we now have much more than just the basic rudimentary field goals, rebounds, assists, and such," Jason Cohen, VP of remote technical operations at CBS Sports, told Sports Video Group. "The whole idea is to give the producers as many worthwhile tools as possible to help tell the story more effectively."
March Madness games have the second-biggest ad spend after the National Football League's post-season, which includes the Super Bowl. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament last year spurred more than $1.32 billion in national TV ad spending, compared to $1.68 billion for the NFL's post-season, according to WPP's Kantar unit. So far this year, brands such as P&G's Bounty, Honda's Acura and Buffalo Wild Wings have run campaigns around the tournament to capture the highly engaged audience.
