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Snippets from Episode 19 of Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast Sports Podcast Brad Friedman, B3Connect Brad Friedman, B3Connect @njh287 DSMSports.net

Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

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On episode 18 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast, Brad Friedman, founder and CEO of (sports and venue) mobile developer B3Connect discussed, among other things, the evolution of the mobile space in sports and how it's increasing the potential ROI & use of big data. What follows are some snippets from the episode. Listen to the full podcast on iTunes or www.DSMSports.net.

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Page 1: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

Brad Friedman, B3ConnectBrad Friedman, B3Connect

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 2: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

Episode 19 featured founder and CEO of B3Connect, Brad Friedman

Friedman discussed mobile apps in sports, big data, and connecting the dots from data in sports biz

What follows is a collection of snippets from the podcast. For the full episode, visit DSMSports.net

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 3: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

Brad’s career path:

Started in the digital space in the automotive sector in southern California ineverything from development to account management, strategy, media planning,production

Was working in digital media space around the age smart phones were growing and became interested in the mobile app development space

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 4: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

Brian Hayward reached out with idea for hockey trivia app; didn’t like trivia appidea, but did move forward with idea to build a team app for the Ducks only two

other NHL clubs had apps at the time

“Our initial vision really hasn’t changed much. We thought this would be a gamechanger for the fan. It would bring the teams closer to the fans and the fans closerto the sponsors. We set out from day one to be publisher and monetizer.”

“We saw the app as the 24-7 companion of the fan and we saw the team;s ability todirectly market and engage the fan through these channels was like no other. And itwould also allow the team to act as (primary) publisher…There was no hurdle forteams to directly market to fans.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 5: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

B3Connect’s story:

“We’re still in startup mode…We got started in 2009 and were fortunateenough to get our start with the Ducks…We were able to try out a lot ofnew things…

At the time, there weren’t a lot of teams that had apps…Ourwatershed moment came at the end of the first season. After having aterrible App, our water level in terms of usage kept creeping up higherand higher and we saw a retention rate of 75%, which is unheard of inthe App space.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 6: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

“We thought through fan engagement and time spent…would be worthsomething. That’s not a new media model, it’s an old media model. Thedollars generally head where the eyeballs are.

We thought the monetization of the space through the engagementnumbers would be the business case to move forward.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 7: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

“Early on, the data (showed) the engagement was happening (despite the poorconnectivity) was happening inside the arena…The engagement spikes and timespent spiked around game time…

The in-game action…the product was delivery (of in-game action) in and out of thearena…That became part of our pitch…Providing additional touch points forsponsors, in-game sponsorships…to further extend their activation.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 8: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

“Because there was no need to sell digital up to this point, a lot of the teams wewere talking to weren’t versed in this technology from a sales perspective…It wasnew to everybody in the space, to the sponsors, to the teams themselves, and, evenafter four seasons, there is still a learning curve…”

“Every team out there is a little bit different. Certain teams have picked up andmoved that inventory (well) and there are some teams still experimenting with itand figuring out where it fits best within their whole activation plan.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 9: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

“From the creative standpoint, we try to stress customization with our clients. Andsame from the (administrative) back-end…We relish that (individualized) work. Weknow how different each team is, it’s not a one-size-fits-all…The types of feedbackwe get from each region/team (varies so much).”

- Cites examples of customizing for varied team needs- Cites differences in DAS/WiFi infrastructure, CRM/data flow, etc. varying across

teams

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 10: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

“It’s difficult to be unique for very long…The challenge to constantly innovate ismade even more cumbersome (because) we’re working on behalf of the teams (interms of publishing)…It just so happens our feature set changes constantly (alongwith Apple and Google)…

“(All mobile app developers in the space) push each other in the space…The fan hasalways been pushing the envelope. By the time we release (a new product orupdate), the things we thought were cool a couple months ago are sometimespassé…That speaks to the overall app marketplace.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 11: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

“It’s exciting and challenging at the same time…The space has evolved. Our latestrelease with the FanConnect platform (shows this)…The mobile space is dominatingwith sports fans…Fans are engaged 24/7 on our apps and (numbers show) it hasn’teven come close to plateauing.”

The teams themselves are also starting to ‘get it…’Boston has reached acrosssilos…their internal structures have begun to evolve to make the app a successfulfan touch point.”

“The big transition for us was to look at it beyond engagement…(We likeengagement), but beyond that is the activation aspect of it.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 12: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

This episode's Helpful Tool: Twitter Analytics

- A quick snapshot of one’s followers, top tweets, and growth/engagement over time

- Can also be utilized to schedule tweets (including tweets with lead generation cards or photos attached)

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 13: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

FanConnect explained:

“From that first season, where we saw fans were engaged, the nextevolution was turning engagement into dollars…The (next) frontier for uswas adding in this activation pillar. The three pillars are: engagement, monetization, activation. Capitalizingon that engagement and getting to know the fan a little bit better.”

