Accenture, in the second year of its role as the Official Technology Partner for the 2012 and 2013 RBS 6 Nations Rugby Championship, has launched its official championship mobile app to promote its analytics expertise by providing fans with match insights.
This year’s app is an enhanced version of the 2012 model with a focus on improving audience participation and interaction throughout the tournament: this includes on- and off-the field perspectives, pre- and post-match analysis, previews, news, line ups, player information, live play-by-play commentary, video highlights and integrated social media channels enabling peer-to-peer sharing.
The app can be downloaded on iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire devices and it is available across the Six Nations in English, French and Italian.
Central to the relationship between rights owner and brand partner is technology-based value in kind projects for the RBS Six Nations competition.
So, at the heart of Accenture’s partnership with the tournament lies its focus on bring technology expertise to fans of the RBS Six Nations and the alliance sees the company work on a range of tournament technology initiatives.
The initiative’s objective is to respond to the changing needs of the international fan-base and provide enhanced audience experiences and interaction opportunities throughout the championship.
The work is led by Accenture Mobility Services and the Accenture User Experience Group who conceived, designed, built, tested and subsequently deployed the app via Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store.
The Mobility Services group focuses on offering B2E, B2C and B2B, plus M2M (machine-to-machine) mobile consulting, applications development, software/managed/integration services.
Accenture also promotes its competition analytics expertise through insight-led media partnerships, a print ad campaign and through its own @AccentureRugby Twitter feed.
The aim is to use these platforms and channels to send out factoids and information nuggets that bring the games and individual performances to life.
The company is also working with title sponsor RBS to help determine the RBS Player of the Championship through a mix of match analytics and social media sentiment analysis.
Accenture’s partnership includes a set of tournament-related events designed to build its own client relationships and develop new business opportunities, plus an internal programme to engage and reward employees.
The relationship is further activated by Accenture through its hosting of ‘Technology Showcases’ in the key Six Nations markets.
There are, of course, also the usual brand building opportunities through on-screen and on-pitch match day branding. The company provides on-screen data analysis that appears on English, French, Irish and Italian broadcasters coverage.
Accenture is the official technology partner of the RBS Six Nations. The company came on board last year and provides the data analysis that drives the official mobile app and appears on screen during broadcast of matches on RTE, the BBC and in France and Italy.
‘We use our relationship with the RBS Six Nations to showcase the capacity we have in data analytics and other areas in ways that connect with customers on a personal level,’ says Peter Thomas, Accenture’s UK and Ireland Marketing Director for Accenture.
‘Every sector and business is looking to mobile as the most important driver of commerce and our relationship with rugby is a great way to demonstrate how we are at the heart of making that work. Providers of sports data like Prozone and Opta provide the raw material and the business intelligence we provide gives real time analytics that can use the past to predict the future.’
Comment:
Sport is obviously an increasingly rich data environment and thus offers a prime opportunity for companies to introduce people and potential clients to the power that analysis can yield.
There is no question that the ways in which fans (both in-stadium and at home) are interacting with sport (including rugby) is changing. Certainly several of the demographic groups that make up the international rugby supporter diaspora are at the forefront of both smartphone usage and developing insights from number crunching.
This is further illustrated by the fact that the English RFU has ‘gone it alone’ with its own technology partnership with IBM and this alliance has also produced its own competitor data-led insights ‘TryTracker’ digital tool which runs through the Six Nations and will extend to other England internationals too.
Links:
Accenture Six Nations Activation Webfilm YouTube Film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3w4H_eN_XM
Official Six Nations Website
http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/accenture.php
Official Six Nations App Download iTunes
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/official-rbs-6-nations-championship/id489164343?mt=8
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