To cap off the 2022-2023 NBA season, the Milwaukee Bucks used the Rover Fan Engagement platform to deliver a best-in-class mobile campaign that epitomized true, one-to-one personalization for their fans. Inspired by Spotify’s popular end-of-year ‘Wrapped’ campaign, The Bucks created a ‘Season in Review’ experience in their mobile app for more than 3,000 unique fans who attended at least one game at Fiserv Forum last season, summarizing their journey with the club throughout the season.
Though personalization has been talked about for years in industry circles, until recently, it has been difficult to achieve at scale. True one-to-one personalization can transform the fan engagement landscape, enabling sports marketers to forge deeper connections with their audience, spur fan engagement, and foster brand loyalty. With purpose-built technology from Rover, clubs like the Bucks are able to harness the power of previously hard-to-activate fan data - and are using it to drive ROI and richer fan experiences.
Game day was the beginning of the fan journey that culminated in a season review of the Bucks’ one-to-one ‘Season in Review’ Campaign. Upon entering the stadium, fans presented their digital tickets via Rover’s Ticketmaster integration. The fan’s attendance record was captured with each scan, triggering a welcome push message as they entered the stadium. This data was then matched with a variety of game stats from the League such as the games they witnessed, how many wins and losses they experienced in-person, total shots made, three pointers drained, points scored, and blocks by their favorite Bucks players. These stats were then automatically packaged up individually for each fan at the end of the season, as a curated and personalized recap of all of the Bucks magic they witnessed throughout the year.
Over 3000 one-to-one ‘Season in Review’ experiences were created and delivered to fans from over 21,000 unique data points. Much like a snowflake, no two experiences were identical. The Bucks’ recap campaign demonstrated that through integrations, the right technologies and team driven innovation, teams can deliver personalized fan experiences at scale.
"We were thrilled to launch this personalized campaign.
Using Rover allowed our team to deliver this experience flawlessly, providing an awesome one-to-one experience for our fans. Through the use of segmentation, personalization, and creativity, we were able to create a unique experience that our fans loved.”
Matthew Ship
Vice President of Digital and Innovation, Milwaukee Bucks
True one-to-one personalized fan content is difficult to attain. It requires systems integrations, automation and channel delivery all working in harmony to effectively and scalably deliver on the personalization promise. While all clubs aspire to achieve this level of sophistication with personalization, execution is challenging.
Leveraging the Rover platform (specifically its integrations and automations), more than 40 professional teams across the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLS are now able to deliver scalable one- to-one content through their mobile apps, helping them to achieve a true one-to-one fan journey. This is the foundation upon which teams will build and iterate to further advance the fan journey. Teams can deepen their connection with fans, drive revenue, and enhance the overall fan experience. The ability to collect and analyze fan data, segment the audience, and deliver targeted and personalized content allows teams like the Bucks to create engaging mobile experiences that cultivate long-term brand loyalty.
"The team at Rover has become an extension of our in-house digital and marketing teams. With their impressive client roster across many major sports leagues, they bring the best practices to the table, serving as jumping off points for our own in-app experiences. All of these factors were able to influence the generation of our Season in Review campaign with such ease and proficiency.”
The Bucks’ ‘Season in Review’ campaign provided thousands of fans with a deeper and more authentic connection to their favorite team. Rather than simply viewing a generic recap of stats at the end of the season, fans got to experience a curated set of stats from their game day experience throughout the season. They saw their own names beside key moments they were there for, almost as if the Bucks welcomed each of them personally to the games and were keeping a record of their time together.
To feel appreciated, important and celebrated by one’s favorite team are powerful emotions that are immensely meaningful to the fan, while also providing long-term value for the club. The Bucks’ campaign strengthened their bond with fans, created memories that will last a lifetime, and encouraged them to continue attending games and supporting the club in the future.
The fan experience is no longer one to many, it's now one-to-one. The ability to achieve true personalization scratches the surface of what is possible and fundamentally changes the fan experience, and how fans consume content. It opens the door to fans having a direct relationship with clubs based on their personal interests and priorities, giving sports marketers the opportunity to deliver relevant, engaging content that can support near and long-term business objectives.