Research on PlayUpBy Rahul M Kumar

The Brief Research on PlayUp to understand how they generated a 3 million

audience/user base

PlayUp – The business model0PlayUp was founded in 2007 by Luke Bunbury and

George Tomeski with the vision to offer entertaining social gaming and interactive experiences over mobile to sports fans during live sports broadcast. By pioneering vast new ground across the mobile, social gaming and sports broadcasting markets, PlayUp is providing the world with a whole new field of opportunity to play on.

0By 2010 PlayUp games were distributed in more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. .

0  It was recently named the 8th fastest growing company in San Francisco by Inc.com.

Launch of PlayUp globally

0The company was founded by Australian entrepreneurs Luke Bunbury and George Tomeski in 2007 to develop mobile-based sports/social gaming applications.

0 In 2010 PlayUp games were distributed in more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.

0The result was PlayUp social network became the first real-time, mass-market social gaming platform enabling users globally to interact via their mobile devices during live games.

The launch of PlayUp in the Australian market

An Australian business to prioritise foreign markets over domestic consumers. Launched in Australia after 18 months of selling

overseas.

Launch of the brand through free apps

0The launch of its first product in Australia comes via the global release of a free PlayUp application for Apple’s iPhone in early October.

0About 56,000 applications were downloaded by consumers in the US, Europe, Middle East and Australia in the first week.

The objective was to generate interest and get response from the target audience

Australia - post launch

0PlayUp released a second version of the application, that will allow users to buy content from sports organisations, media companies, sports statistics companies, and individual athletes.

0Until the iPhone application was introduced, PlayUp’s main business was adding games and other interactive content to live sport distributed via mobile phones.

PlayUp in India

0 While PlayUp has been functioning through it’s USA, Japan & UK offices, they too have understood the importance of India as hotbed for Social Networking & its ancillary advantages.

0 Cricket has been the main theme that they have stuck with but with amazing content, interesting questions, amazing online games and free goodies has kept its fan base increasing.  

0 Interestingly, Cricketing legends Steve Waugh, Adam Gilchrist, Brendon Julian and Graeme Wood,  are stakeholders in this venture. It seems Cricket will be the major attraction here!

0 The company’s gamut of service include, real-time chatting, live streaming & support for SMS, WAP, Internet, Apps and Interactive Voice.

Insight : India is mad about 2 things – Cricket and Bollywood.Many Indians are ready to spend online

The Promotional CampaignStrategy

0A 360 degree communication campaign leveraging Public Relations, broadcast, launch events, product launches, social media campaigns, online and offline campaigns etc. to create brand recognition and awareness among the general audiences.

Primary focus : An aggressive & full-fledged social media strategy to tap its true potential on the Web. They plan to focus more on social media than traditional marketing methods, and have planned to invest and

pioneer in this space

Various strategies used to build brand awareness and a

large target audience

0Select Brand Ambassadors with a combination of -

Sports stars Entertainment stars

Sports and entertainment will help create a mass appeal for their products.

In India - Campaign

With Jiah Khan and Rohit Sharma as the Indian brand ambassadors, PlayUp will

be launching an extensive cross-product media campaign with the key message of

"Bolna Band aur Khelna Shuru".

Rohit’s cricketing achievements and Jiah Khan’s connect with social networking,

mass appeal and awareness is generated.

Around the World

0Australian Olympic swimming icon, Ian Thorpe, has joined former Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh and Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma as an official brand ambassador.

0Thorpe will be able to create a dedicated discussion area around a live sports event of his choice allowing fans to message and interact with him.

0With celebrity access at this personal level its believed that this app will change how fans and athletes interact around live sports.

Mobile Apps

PlayUp creates almost 50+ Apps for every major League or Tournament played for user engagement & increasing the excitement of a sports addict

Leverage Sporting Events to associate with causes like PETA and get publicity for the brand

PlayUp PETA Campaign

0 Mobile sport app PlayUp launched PETA's campaign during Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) 2012 urging cricket fans to boycott animal circuses. This partnership is aimed at combating the cruelty of circuses that force animals to perform unnatural tricks under the threat of punishment. PlayUp has been ranked in the top five apps across 80 countries and is a leading social network for sport. You can get it at app stores in both iOS and Android versions. Or you can simply visit PlayUp.com and get this application as per your handsets.

0 When users log in to this social app to check CLT20 scores or message friends about their teams' chances in the tournament, they'll see PETA India's videos and ads – starring actor and TV presenter Malaika Arora Khan, rapper Hard Kaur, actor Shilpa Shetty and cricketer Wayne Parnell – that explain how animals used by circuses are subjected to chronic confinement and physical abuse.

Launched a dedicated Olympic version of social networking app.

Promise of live action

London Olympics 2012

0 The app is a result of the collaborative effort between Samsung and PlayUp, a social network dedicated to sports.

0 It looks and feels really slick on both iOS and Android versions. 0 PlayUp promises live action for 17 days across 26 sports, 39 disciplines, 302

medal events at your fingertips. The interface is quite reminiscent of Flipboard, though there is no flipping action.

