RBS has unveiled the latest version of its rugby Live Challenge App to coincide with the weekend kick-off of the 2013 Six Nations.
Once again the tournament’s anchor partner is challenging rugby fans to test their knowledge of the sport pre-, during and post-game.
The tournament’s official app from title sponsor RBS offers an initial warm-up rugby trivia quiz, and then challenges players to predict the outcome of every conversion attempt and penalty kick at goal during the match itself and challenges armchair aficionados to answer in-play questions as the game unfolds.
By using on-screen options players predict live where each kick will land: either through the posts, left, right or short of the target.
And also, to maximise social and peer-to-peer spread, the app enables users to compare their own performances with those of their Facebook friends and other players across the rugby world.
The app’s content is further enriched with match news, lineups and previews, plus live commentary and postgame video highlights.
The second year of the initiative, last year the app racked up more than 100,000 downloads, the latest version has several new features including live views from rugby experts and an integrated Twitter function that enables consumers to both Tweet and view their personal Twitter feeds from within the app.
To further drive engagement and reward participation, this year sees the match ball for each and every Six Nations game given to RBS Six Nations Live Challenge app user.
The app, developed in tandem with Engine Group sponsorship agency Synergy, is available free as a download for most smartphone and tablet devices and rugby fans can also sign up through Facebook Connect.
Comment:
Lacking the rich, live data of IBM’s new TryTracker, but benefiting from the more engaging and fun gaming element, this RBS initiative shows that real-time mobile tools and games are now becoming a key (albeit optional) part of the live rugby experience.
Interestingly, RBS says it is not focusing on traditional advertising platforms in order to raise awareness of the new app. Instead of using paid-for media, it is aiming to drive knowledge and usage through blogger outreach and rugby website seeding, as well as driving awareness through the banking giant’s existing databases.
Indeed, RBS has pushed out upgrade notifications via the existing app from last season in an attempt to re-activate the 100,000 people who downloaded the app last year.
The app is certainly a useful additional tool to enhance fans experience of the tournament and to connect them to one another.
But whether the choice not to use paid-for media to promote the device will prove the right tactic remains to be seen. By not building reference to the app into the brand’s core activation RBS might have missed something of a trick.
After all it’s naming rights to the entire tournament and on/around the field signage will certainly reach a huge number of rugby fan eyeballs through the coming weeks.
Links
Live Challenge App Download
http://rbs6nationslivechallenge.com/
RFU RBS Live Challenge App Website
http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/6nations_livechallenge.php
iTunes Dowwnload
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/rbs-6-nations-live-challenge/id491063351?mt=8
RBS Six Nations Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/rbs6nations
RBS Live Challenge App 2012 YouTube Film
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsBm5cTrBCo
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