49ERS TAKE US BACK IN TIME THROUGH AUGMENTED REALITY TRADING CARDS

49ers Celebrate 70 years By Showcasing Highlights Through Virtual Trading Cards

By: Jordan Latchford


Editor’s Note

Dear Faithful Readers,After three great years with the National Sports Forum, the time has come for me to explore “what’s next” in my career and there will be a changing of the guard here at “Selling It…” From being your writer to editor, I have truly enjoyed bringing you “Selling It…” these past few years and hope you have enjoyed the content shared.

Ashlee Tsukushi (who some of you may have already met) will be taking on the responsibility of editor. She’s worked closely alongside me this past year and I have no doubt that she will do a great job bringing you more ideas to potentially use in your organization.

This week, I thought it would be great to share one of my personal favorite stories this past year on the San Francisco 49ers and their augmented reality trading cards. This was a tremendous promotion that had the fans buzzing.

Thank you all again and enjoy the read!

Cheers,

Alby Abalos
Director of Marketing & Communications

alby@sports-forum.com

P.S. – Don’t forget to stay engaged with us on social media! Follow @NatlSportsForum on Twitter and Instagram and like us on Facebook!


SPONSOR’S NOTE

“Augmented Reality is one of the largest growing technologies today, especially within sports. Fans are looking for new ways to engage with their teams and the 49ers were able to utilize a technology that people are eager to try. The 49ers brought their fans back in time through their mobile app to bring their most memorable franchise moments to the people’s hands. As augmented reality continues to grow, we will no doubt see more teams and organizations reach their fanbases the way the 49ers have with these trading cards.”

Visit www.sportsdigita.com to learn more about Sportsdigita.


PROGRAM TITLE

San Francisco 49ers: Augmented Reality Trading Cards


OBJECTIVES

In celebration of the San Francisco 49ers 70th anniversary, the team brings to life some of the top moments in franchise history using augmented reality. The team agreed Augmented Reality Trading Cards was an ideal approach to reach a wide audience and resonate with millennials in an authentic way. Looking to give lifetime fans a unique experience for their mobile app, the 49ers introduced the ultimate throwback to the glory days. As 2016 marks the 70th season of the San Francisco 49ers, they were looking for creative ways to pay homage to the great history and tradition of the franchise using modern technology.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The 49ers mobile app is a year-round team content companion and, to drive more fan engagement, the 49ers launched a new mobile-only experience in the 49ers official mobile app. Before each regular season home game in 2016, the 49ers distribute 2,000 trading cards outside the Levi’s Stadium Team Store. The nine-card commemorative set showcases prolific moments in 49ers history, but that’s not all. You can use the 49ers mobile app to bring each card to life.

By scanning each card using the 49ers official app, fans can relive iconic moments from 49ers history including, The Catch from Dwight Clark, Jerry Rice’s record-setting touchdown, Steve Young’s famous scramble and Joe Montana’s championship-level cool. The augmented reality platform enables the video clips of those celebrated moments to appear on the card, including the drama that music from NFL Films provides.

RESULTS

So far, the response has been amazing and the franchise has been encouraged by the early feedback. Education is important to showcasing how the technology works, but once fans experience it, the ‘wow’ factor is definitely there. At the most recent games, all cards were distributed 50 minutes prior to kickoff.

LOOKING AHEAD

With an in-house production studio, there are several opportunities to continue to use augmented reality, and the 49ers have just unveiled a new feature fans can test out now. To try it out, scan any 49ers oval logo using the app (navigate to scan feature under the More Menu) and watch it come to life with a virtual helmet try-on experience.


CONTACT

For more information, contact:

Meghan Ryan, Director Digital & Social Marketing, San Francisco 49ers

Meghan.Ryan@49ers.com


ABOUT THE NATIONAL SPORTS FORUM

The National Sports Forum is the largest annual cross-gathering of the top team sports marketing, sales, promotions, and event entertainment executives from throughout the broad spectrum of teams and leagues in North America. The 2018 NSF Conference and Trade Show will be held on February 11 – 13, 2018 in Frisco, TX. Visit www.sports-forum.com.

THE NSF SALUTES OUR PARTNER

BRC Imagination Arts is a leading experience design and production agency that conceives, designs, and makes emotionally evocative brand experiences that audiences love. For over 30 years, BRC has excelled at helping iconic brands and cultural institutions all over the world tell their stories in ways that engage audiences and inspire brand loyalty. With over 400 creative excellence awards, BRC set the industry bar high and are determined to raise it even higher.

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