0 Users can follow their favourite teams and athletes and stay atop of all the sporting action including latest news, medal tallies, schedules and watch videos too.

0 The home screen features a running countdown to the start of the 2012 Summer Olympics and has access to several sports. Till the games begin, these links will display the history of the particular sport at the Olympics.

0 The app provides live scores and key stats of various games. Users can create hangouts and share messages with friends during an on-going game. PlayUp users can send direct messages to each other.

Direct Interaction with Sport Stars at Large Sporting Events0NFL players Steven Jackson and Stevie Johnson

engaged with fans during the Super Bowl using the social network to reach out to fans.

0Around the time of March Madness, Al Horford, Brandon Knight and Jay Williams chatted during the Final Four.

0Stephen Curry and the Milwaukee Bucks' Brandon Jennings will be starring in the social media world.

Innovative campaign through recruitment process

‘Code Wars’ Recruitment Campaign in India

0 An innovative and non-traditional way to hunt for its future talent pool on a new battleground.

0 In a two-day event called “Code Wars” PlayUp expects to net the best tech talent in the industry. And was open to all tech experts.

0 The participants, called code warriors, would have to display their skills as a team in the development environment of their choice and the winners would be crowned “PlayUp Tech Tycoons” and land jobs at the gaming company.

0 The Pizza concept0 On why the company decided on four people in a team - the game has been based

on Amazon.com's two-pizza team rule, i.e., technology teams on a project typically can be fed by no more than two pizzas. Any team that can eat more than two is too large and therefore not efficient. Small teams (in this case four techies) don't get bogged down easily and are therefore faster and efficient.

0 Teams at Code Wars had to write a code around the idea (specifically on sports), deploy, manage the product and deliver in time, all in a constrained environment.

0 This is the first time that a company has launched a contest that's a blend of gaming, technology and coding for its recruitment process.

0Tie ups with popular teams – IPL & NRL

IPL Campaign

0At a time when other brands are piggybacking on IPL in order to increase visibility and strengthen their brand equity, PlayUp, global leader in mobile gaming, has associated with Deccan Chargers and Pune Warriors as Co-sponsor and Fan Engagement Partner.

0This unprecedented blend of PlayUp’s fan engagement partnership and innovative offerings will change the way cricket aficionados enjoy innings of T20 matches.

National Rugby League Team

0 PlayUp partnered with the two major National Rugby League (NRL) supporter fan groups – the Manly Sea Eagles Silvertails and St George Dragons supporter group Dragon Fire – to offer fans a unique opportunity to talk with their support base about the action live via their mobile device.

0 Silvertails fans had their first opportunity to banter with one another via the App during the big game against the Bulldogs

0 The unique feature of PlayUp is that supporters can follow the score and feel more closely connected to other fans during the game without having to be there in person.

0 This technology allowed Silvertails fans to share their opinion about all the crucial big game moments no matter if they are at the game, at home or otherwise through their mobile device.

An online and offline campaign for engagement

Scream India Campaign

'Scream for Team India' campaign

0 The basic premise of the campaign is to gather screams from fans of the Indian Cricket team in support of the Men in Blue for the ICC World Cup 2011.

0 The Scream for Team India campaign looks to set the record with the most number of screams by a nation in support of team India at the ICC World Cup 2011. It will run on three platforms (online and offline), with a toll-free number to call and register your scream, a micro-site and an outdoor activity where vans will be deployed across major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and many more. Entries can be made at each platform.

0 The campaign activity period is of 45 days, at the end of which, data will be made available for audit.

0 In just 10 days of the launch of the campaign on February 19, 2011, 5000 screams and 3000 videos were recorded.

0 PlayUp has always come up with innovative products to engage sports enthusiasts and has always been at the forefront, when it comes to creating engaging experiences for fans.

0 Interactivity for this campaign is further enhanced with social features that integrate the experience of cheering for Team India with popular social networking platforms.

0 Besides this, one lucky winner will get a chance to watch an IPL match with PlayUp ambassador Jiah Khan.

0 For the contest, Facebook will be an important part as only those entries which are liked by minimum 11 people will be eligible to be counted for announcing the winner.

Social Media Reach

0PlayUp India has become India's No. 1 mobile generation sports Entertainment Company to register the highest numbers of user base on Facebook within a short span of three months.

0Rated as one of the world's most visited social platform, PlayUp has crossed a fan following of over 1 million.

0The brand enjoys an active daily user base of 0.3 million and more than 60,000 likes a day.

Facebook success0 PlayUp India, has become India’s No. 1 mobile generation

sports Entertainment Company to register the highest numbers of user base on Facebook within a short span of three months.

0 Riding on the popularity chart of the world’s most visited social platform, PlayUp has crossed a fan following of over 1 million.

0 With an active daily user base of 0.3 million and more than 60,000 likes a day, the company has attained the highest position creating one of the largest social interactive user base as compared to other sports and social gaming brands.