- Cites integration with CRM, data collection, paperless transactions

“(We want to) bring (these capabilities) to sports arenas and teams and(allow them to) leverage, capitalize, personalize that fan experience tothe mobile app.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 14: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

“You start to take advantage of the native capabilities of the (mobile)device…We used to have the conversation with teams of app vs. WAP(mobile website)…The app allows you to take advantage of the nativefunctionality core to the device.” - Cites MLB use of iBeacons as example)

“The big distinction was getting a team’s icon/logo on the deck of someone’s phone was creating an individual relationship with the fan. Mobile websites (WAPs) didn’t have that same type of appeal.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 15: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

“FanConnect is tying in all three of those (aforementioned) pillars…It’snot just providing a publishing outlet. It’s getting fans engaged throughthe data exchange (right now w/ Facebook Connect and other sign ins)…

It’s offering value in return for capturing personal data andcapturing first-party data…Because of that emotional engagement fansalready have with the team, you’re going to have a higher success ratewith that (data exchange).”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 16: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

“Now we’re able to successfully deep link those (personalized, databased) offers…It’s absolutely a one-to-one situation. You can set up(custom) segmentation…and you can track conversions (of offers) all theway through…You’re also dynamically building profiles as you go (thatintegrate with CRM/ticket sales database).”

“The real vision of what we want to do is expand this activationpiece…How can we better the fan experience, bring the fans closer to theteams and the teams closer to the fans, and build that into the businessecosystem with corporate sponsorships, tickets, merchandise?

We think there’s a growth there that is going to happen that is going tobe huge.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 17: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

TD Garden Biz piece of the TD Garden mobile app:

“They wanted to leverage the natural business connections happeningeach night there…We built a specific section within the App that allowsmembers of the TD Garden Business Network LinkedIn group to connectwith others at the group at the arena while they are there…The Garden isalso hosting specific events during the games (for the group; cites a fewcool examples).”

“From a business and networking perspective, they’re certainly going tobe on point. The app is the primary touch point to push that (part of theApp) in-stadium.”

The app uses location services and captures LinkedIn profile information Provides a spot in the TD Garden for the exclusive

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 18: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

Brad’s Favorite Non-Sports Mobile App:

Flipboard “They continue to push the envelope and do a good job.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 19: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 16 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 16 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

The (non-B3 client) sports mobile app that does the best job:

His (2nd favorite) is the Montreal Canadiens: “They partnered with a local agency up there and I’ve been reallyimpressed with what they have done…They’ve really personalized(content) and taken advantage of that market, like they should.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 20: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

The optimal 2nd screen for fans viewing live sports is what?

“It’s still to come, but for now…Google Glass. I think it’d be really cool tosee a quicker response in terms of (highlights and stats). I want to knowwhat I want to know…As a developer, we need to build in all thosefeatures and options for (the individual) fan. In terms of relevancy I thinkwe can get there…It’s the recentness where (it’s difficult) to keep up.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 21: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

This episode's Shareable Stat – Instagram garners 58x more engagement than Facebook and 120x more engagement than Twitter (according to an early 2014 study from Forrester Research)

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 22: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

The most unique team or venue app (besides B3Connect app):

The streaming video

“I know how difficult it is to get there and I think the Blackhawks andUnited (Center, their home arena) and Barclay’s Center have done a good

job integrating that perspective…It gets back to that optimal 2nd screen and being able to quickly deliver all the replays and angles…Streaming still has a ways to go in terms of optimizing it.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 23: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

The most unique team or venue app (besides B3Connect app):

The streaming video; “I know how difficult it is to get there and I think the Blackhawks and United and Barclay’s Center have done a good job integrating that perspective…It gets back to that optimal 2nd screen and being able to quickly deliver all the replays and angles…Streaming still has a ways to go in terms of optimizing it.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 24: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

Brad’s go-to snack while watching sports:

Popcorn

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 25: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

Brad’s pick to be the NHL and NBA champs in 2014:

Stanley Cup LA Kings and Boston Bruins meet in the Stanley Cup Final

NBA Miami Heat to repeat

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 26: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

Brad’s Social Media All-Star To Follow:

Alex Cerda, Dallas Stars Digital Manager: @CerdaAlex “He does a really good job both personally and professionally torepresent the Stars.”

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 27: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

Where to find B3Connect:

www.b3connect.comB3Connect on LinkedIn@B3TeamApps on Twitter Also find Brad Friedman on LinkedIn

@njh287 DSMSports.net

Page 28: Episode 19 of the DSMSports Podcast w/ Brad Friedman of B3Connect

Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital Snippets from Episode 19 of the Digital and Social Media Sports Podcastand Social Media Sports Podcast

Thanks so much to Brad Friedman for sharing his time and knowledge onthe Digital and Social Media Sports Podcast!

Listen to the podcast and get more info and content at DSMSports.net (And subscribe in iTunes). You can also follow me on Twitter @njh287

@njh287 DSMSports.net