Innovative contests, engagement driven posts and unique videos established company’s brand page scoring 300,000 daily active users

Role of Public Relations

Global PR

0Announcements and launches through press conferences and media bytes

0Leverage sporting events with press releases 0 Identifying with social causes like PETA and

celebrities to create buzz among media 0Celebrity tie-ups gave publicity to the brand0Online and offline media presence has been created

In India – the PR challenge

0To separate the Brand from the negative perception of a gambling company or a Brand involved in betting

0To create a niche segment for sports based gaming company in the cluttered market of mobile, online and videogames

Communication Route Followed

Press Conference & Networking Event

Press Release

Media Interactions

Relationship Building Meetings

Industry Story Participation

Product launch Announcements

Bloggers’ Meet

Press Conference & Networking Event

0 Press Conference was organized to announce the launch of PlayUp with its Brand Ambassador Steve Waugh and Jiah Khan.

0 The event saw the presence of mainlines, financials, electronic, online and trade media in huge numbers.

0 Coverage appeared in:Afaqs.com - PlayUp to redefine live gaming in IndiaNDTV 24X7 - The Big FightNews Today - PlayUp while you playBusiness Bhaskar - New social gaming products from PlayUp indiaEFYTimes.com - PlayUP India Announces Aggressive Plans  Economic Times - Mobile, Online gaming cos pad up for cricket

Major coverage through press releases

0 Press release was disseminated to inform its stakeholders about major announcements, product launches etc. Coverage appeared in the following publications

0 Navbharat Times - PlayUp launches social sports networkHindustan Times - PlayUp launches social sports networkEenadu - PlayUp launches social sports networkAfaqs Reporter - Game OnDainik Jagaran - PlayUp India registers highest user base on FacebookDeccan Herald - PlayUp india unveils gaming productsNews Today – Sports Network Apps for mobile phonesAfaqs.com – Sports lovers get more social through new mobile app The Times of India – PlayUp with Waugh and Sharma to boost fan engagement in IPL 5Daily News & Analysis – Game on for Waugh and RohitEfytimes.com – PlayUp goes beta on web after great success on iOS platformDainik Jagaran – PlayUp registers highest user base on Facebook

Product Review

0 Agency initiated stories for industry story participation during World Cup, IPL, etc.

0 Some of the coverage appeared are:Economic Times - Mobile, Online gaming cos pad up for cricketMy Mobile – Social gaming goes mobileExhibit – Apps for the sports seasonDeccan Chronicle – Touch of class in IPL appsThe Financial Chronicle – The Social NetworkExpress Computers – Casual gaming comes of ageLivemint.com – Games & Apps for IPL Season 5India Today – Click, Play and Win

Industry Story Participation

0 One on one interaction was initiated with the media to profile the spokesperson and Brand Ambassador.Coverage appeared in the followingET Now – TechnoholikNews X – Tech and YouET NowTelecomlead.com - PlayUp India plans to target Brazil for soccer World Cup 2014 for social marketing: Rajat Kulshreshtha, CEO, PlayUp IndiaVoice & Data – “The major challenge is to educate people and promote mobile game offerings”The Pioneer – Its PlayUp TimeAsian Age – “IPL 5 has a good vibe, buzz about it”Tech2.in.com – Rajat Kulshrestha from PlayUp, a social gaming platformHindustan Times HT Brunch – Steve Waugh

Product Reviews

0 Apps were shared with the media to let them experience the products and review them. PlayUp and Cricket Empires saw reviewers rating them as popular apps for sports and IPL. Noteworthy was when ET Now Technoholik rates PlayUp as the Top 5 App of the Year and MobileIndian.com, a much followed technology website rated PlayUp as one of the Top 5 Apps for IPL.

0 The Pioneer – Games people playAppstouse – PlayUp brings live social chat for sports fans across the globeThe Mobile Indian – PlayUp for iOSWatblog - PlayUp Introduces ‘Cricket Empires’ – Social Twist To Our Favorite Game?

Results

Successful positioning of PlayUp as the niche sports based gaming company

Ranked as one of the best player amongst the industry ratings

Maximum visibility for the brands in mainlines, financials and regionals

Generated maximum media turnout at the press conference, coverage for releases

Web Statistics

0 Playup.com is 10 Years, 9 Months, 13 Days old. PLAYUP.COM has #533 464 rank on the internet. This rank shows site's popularity. Lower rank means more visitors that site gets.

0 This website is estimated to get 286 unique visitors per day. These unique visitors make 800 page views.

0 We estimate that this website earns at least $3 USD per day with advertising revenues so it can be valued at least $2 961 USD.

0 We detected that the average page load time of this website is 0.41 seconds.

0 This site has a 4/10 PageRank, it's IP address is 50.18.191.154.0 Server of this website is located at San Jose, CA, United States.

We give this domain a SEO score of 53/100.

Dated : 13th December 2012http://digsitevalue.net/s/playup.com

Facebook Statistics for PlayUp India

Statistics from SocialBakers.com

Revenue Model

0PlayUp has moved the money-making goalposts with respect to other sports social media apps, thanks to its ecommerce strategy.

0 It does not rely on advertising or sponsorships, as favoured by its competitors.

0They already have a fan base of more than 3 million people around the world and at present they are entering into the Chinese Markets with their innovation in the social sport industry.